Diane, Author at Bathroom Review

Lakes announces changes to its Board of Directors

August 23, 2022

Lakes Showering Spaces has announced a new structure to the Board of Directors, reinforcing its commitment to continue to drive the business forward towards future growth.

Bev Brown, who joined Lakes over 10 years ago as finance director and fulfilled the role of managing director for the last five and a half years, has now stepped up to occupy a dual role of finance director and chairman. Meanwhile, existing director Mike Gahir takes on the position of managing director, while Darren Bedford, who joined the business 16 months ago as national sales manager has been promoted to sales director. Completing the board is Chris Thain who joined earlier this year as supply chain director.

This new structure enables Lakes Showering Spaces to continue to drive the brand forward and puts the business in a strong position for both its employees and customers, further cementing its commitment to delivering the highest quality products and service.

Bev Brown, chairman and finance director of Lakes, comments: “I am delighted to announce Mike’s appointment as Lakes’ new managing director. Mike has been instrumental in helping the board face the challenges that lie ahead, and he will continue to have a key role in driving the business forward on its journey.”

Mike Gahir, managing director, said: “The team at Lakes have been a key part of the development of the company over the years, and the board changes are designed to enable us to continue to build on the fantastic results already achieved. Even though recent global events and market dynamics have not been favourable for businesses generally, here at Lakes we are in an excellent position to continue to grow and reinforce the brand’s strong position in the markets where we operate.”

With 20 years of experience in the industry, Darren Bedford will continue to be a valuable asset to the team following his promotion to sales director and appointment to the board of directors. He comments: “I am delighted to be joining the Lakes board at such a pivotal time for the company. There are fantastic opportunities on the horizon for us to grow sales even further through existing and new sales channels, and by working closely with our entire customer base, I am confident that we will achieve great things together.”

Chris Thain also brings a breadth of experience to his role as supply chain director having worked in various sectors throughout his career, including food processing, Amazon distribution and home improvement companies.

“I am pleased to have joined Lakes at an exciting time for both the business and brand,” commented Chris. “Having started working with the team, it is clear that they are very passionate about this company. There are some exciting initiatives planned that I am really looking forward to implementing with everyone here at Lakes.”

Lakes is a leading manufacturer and supplier of showering spaces, including walk-ins and bath screens, selling exclusively through builders’ and plumbers’ merchants, and retail bathroom stockists.

For more information on Lakes’ showering spaces, please visit: https://lakesshoweringspaces.com/

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Glenn Payne joins Aqualisa as director of sales – specification

August 23, 2022

British bathroom specialist Aqualisa has hired Glenn Payne as director of sales within its specification division. In this new role, Glenn will report to Aqualisa sales director Tim Creedon, and will spearhead the expansion of its business in the specification, housebuilder and developer channels.

Glenn joins Aqualisa from construction materials company Knauf, where he held the position of head of sales for the UK and Ireland. Previous appointments have included head of projects for Grohe and head of business development at Whiteleaf Furniture.

With a career spanning more than 20 years in the construction product, KBB and furniture industries, Glenn brings extensive experience in sales strategy development, with an established track record in new business generation, building key stakeholder relationships and driving profitable revenue growth.

At Aqualisa, Glenn will accelerate the specification project pipeline and increase conversion ratios, with plans to expand the sales team and lead the Aqualisa, Elisa and Gainsborough brands into new sectors.

Tim Creedon, sales director at Aqualisa, said, “I am extremely pleased to welcome Glenn to the Aqualisa specification team. We will benefit greatly from his significant experience and achievements in the industry, as well as his proven background in negotiation, successful project delivery and commercial growth.”

Glenn Payne added, “It’s a particularly exciting time to be joining Aqualisa. The company’s powerful heritage in bathroom innovation, as well as its solid reputation for reliability and customer service, makes it an exceptional brand. I look forward to being able to advance its presence in the specification channel throughout the value chain, and increase the team’s coverage to a national level. This is an outstanding opportunity to extend Aqualisa’s business in the property development, architectural and specification arena.”

Glenn holds a BA Hons Degree in Interior Design from the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. A father of two girls, Glenn likes to spend time with his family, and his favourite pastimes include golf, cooking and travel.

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The Horton from Thomas Crapper harks back to 1901

August 23, 2022

Answering the demand from bathroom designers, retailers and developers for a generous splash of colour in the cloakroom or en-suite, the Horton basin has been launched by Thomas Crapper. Arguably, cloakrooms are important as they are the destination for most visitors to the home or hotel bar!

Inspired by one of the company’s original fireclay basins from the 1901 catalogue, the basin comes in Forest Green, Indigo Blue and White. The tap portfolios from Thomas Crapper are equally stylish and, for a contemporary setting, the semi-matt finish looks great with the polished brass Spitfire taps, pictured here.

The basins are hand-crafted from fireclay ceramic in Lancashire and are available in two- or three-tap hole options. Dimensions are W420mm x D324mm x H334mm while the integral back accommodates wall-mounted brassware. The Forest Green and Indigo Blue retail at £539 inc. vat while the White costs £479.

For further information on Thomas Crapper, please visit www.thomas-crapper.com

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PJH raises a glass with staff to celebrate Golden 50th Anniversary

August 23, 2022

Established in 1972, KBB distributor, PJH, turned 50 this year and has been celebrating its Golden Anniversary throughout the year, with the most recent event being a UK-wide summer BBQ for its 550-strong workforce.

From Glasgow to Greater Manchester to Enfield, colleagues across ten PJH offices and distribution centres have been treated to VIP brunches, lunches and dinners as well as 50^th themed goody bags (which included £3,000 worth of scratch card winners!), to celebrate this fantastic 50^th milestone.

Welcomed by PJH CEO, Richard George – who gave a brief overview of the company’s journey so far, highlighting the importance of this historical company achievement – staff were treated to a spread of food and drink, and even the appearance of an Ice Cream Van at some of the larger sites.

Hosted from 50^th themed and decorated marquees and venues throughout the PJH regions, there was also over £10,000 worth of prizes up for grabs too with staff winning vouchers, extra days holidays and bubbly or beer as part of a special 50^th Anniversary Raffle.

Richard George, CEO, PJH, said: “We are all really proud of turning 50 this year. It’s a fantastic achievement for our business and we wanted to thank all our colleagues for their ongoing support, hard work and loyalty to PJH, by jointly celebrating across our sites. It’s been a great opportunity for staff to enjoy meeting colleagues from other departments to celebrate this fantastic achievement.”

This recent 50^th ‘getogether’ forms part of a regular schedule of PJH regional ‘events’ where the company encourages colleagues to mix with other departments and have a relaxed ‘catch-up’ over lunch. This is an integral part of PJH’s enhanced ‘Wellbeing’ employee programme focussing on the social wellbeing of every member of staff.

Richard concluded: “The business has changed considerably over the years, growing tremendously to become one of the UK’s largest distributors and we continue to have ambitious and exciting growth plans for the years ahead – so here’s to the next 50 successful years!”

For further information on PJH, visit www.pjh.uk , www.partners.pjh.uk or call, T: 0800 8 77 88 99.

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Riobel launches GS bathroom tap in the UK

August 23, 2022

Riobel is expanding its brassware collection in the UK by introducing its latest bathroom tap collection, the GS. An attractive addition to any bathroom, the beauty of the GS lies in the simplicity of its form.

Already launched in Riobel’s native Canada, the GS is part of a product portfolio that spans contemporary kitchen and bathroom taps with a range of matching accessories. The GS is one of four stylish new taps in the Riobel bathroom collection, with additional taps due to launch throughout the latter half of 2022.

The GS collection is an example of Riobel’s mastery of geometric forms. Its elegant simplicity makes it suitable for a wide range of bathroom design styles. Available in a Black or Chrome finish, it is an asset to any bathroom.

The GS collection boasts geometry with sleek lines to create a modern aesthetic for bathrooms with a contemporary feel. The GS series is meant for both minimalist décor and transitional styles, as its organic shape complements both beautifully.

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Virtual Worlds trainer Maarika White promoted to training manager

August 22, 2022

Virtual Worlds trainer Maarika White has been promoted to training manager for the design solutions provider.

Joining the company last autumn after several years as a kitchen sales and graphic designer, Maarika has helped kbb retailers get the most out of the innovation-led software, including Virtual Worlds 4D Theatre. In her new role, Maarika will oversee the training team to ensure Virtual Worlds continue to maximise on the potential of the software.

Prior to joining Virtual Worlds, Maarika worked for Schmidt, where she gained experience of selling kitchens with the use of virtual reality and saw first-hand the effect the 4D technology has on the showroom floor.

She comments: “With Virtual Worlds we can eliminate a number of customer concerns, particularly around being able to imagine the space and how will it look, making the sales process shorter and simpler.”

Virtual Worlds managing director, Nathan Maclean, comments: “Maarika has impressed us with her drive and enthusiasm since she joined the company and we’re really excited to see her ideas come to life as we develop our training offering.”

For more information on Virtual Worlds call 01908 663 848 or visit www.virtualworlds.co.uk

About Virtual Worlds

Virtual Worlds is the UK market leader in innovation-led CAD technology for the KBB market. Since launching in 1998, it has broken boundaries in virtual technology innovation – being the first company to develop 3D design software for KBB retailers and, most recently, launching its new 4D Showroom Technology. Virtual Worlds is a division of Logicom Computer Services (UK) Ltd

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Meteora Gris is Best Bathroom Surface in Livingetc Style Awards 2022

August 22, 2022

The natural beauty and superior durability of Meteora Gris from CRL Stone has been recognised with a top design award, as the surface wins the prize for Best Bathroom Surface at the Livingetc Style Awards 2022.

Picked up by the judges out of the hundreds of entries received, Meteora Gris is recognised as being among the best in modern design. Awards judge and Livingetc Editorial Director Sarah Spiteri comments: “It’s a great material, with a beautiful textured finish and it’s also cost-effective over large surfaces.”

Meteora Gris is an MDI surface, exclusively produced for CRL Stone by Inalco. For seamless, minimal styling with no grout lines in the bathroom at just 6mm thick, it is the perfect wall cladding solution, creating a spa-like shower area.

The textured finish of the material enhances its natural beauty, adding to the feeling of wellness in the bathroom, while the distinctive stone-effect patterning in on-trend grey, combines harmoniously with a myriad of colours and materials, acting as a blank canvas in the modern home.

Meteora Gris has practical appeal too, with the non-porous, scratch and stain resistant material supplied in a slab format to make installation straightforward, even over large areas. For more information call CRL Stone on 01706 863600 or visit www.crlstone.co.uk

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VitrA celebrates LDF with Carnovsky’s colour & light installation

August 22, 2022

As part of the London Design Festival 2022, as well as Clerkenwell Design Trail 2022, VitrA London will host an immersive colour experience using artwork by Milan-based art and design duo, Carnovsky. The new collaboration continues the brand’s 2022 theme of colour, which launched globally this year.

On show in the VitrA Clerkenwell showroom from 19 – 23 September, the unique artwork by Francesco Rugi and Silvia Quintanilla – professionally known as Carnovsky – experiments with the interaction between colour in print and light form.

Rugi and Quintanilla started working together in 2007, having met at Milan’s Domus Academy – where they both studied design – three years prior. On first reflection, Carnovsky’s artwork – named RGB – is a mix of lines, shapes and colours intertwined; yet when you superimpose red, green and blue filters over the top, the different layers within the art are revealed.

According to Carnovsky, RGB is about “the exploration of the surface’s deepness”, creating “surfaces that mutate and interact with different chromatic stimuli”.

The artists add: “Working with coloured lights, we understood that each colour works in a different way because they have different wavelengths – red the longest, blue the shortest, green in between – and we use this characteristic for the narrative of the image.”

What viewers experience is unexpected and disorienting, yet mesmerising. “The idea behind RGB is that there are many different levels of meaning in things,” says Carnovsky. “What you see for the first time may hide other meanings, other worlds, and what is supposed to be flat may not be.”

In addition to Carnovsky’s installation, the VitrA London showroom will run a series of free virtual reality (VR) experience sessions on Tuesday 20 September.

VitrA’s Virtual Worlds software transfers bathroom designs into 4-D, enabling individuals to experience them on a whole new level. At each session, the user will be given a VR headset to explore a fully immersive virtual bathroom space, including turning on a virtual tap and interacting with the latest bathroom collections from VitrA.

What’s more, to coincide with the brand’s colour theme, selected settings on Virtual Worlds have been created to provide inspiration for how to incorporate colour within the bathroom.

To round off Clerkenwell Design Trail 2022, VitrA London will host an evening of drinks, nibbles and conversations for the design industry – including architects, designers and specifiers – on Wednesday 21 September. Free to attend – click here or email london@vitra.co.uk to RSVP.

“RGB Colour Experience by Carnovsky” is at VitrA London from 19 – 23 September 2022 (09:00 – 18:00). Free to attend – click here for more information or to register your interest. VR experience sessions run from 10:00 – 15:00 on 20 September 2022. Free to attend but booking required.

Address: VitrA London, Turnmill Building, 64 Turnmill Street, London EC1M 5RR

To browse VitrA’s latest collections, visit vitra.co.uk.

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Aqualisa wins RoSPA Gold Award for health and safety achievements

August 18, 2022

Bathroom product specialist Aqualisa has announced it has once again been honoured with the RoSPA Gold Award, an internationally-recognised accolade for demonstrating the highest health and safety standards.

Organisations that receive a RoSPA Award are recognised as being world leaders in health and safety practice. Almost 2,000 entrants compete each year to achieve the top prize in the UK’s longest-running health and safety industry awards.

Mat Norris, CEO at Aqualisa, commented, “Aqualisa has an ongoing commitment to health and safety best practice throughout the business. I am extremely proud of our people, who consistently strive to ensure that the company maintains the highest standards at all times – delivering a safe working environment whatever their role or location. Receiving the RoSPA Gold Award is testimony to everyone’s hard work over the past 12 months, and I thank my team for their dedication.”

Julia Small, RoSPA’s achievements director, said: “This is a fantastic and well-deserved accomplishment. All our award entrants demonstrate their unwavering commitment and passion for keeping people safe at work. By receiving this recognition, Aqualisa joins like-minded businesses and organisations worldwide, who represent the very best in their approach to health and safety. I would like to add my personal thanks for all the work that it has taken to secure this well-deserved award – congratulations to all those involved, who champion and drive up health and safety standards every day. You are a fantastic example to others in your sector.”

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TOTO presents two new automatic taps with ECO CAP technology

August 17, 2022

TOTO’s two new award-winning automatic taps feature its new ECO CAP technology to reduce water consumption.

Perfect for residential and hospitality bathrooms, these collections were both recognised with the international Red Dot Award and Green Design Award for outstanding design. Available in a wide range of different versions, there is a perfect tap for every washbasin – from self-rim and undercounter washbasins to furniture washbasins and vessels.

The round and square tap collections each have five different versions – all of which are touch-free and use very little water. One special feature of TOTO’s touch-free tap is the SELF POWER technology, which can also be called an integrated “hydropower plant”: One of the smallest sensors in the world is installed in the spout, registering people’s hand movements to activate the flow of water. A second technology is also at work inside the faucet: A generator converts the energy from the flow of water to power the microsensor.

Water-saving technology creates a pleasantly full stream of water

Another new technology is TOTO’s ECO CAP, which adds air to the water to reduce consumption and create a comfortable sensation: The stream of water feels very gentle and full, but the tap only uses two litres.

The perfect tap for every washbasin

Each of these faucet collections – square and round – is available in three heights and two different wall spout lengths. The perfect tap is available for all types of washbasins – from self-rim and undercounter washbasins to furniture washbasins and counter basins and vessels. The two collections impressed the judges for the Red Dot Award: Product Design 2022 in February 2022: The design experts praised the “minimalistic design approach” and “expressiveness”, recognising the collections as winners. These two touch-free faucet collections also won the Green Good Design Award 2021. The “harmony of the design with its surroundings” played a role in the award, as well as the factor of “user-friendliness”.

Touch-free in the bathroom – TOTO taps, shower toilets and more

Society’s experiences with the pandemic over the past few years have sensitised people in a variety of different respects, especially when it comes to hygiene. Cleanliness is important whenever several people use the same bathroom. The fewer surfaces people have to touch, the more comfortable. Touch-free faucets and hand dryers were once found exclusively in public washrooms but are increasingly found in private homes today. In addition to its touch-free taps, TOTO offers a number of other products that help elevate hygiene: shower toilets with automatic flush (WASHLET™), automatic soap dispensers, hand dryers and washbasins with especial dirt-resistant ceramic surfaces.

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