The KBzine

KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
30th May 2019

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International News
Products

VitrA Bathrooms announces its first RIBA-accredited CPD 'Bathroom Design and Specification: Ceramic Sanitaryware'

Leading bathroom manufacturer VitrA announces its Continuing Professional Development (CPD) module, approved by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Earning professionals a valuable eight points, the seminar Bathroom Design and Specification:
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TKC launches new sink and tap range

TKC has launched a new range of sinks and taps supported by an eight-page full colour brochure, reflecting the latest design requirements in styles, colours and materials at a variety of price points to suit customer needs.
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Transform bathroom designs with new panelling from Abacus - a clever alternative to tiling

Abacus Bathrooms has launched a new interior decorative wall and ceiling panelling system. The transformative M1 Series is a portfolio of fantastic panelling solutions to answer today's demand for design-led, innovative bathrooms and kitchens.

Launched as the perfect alternative to tiles, the inspirational home-improvement range is equally at ease in both modern and classic schemes and offers the retailer and designer the edge in a competitive world.
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New Origin brassware and accessories come in copper, matt black, brushed nickel and chrome

VitrA, one of Europe's leading bathroom companies, has expanded both its Designer Collection and the recently launched Signature Collection with a new range of brassware and accessories, available to retailers from the end of June.

Subtle elegant design is the key theme of the outstanding new Origin brassware and accessories range from VitrA. Origin presents retailers, designers and consumers with a complete and versatile collection that is the perfect partner for contemporary sanitaryware.
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Crosswater introduces Svelte grey ash veneer & mirror collection

Crosswater has extended its increasingly popular Svelte collection with a beautiful new Grey Ash Veneer furniture finish and an elegant illuminated mirror collection.

Ideal for the design conscious, the Svelte collection focuses on the key principles of practicality, simplicity and beauty to create stunning furniture for the bathroom. Specially manufactured using the highest quality materials, the collection is presented across four distinct sizes and finishes to suit all bathroom schemes.
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Keller's elegant Elba: warm wood with a sturdy industrial touch

Keller's Washed Oak Elba model is perfect for kitchens large or small. The rustic timber effect melamine-fronted cabinetry provides symmetrical patterns which can be combined with all sorts of worktops and appliances.

Whether it's a large open plan kitchen where units have been used to create an island, or a narrow kitchen where homeowners have opted for the galley-style design, they can add stylish components such as copper light fittings or an integrated extractor hood (as pictured).
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Saniflo launches Kinedo Kinespace shower enclosures

The new Kinedo Kinepsace range of elegant and discrete shower cubicles from Saniflo UK is designed to make fitting shower enclosures swift and easy, while delivering a high-quality product with a 10-year warranty.
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Shine bright with gold mosaics

From Byzantine icons to mystical Buddhist temples, gold mosaics have been chosen for designs over centuries as gold is an incredibly strong, precious metal that is immune to oxidation and so provides both strength and long lasting beauty.
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Traditional with a modern twist; Blanco's Faron sink

Ever the pioneer for sink design, Blanco has created the Faron XL 6 S; a large sink with a Silgranit PuraDur finish which is perfect for bringing a modern country house style into the kitchen.
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New cool compact wine storage from Danby

Retailers looking for products to capitalise on the promise of a long hot Summer can now offer the new Danby 16 bottle wine cooler.
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Striking concrete-style worktops from Königstone

Industrial style finishes, such as concrete, remain popular at kitchen design shows and, with Königstone's new Concrete Collection of worktops, homeowners can easily bring this current trend into their homes.
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Welcome to the
KBzine

One thing that doesn't sit right about my job is that I'm part of the drive towards encouraging people to ditch what may be perfectly serviceable old kitchens, bathrooms and bedroom furniture in favour of new designs and trending colours. Doesn't fit with protecting our environment, does it?
A woman I've been talking to about recycling, believes that since everything we use comes from the earth, we should really be able to safely return it to the earth - albeit perhaps in a different form. She feels we should be thinking differently about the whole recycling 'thing' and I agreed that she has a point. We both felt that it's the way we so carelessly discard things we've used that's causing many of the problems.

In talking about products made from recycled plastics she proudly told me about her new blankets, unaware that the fibres leach into the washing machine (and thus our waterways) when washed. She was impressed by my loft insulation (no washing required) which is still going strong several years after installation. If you missed reading about it, the product - made from 100% recycled plastic bottles - costs roughly the same as conventional insulation yet has a higher thermal value and doesn't require use of protective clothing during fitting.

* LEADER-PIC-30th-May2019_142.jpg Trendy sunglasses made from recycled materials that come with a lifetime warranty were new to me and when they're funded by a Kickstarter campaign that reaches target within 24-hours, you know the manufacturer is onto something good. But it's not just the product that's eco-friendly - the packaging and cleaning cloths are made from recycled materials too, in a low-energy process. And for every backer, manufacturer Avalon collects one Kilo of plastic from the ocean and for each pair of sunglasses produced, it will be recycling one plastic bottle (www.kickstarter.com). And when you consider all the plastics we thought we'd seen the last of, coming back to us from Malaysia, we'd do well to find more ways of making something useful from the stuff!
What I'd be interested in learning, is what happens to the products being replaced by all this new stuff I'm writing about. Do consumers ever ask what you're going to do with it (particularly the bulky stuff) when it's removed? Does it go to the tip or does your organisation (or one you work with) use it to make new, but perhaps different products? Are we so worried about straws and stirrers that we're missing what's really important here?

Yours,

Jan Hobbs

This Week's News

BMA announces first headline speaker for 2019 conference

The Bathroom Manufacturers Association has named Cate Trotter as the first of a number of headline speakers for the 2019 Bathroom & Kitchen Business Conference, set to take place on 8th October at the stunning Carden Park Hotel, Cheshire.
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Granite worktop company fined after failing to carry out safety checks

A granite worktop manufacturer has been fined after failing to ensure that lifting equipment was examined and maintained as being safe to use.

Mold Magistrates' Court heard how Grantech was not having regular statutory examinations carried out on lifting equipment and also failed to carry out repairs when defects had been found.
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Bushboard launches new designer collection decors and adds acrylic into Nuance bathroom panelling collection

Bushboard's patented and award-winning Nuance bathroom wall panels have been a well-deserved success for the company - and now the range is even better with the addition of an exciting new Designer Collection comprising eight new decors and at the same time, seven new, stylish, glossy acrylic panels.
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Bring steel windows and doors into the bathroom

Steel in the home continues to dominate in the home fashion stakes; internal partitions and large steel windows replace solid doors and walls in contemporary homes. And, with advice from the Steel Window Association, homeowners can enjoy plenty of options if they want the look!

The most common use of steel windows in bathrooms is to create shower screens; not only are they are an excellent replacement for shower curtains, the stylish design also allows plenty of light to enter the shower space. Homeowners can choose to have just one screen outlining the shower tray on one side with an open front, or opt for two screens to create a closed in cubicle.
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PHG rewards Mermaid with New Supplier Award

One of Europe's leading wall and shower panel suppliers, Mermaid Panels, Grimsby, has been awarded a prestigious New Supplier Award by PHG, the merchant buying group.

Mermaid has been a leader in the shower panel market for over 30 years, specialising in design, quality and innovations like anti-bacterial finishes on panels for showers, bathrooms and wet rooms and striking decor designs.
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Grohe Bau: affordable bathroom solutions for low-pressure buildings

Grohe has introduced several new products for those working with customers in a low pressure setting. The new BauEdge deck mounted bath filler and bath and shower mixer are designed specifically for vented systems, allowing the user to enjoy a more fulfilling and pleasurable shower experience. Both products are suitable for installations with a minimum water pressure of just 0.2 bar.

Complete bathroom solutions that offer coordinated design across brassware and ceramics are enabling designers, installers and retailers to offer their customers a consistency in quality and design that is guaranteed to deliver excellence in performance and style. The Grohe Bau bathroom range is an affordable collection that comprises basins and complementing mixer taps, bath fillers, toilets and much more, all
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Super Subway shapes from Trend

The Subway range of glass mosaic tiles from Italian specialist, Trend, has been developed to add class and glamour to any feature surface - tiling, walls, splashbacks, and customised artwork. The colours and textures have been selected to answer the demand for natural, brilliant designs in today's corporate and residential interior schemes.

Crafted by hand using traditional artisan techniques, the tiles are coloured throughout to achieve consistent shades and prevent fading. They are completely resistant to heat, burns, impact, wear and chemical cleaners.
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AKW launches new plumbing fittings range

AKW, one of the UK's leading providers of accessibility solutions, has announced the launch of its new range of plumbing and pipe fittings. Available from June, the range has been introduced to enable installers and specifiers to get everything they need to fit an accessible bathroom from AKW's one stop shop.

Available in convenient pack sizes, allowing installers to order exactly what is needed for the job, the range includes compression and copper pipe fittings, as well as plastic push fit tubes and fittings. AKW has also incorporated tap connection flexi-hoses, Solvent Weld waste fittings and a selection of isolator valves into the range for ultimate flexibility.
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Königstone's new website wows with worktop wonders

Königstone transforms a house into a home with a stunning portfolio of high quality kitchen worktops. The company has launched a new easy-to-browse website so that designers, retailers, installers and consumers can explore different materials and colours for the finishing touch to the new scheme.

The new website highlights the benefits of the materials in Königstone's worktop portfolios, Königquartz and Könignaturals. Königquartz is available in 28 colours; Könignaturals offers 23.
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The sideboard renaissance, a contemporary serving by next125

"With a history that dates back to the 18th century, the old-fashioned sideboard is experiencing a renaissance in the contemporary home," says Wayne Dance, managing director at InHouse.

"Originally gaining popularity in well-to-do households fortunate enough to have a separate dining room, sideboards became the statement piece for storage, display and serving.
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Two companies fined after bathroom floor layer fatally exposed to toxic substance

A supplier and a flooring company have both been sentenced following the death of a 30-year old floor layer in London. Paul Tilcock was found dead on the bathroom floor by the owner of a house in Mitcham. The adhesive being used to fix the flooring contained a large amount of toxic substance.

An investigation by the Health & Safety Executive found that T Brown Group had not implemented any systems or procedures adequately to control the risks to its employees from working in an enclosed space with a substance known to be hazardous to health, namely dichloromethane.
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JP awarded UK exclusivity for global ceramic manufacturer

JP Kitchens & Bathrooms has signed up to an exclusivity arrangement with Egyptian-based Ceramic manufacturer, Cleopatra, to supply its White Ville European designed bathroom ceramic to the UK market.

Based on the outskirts of Cairo, Ceramica Cleopatra is an Egyptian manufacturer of ceramic and porcelain wall and floor tiles and both domestic and commercial sanitaryware.
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How to contact us at The KBzine:

Jan Hobbs
Publishing Editor
Email:[email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1372 811 307
Mobile: 07980 288 373

John Austen
Publishing Director
Email:[email protected]
Tel: +44 (0)1580 755 863
Mobile: 07766 707 888

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