Sat 1 Sep 2007
Wet, wet, wet
As the demand for new homes increases, with a recent NHBC report citing stylish fixtures and fittings as key attractions, the pressure is on for housebuilders to create stylish sanctuaries that will appeal to all. Natalia Gameson sees how the latest bathroom sets are fulfilling the brief.Luxury
“It’s no secret that sex sells products,” says Lesley Taylor, design director at Taylor’s Etc, “and this is as true for the bathroom as for fashion, perfume and cars. For a developer to create a wow factor in the bathroom, it is essential that sexy, luxury items are specified throughout.”
Taylor’s company, which kitted out the house used in the fifth series of Channel 4’s Big Brother, is well used to ensuring products work well on and off camera to woo viewers and buyers. The company also aims to offer a design interior service, in addition to supplying a wide range of tiles and bathroom products, to make sure the space works to its best effect, at the best price. “Cost is always a priority for developers,” Taylor adds, “so investing in certain luxury elements, unique tiles, striking brassware or a smart shower will ensure that other lower priced and specified items will have a higher perceived value to create stunning bathrooms that won’t cost the earth.”
Cost cutting may not always be the best option, however - clever and quirky designs are worth investing extra pennies in to court the right audience, and bathroom kit doesn’t come much smarter than C.P. Hart’s Code-X range. Utilising a material traditionally used for flooring in homes on the continent, this grey-blue natural limestone has been used in the creation of a range of shower trays and screens, sinks and stainless steel brassware, while the line’s handmade Inox taps are made out of a single block of stainless steel.
VitrA UK, which kits out developments for the likes of Urban Splash, Gladedale Homes and the housebuilder formerly known as George Wimpey, recently deployed top designer Ross Lovegrove’s bathroom designs as part of the firm’s Istanbul range to cultivate the arty design-led buyer type who wants to have a bit of quirky fun in their comfort station. “Our Istanbul collection really stands out in a crowd,” says Phil Baker, the firm’s national contracts and specifications manager. “Here, Ross pushed the design boundaries of what was thought technically possible, turning functional objects into luxurious pieces of sculpture. The freestanding washbasin was made by glazing and fitting two separate components to create what appears a seamless one-piece structure. Even the toilet features sophisticated LED light technology, which is activated when movement is sensed.”
Similarly, adds Georgina Brittain, Roca’s marketing manager, creating luxury mini-spas and sanctuaries within the home will appeal to buyers too time-poor to visit the real thing: “The growing trend for ‘wellness and wellbeing’ has led to increased interest in hydromassage and hydrosauna systems, or a personal home spa. The same can be said, of course, for materials not usually associated with the bathroom – with the bathroom potentially becoming as high-tech as our kitchens and living rooms.”
Roca is bringing out a range of modular bathroom furniture to cope with the demand for extra storage – a good way to add value to any design - wherever it can be crammed in, while Brittain also stresses that suites need not necessarily match in this day and age. “Buyers can mix and match products to make the bathroom a more creative space. The sink has become a great way to do this – ‘his’ and ‘hers’ individualised sinks are becoming popular with buyers with more spacious bathrooms, or who possess the luxury of a bathroom each.”
Indeed, using one or two key ‘signature’ pieces throughout is likely to impress buyers. Weighty, yet elegant baths, such as Riva’s Ellipse model, supplied by Splash Distribution, are a good way to curry favour with potential purchasers.
This oval model, which can be produced in any colour to complement any interior scheme, aims to add depth and allure within as a well-designed and versatile bathroom accessory. Each product is made using duralite, and comes with a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
Classy sinks also offer buyers a bit of eye candy on the long trail around show home after show home in pursuit of the right fit. James Theobald has recently launched the Fleur model, which features a rippled design that is framed by its white ceramic finish.
Meanwhile, developers looking to kit out luxury, one-off suburban bathrooms should consider using natural-looking products, such as the Hansgrohe products specified at Woodchurch, a five-bedroom home in Ascot designed by Croft Homes Developments, headed up by husband and wife team Mike and Georgina McCarthy.
Used to furnish three en suite bathrooms, a full-size family bathroom, downstairs cloakroom and kitchen, Hansgrohe’s Axor Citterio range, designed by Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio, aimed to bring a touch of understated luxury throughout. In the en suites for two of the bathrooms, the raindance rainbow shower sets utilised air-injection technology to draw air into the shower face and mix it with the water to produce a bubbly spray akin to natural rain, to give its users a fuller shower experience. The company used warm wood and natural stone materials throughout to create a tasteful décor that had a universal appeal for buyers and visitors alike.
Good design for first-time buyers
Not all good design need cost the earth, and as in luxury developments, hunting around for one striking shower piece or feature with which to win buyers over will reap dividends. Merlyn’s Cube shower design, which features square control valves and a ‘drencher’ shower fixture and comes with sunken or full-tray options, is stylish and slick and a reasonably priced method of enhancing the interior, while its tray dimensions of 1,450 millimetres by 900 millimetres make it suitable for the smaller rooms with which first-time buyers tend to be stuck. Bristan’s new G-type Thermostatic surface-mounted shower valve with rigid riser and handset is similarly swish and sleek, in addition to boasting thermostatic controls preset to 38 degrees Celsius for safety, and water pressures ranging between 1.0 and 8.0 bar.
Dimplex’s new Aquabatix range offers ten shower options in four styles, varying from entry level to what the company terms ‘high-performance’ models, ideal for buyers with a bit of extra cash put aside for model upgrades. The top of the range high-specification model, the aX4 , features a push-button combined power selection and start control, a numbered temperature dial and a five-mode handset. The shower can be left at the user’s preferred flow and temperature setting for the next use, while a phased shut-down will flush all the hot water out of the unit to make it ready for immediate use in the busiest of bathrooms. Freeing up available shower space is also likely to be popular – Roman has recently launched a sturdy double shower basket forged from solid brass and finished off in chrome. A stylish and practical storage solution, it offers the user enough space to store all their toiletries, while the hooks provided allow soap and sponges to be hung from a rope.
Equally, tiles, if carefully selected, are a good way to spruce up the least inspiring of conveniences. Evitavonni has recently launched a range of wall and floor tiles by Dominic Crinson, who draws on designs from North Africa and the Far East in his designs, utilising a range of striking colours to liven up otherwise stark interiors.
Go eco
On the consumer side, the lure of low energy and reduced water bills is wooing buyers away from the old to the new, says a recent report by the NHBC. Likewise on the trade front, the Code for Sustainable Homes is pushing manufacturers and housebuilders to use and make more eco-friendly bathroom kit. “The bathroom offers a wealth of opportunity for improvement in water conservation,” says Phil Baker. “It’s a great chance for the developer to tick extra sustainability boxes, while also providing consumers with cost and conscience benefits.”
This is why, Baker explains, VitrA teamed up with Ross Lovegrove again to create Vitra MOD, a modular system designed to maximise everyday water consumption. “Specifically, the main washbasin faucet has a reduced diameter stem to cut down on water use. Similarly, our organic-shaped basins are purposefully shallow to avoid excessive use of water, while these ultimately smaller and thinner products can also reduce firing time, packaging and weight to allow us to transport the product more efficiently. We see the range as a globally practical solution to water conservation for most cultures.”
Roca has produced line of low-volume baths, dual flush cisterns, which cut typical toilet water use by as much as half by using three litres per flush, while the firm’s new ‘Eco-Disc’ tap allows users to choose between using a reduced or full flow of water. “Bellway Homes are nationally following the Code for Sustainable Homes to the letter, so it made sense for them to specify the new Roca low-volume acrylic baths for the firm’s new schemes in Orpington and Milton Keynes,” notes Georgina Brittain. “Similarly, David Boyack Homes in Fife is using our Hall three- to five-litre dual-flush cisterns in a 30-house development.”
C.P. Hart is another supplier heading for greener pastures. The firm, which is a key retailer for German brands Duravit and Hansgrohe, was the first retailer in the UK to sell toilets that flushed six litres of water, and is currently working to introduce models that use just two litres per flush. Hansgrohe, the company reports, has recently launched a water-recycling unit to suit any sized household, the AquaCycle, which cleans all grey water so it can be used again in washing machines, dishwasher, gardens and loo flushing. C.P. Hart is also now selling baths and sinks made in cristalplant and compolight, which are produced using bi-products from the manufacturing process of aluminium that are mixed with minerals to create a smart, durable finish.
Similarly, bathrooms supplier HiB ensures all the mirrors it uses are copper-free and don’t contain any lead in the paintwork. The Halo model, a circular mirror, is lit by LED lights, so no bulb change is required as the energy produced is LED sourced. RB Farquhar’s bathroom pods also aim to reduce their impact on the environment throughout the manufacturing and usage process. At factory level, the materials are all rigorously controlled to ensure almost zero material wastage, while the finished products incorporate the latest water and power-saving features on the market.
Retirement
Retirement property is big business – cutting-edge retirement design products less so, but this is all set to change as the baby-boom generation gets older, says national journalist Cheryl Markosky. “For those used to good design in the fifties, nothing less than chic is going to do. There has to be a way to sex up these products while allowing them to remain functional, so designers should start working now to bridge the gap as the average age of the UK citizen increases.”
Some canny designers are already anticipating this future trend. “The key to a bathroom in a property for the over-55s is sanitaryware that still has the ‘wow’ factor but can adapt to residents’ changing needs as they age,” says Phil Baker. “At VitrA, we recognise that residents in retirement properties may have accessibility issues with bathrooms, in addition to a higher than average percentage of wheelchair users on site. With this in mind, we have designed what is thought to be the world’s first fully Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 compliant back-to-wall toilet which perfectly corresponds to these changing needs.” Forming part of the firm’s Matrix collection, the loo was originally designed for the accessible washrooms at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5, but is now available on the open market. A one-piece ceramic little number, it meets DDA projection requirements of 750 millimetres, while its height comes in at 485 millimetres, overcoming the current practice of putting a box behind the model. More hygienic and aesthetically pleasing than other toilets in the field, it has also been tested to flush on four litres of water.
“We also offer a mix and match option of wall-hung or back-to-wall toilets within our special needs range with a range of complementary basins,” adds Baker. “These include the K1 and K2 models designed for Heathrow, which have simple, contemporary lines, space to place personal items and are wheelchair-friendly.”
C.P. Hart has launched a line of Architec and diagonal sinks, designed by Professor Frank Huster and manufactured by Duravit, which were originally designed for small spaces in public areas, which have a real benefit for disabled access, but have now become popular in residential properties where required. The diagonal sinks can be left or right-handed to allow the shelf provided to be fitted on either side.
Roca similarly offers a range of products that can be adapted for retirement development usage. Back-to-wall products are probably the most suitable models for this kind of environment, the firm notes, to keep bathroom cleaning simple for disabled or elderly users, while the company’s single-lever taps are easy to use, even for those who may suffer arthritis. “Churchill Retirement Living recently specified back-to-wall toilets and semi-recessed sinks in one of its recent schemes, along with steel baths with handgrips, which are a must-have in such developments,” says Georgina Brittain.
First published in Show House Magazine September 2007.
The greatest care has been taken to ensure accuracy but some information contained within this article may have changed since it was first published.
Posted by Natalia Gameson
in Bristan Group Ltd, C.P. Hart, Dimplex, Evitavonni, Hansgrohe, HiB, Inside Out, James Theobald, Merlyn, RB Farquhar, Roca Ltd, Roman, Splash Distribution, Taylor's Etc, VitrA UK on Sat 1 Sep 2007
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