Clear Vision

There is an increasing use of glass in the home, not only as shelves but also as room partitions, possibly substituting in part for walls. This is in addition to the trend for walk-in showers and wet rooms that are currently very popular. A whole industry has emerged to supply fittings and fixings for the 10mm or 12mm toughened safety glass that is used. These fittings, largely stainless steel, securely anchor the sheets of glass to floors, walls and ceilings. The whole effect is to open out what would have been confined spaces, to create a feeling of continuity yet to still define areas and borders. It provides the designer with the challenge of merging different “room” styles to create a seemless transition from one “room” to the next. This could be from kitchen to living area or from bedroom to bathroom, for example. But innovative use of glass in buildings is far from new. The Crystal Palace was built in 1851 for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park, and there have been many stunning examples since. It’s just that now, technology has allowed more use of flowing curves rather than obligatory straight lines, and of exciting fixing methods, and surprising hardware. These are great times for glass, its’ versatility, its’ clarity, and its’ simplicity.

Solid Choice

A birthday drink after work this week inevitably evolved into work-talk. It was a bit sad really, but the topic of discussion was the product which has had the greatest impact on the industry. Nominations included ceramic disc valves, digital controls, and low voltage lighting. For me, solid surface materials are the wonder of the age. These man-made composite products have revolutionized the bathroom and kitchen industry, and have provided designers with an unparalleled freedom of shapes and colours. As a non-porous material which can be seamlessly bonded to itself, the use of this product has exploded into the bespoke interiors market. You cannot move in a decent showroom without encountering a solid surface worktop or basin or cistern cover or wall cladding or ….. you get the idea. Versatile and with a large colour range, solid surface products are popular and affordable. Formica worktops and aluminium joining strips are definitely out of favour and no-one is complaining, least of all me. 

Positive Action

I ran into long-time designer Paul Bitton in W1 recently. It wasn't a long conversation, but he seems adamant that the only way to beat this downturn is to invest in people, in equipment, in technology. The continuing success of the British Bathroom Centre seems to bear this out. Expansion is the way to go, he told me. Known for a go ahead attitude, he gives an insight into his beliefs on his LinkedIn site:

Paul Bitton is an entrepreneur in the UK, and is currently Managing Director of the highly successful British Bathroom Centre based in North London. He is credited by many with revitalising the UK bathroom industry in the 1980s by introducing innovative designs from Europe to a UK market which had become staid and stagnant. He has overseen the expansion of the company as it has become a major player in the high-end home refurbishment market. During the 1980s, new products from Europe allowed the company to win major contracts from international competition to refurbish bathrooms at the Heathrow Sheraton Hotel and others. Today under his guidance, exports now go as far afield as Nigeria, Israel, France, America, Japan, Dubai and beyond. Throughout the 1990s and into the new century, Bitton continually tried original and sometimes radical ideas by forging alliances with new suppliers in the UK and Europe. He was responsible for introducing well-known European brands such as Kaldewei, Bette, Hansa, Inda, Gala/Roca, Mamoli, and Neve into the UK bathroom market. Expansion continued apace with new showrooms in Islington and Hampstead, North London. This was followed by the opening of Ella Jade Bath Shop in the Harrods store in Knightsbridge. This venture was named after Paul Bitton’s daughter who today is Director of Enterprise at King's College London Business Club. Meanwhile the company has completed major projects for celebrities and Royalty from throughout the world including the UK. Bitton nevertheless insists that all clients are given equal attention, regardless of their status. It is a formula that has worked well for him. Today his company continues to go from strength to strength. His philosophy is that other companies are the competitors, not him, and that they have to compete with him. Bitton is still to be regularly found at European trade events where his knowledge and experience are keenly sought. He continues to be an influence within the industry. 

With his daughter Ella Jade well into a business degree course at a university in London, it looks like there will be a Bitton influencing the UK interiors market for some time to come.