Turning Point ?

My last post was back at the end of March but time marches on and we are now halfway through April. Easter came and went and was pretty much a non-event for me, not helped by the dodgy weather. Now we are two weeks from the May Day bank holiday and once that is out of the way, it’s full steam ahead to the Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 London Olympics. Works are underway all over London to “tart up” the place for both the Royal milestone and the juggernaut that is the Olympics. We may be just about be coming out of recession, depending on who you listen to, but there seems to be an awful lot of our money swilling around to pay for these when there is still an awful lot of hardship as well. This is more a comment from me than a complaint as I will be out there making the most of both occasions, as will most people I suspect. I will be beside the Thames in June to see HM on her barge, and I will be joining the throng at Excel in Docklands to watch a session of the wrestling. The latter however does not involve the Queen and wrestling was not my first choice. These are in fact the only tickets I could lay my hands on at an affordable price. My view is that most people, even those with a negative opinion at the moment, will get swept up in these two great events. I also believe that there will be a benefit to the country, part financial but also a great boost to the national morale. A shot in the arm, a kick up the bum, a wake-up call, a sign that maybe things are getting better. I do hope so because this scepter'd isle we call home has been a miserable place since September 2007 when there was a run on the Northern Rock bank. Maybe things were on the wane before that but in the mind of many, this was the event that signalled the decline in the UK. I hope people do get involved this summer and more importantly feel involved. We have just passed the 100 day mark to the start of the Olympics, and the momentum to the Jubilee is building, albeit at a slightly more sedate pace. These are both important events for the country and hopefully they will both be enjoyed and remembered for the right reasons.

A Splash of Roman Colour

I took advantage last week of an invitation to a trade viewing of new displays and a range of designer paints at the British Bathroom Centre HQ at Staples Corner, North London. We get many such invitations in the post and most are filed in the dustbin on the other side of the design room. I decided to go to this one as I had bumped into owner Paul Bitton back in November last year. I was intrigued as much as anything to see what he was up to. For the record, his new Ella Jade Interiors kitchen display is impressive in my view. As a design team we tend to stick to “safe” colours when choosing paints, allowing the furniture and flooring to make the statement. Future projects may just be a bit more colourful after my visit to Paul’s three floor showroom. On display were stunning designer paints brought in from Italy and by a company called UCIC (www.ucic.it). Some of the finishes have been available for years but the range of colours and effects available from UCIC is staggering. The colours are so rich that they ooze opulence, particularly the metallic finishes. I was put in mind of the gold Courtauld bathroom at Eltham Palace. These paints really must be seen to be appreciated, although even for me some of the colours are a bit too bold. Paul Bitton was ever the genial host. He seemed quietly confident that the UCIC paints would become a firm favourite with his clients. Always one to back his ideas with cash, Paul was at pains to explain his commitment to this new range, with investment in training for his staff and a strong investment in stock. It is heartening to see that new products continue to be sourced from abroad and from the UK by enterprising individuals.

Bowled Over

The glass is dead. Long live the glass ! Or to clarify, the penchant for glass bowls in UK bathrooms has thankfully dried up. Now glass is back with a vengeance but in the guise of mirrors, dividers, and enclosures. Of course it never really went away, but the current popularity of the material must have buoyed the glass industry in these troubled economic times. Ten years ago glass bowls were all the rage, either perched precariously on stainless steel brackets, or balanced on chrome collars on any available flat surface. They were novel, they looked great, and they were totally . . . impractical. They were not stable, not durable, and they showed watermarks. Infamously, they were an accident waiting to happen if children were around. And there was always an issue with hot water. This glass was not Pyrex yet users filled them with water hot enough to take the skin off a rhino. Not surprisingly, some cracked. This no doubt resulted in blazing rows and court cases in bathroom centres up and down the country. And all as a result of a fad. What silly people we are sometimes. Sadly when the next fad trundles along, we will be just as gullible and just as forthcoming with our hard-earned cash. As a race, our ability not to learn from our errors is nothing short of staggering.

Lack of Training

It’s amazing how these things happen close together (see HotOil blog 6/2/12) but this week another technical issue came up at work concerning heated towel rails. This was the age old question of what rail is suitable for what heating system. Again there seems to be a general lack of knowledge these days amongst people in the supply side of our industry, people who should know these things, people who are paid to know these things. In a nut shell, there are largely two types of sytem when towel rails are heated by hot water. A Closed Circuit is where the hot water is contained within a closed loop and the water has no other purpose than to heat radiators. Because there is no physical contact between the water and humans, cheaper steel radiators and towel rails can be used. An additive is placed in the water to prevent rusting and corrosion. This additive would be harmful to humans if contact was possible. The other possibility is an Open Circuit. This is where the same water used for heating is also used for washing and bathing. Using an additive is obviously not possible so the towel rails have to be constructed of stainless steel or brass, both or which will not corrode. The downside is that rails made from these materials are significantly more expensive. It makes sense that the end user, “the client”, would not know about these things. It’s also makes sense that the designer, the plumber, the sales person should all be aware of such technical necessities. Closed circuits probably make up 80%-90% of the heating systems in the UK but with an estimated 25,000,000 homes in the country, there is still a reasonable possibility of an Open Circuit, especially in older blocks of flats. Steel radiators placed on an open circuit will rust. Perhaps within a few months, perhaps it might take a year or two, but they will rust. After one of their people mis-sold a steel radiator 10 months ago, an east London supplier of mine has just paid out nearly £2000.00 for a replacement radiator and to repair water damage. A costly lesson. All their counter and sales staff are now aware of the issue and they have included it in their on-going training. In these days of compensation, it may be that many others will be following the same path.

Timely Message ?

I recently attended a lecture in Bloomsbury, London, given by interiors designer Sharron Marson. Sharron is back in the UK after several years in Israel. Apart from a couple of small verbal diversions, her main topic was the use of local materials, or lack of it. We are not particularly good at this in the UK, certainly not in the interiors industry. We source baths from Germany, kitchen appliances from Europe and the USA, tiles from Spain and Italy, and it feels like we get everything else from China. Every single item comes at a price, everything has a footprint. Sharon’s message on the night was that everything that we do will eventually have a consequence. She believes that we must be mindful of our actions, and that for our industry, the next step must be adapting designs to the availability of local products. There has been little reason for the industry to change, neither carrot nor stick. Much of the manufacturing previously carried in the UK has migrated abroad. Sharron believes that the lead must come from government, but that designers can play their part now by sourcing local, by persuading their clients to buy local, to come up with designs which promote the use of local materials. These things are out there now but the availability and range will not increase without a demand. Government has the power (if not yet the will) to encourage manufacturing, but it is up to those who have direct contact with clients to begin to create the interest. It’s a very big ask but if we don’t start moving in this direction soon, we will eventually have no choice. Better that we begin to make the change while we still have some control over the direction.

Hot Oil

This one is more of a plumbing issue rather than one of design, but the two are inter-connected, sort of, sometimes. My early years were in a small showroom in Hertfordshire with a builders/plumbers merchant out the back, so I do have some experience of the “down and dirty” side of the business. The issue of central heating systems in older properties raises its head from time to time when designing a new bathroom. Often the client will not want the expense or inconvenience of extending the CH system into the bathroom. The obvious solution is an all-electric heated towel rail of sufficient size. These can be supplied direct from a manufacturer as a complete ready-to-go sealed unit, but the downside is that the range of rails available is extremely limited and rather more functional than they are beautiful. The alternative is to choose a normal heated towel rail and convert it to all-electric usage. This requires one hole to be used for an electric thermostat and all other holes to be capped off. The radiator is 90% filled with a combination of thermal oil and water, leaving a small air gap to allow for expansion. This is not something new, nor is it technically complicated. However when I was trying to source some of this oil for a colleague last week at short notice, I was appalled at the lack of knowledge at the 14 plumbers merchants I phoned. One shop near the Edgware Road in London normally had it but were out. Two more knew of it but only ordered it in. The other eleven “businesses” didn’t have it, didn’t know about it, didn’t care about it, and certainly didn’t care about me. Some were friendly but useless, a few were curt, and two were just downright rude. Certainly none offered to find out about the oil for me. Let’s face it, we Brits are largely rubbish at customer service. In my industry, the client is king. On the high street, the “client” is a just a customer who will be treated OK as long as it’s easy and nothing goes wrong. At the first sign of a problem, the commercial barriers are raised at double-quick time. So if you are looking for proper shopping experience, get yourself out to Heathrow and on a jet to New York.

Young Blood

It is essential that new work by young designers is actively encouraged. These people will become the lifeblood of our industry and must be given the opportunity to show their stuff. One installation I visited last week near Enfield, just north of London, was just so exciting. Sadly not on public view, the use of bold colours and sweeping curves throughout the rooms was breathtaking. While the style was reminiscent of the late 60’s and 70’s, it had a freshness which removed it from the excesses of those heady years. The designer made great use of burgundy and rich browns, adding highlights of stunning saffron and opulent shiny gold. Any emphasis on softness and discretion had gone. There was a real feel of the East about the place. The simplicity of the design disguised the considered thought which must have gone into every aspect of it. The blend of ceramics and wood, the skilful use of mirrors to accentuate wow points, and a strong mix of direct and indirect lighting, it all served to draw one into this magical creation. While comprehensive training is absolutely essential for these youngsters, really talented designers just have a natural feel for what goes. Viewing this standard of work is a pleasure and this recently completed project in leafy Enfield was inspiring.

A New Year, thank God

Happy New Year ! to everybody out there. Back to the daily grind after a slightly extended time off. 2012 at least has the promise of a bit of fun. The Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics & Paralympics should raise spirits even if only for a short period. They may even herald better things to come, and we need it after wading through the mire of 2011. I can only hope that the next 12 months will be as kind to you as you hope it will be. I’ll leave the rest up to you. Meanwhile, normal blogging service resumes . . . . .

Interiors designer Paul Bitton caught my eye again over the holiday. I was visting my doctor just after New Year and picked up a copy of the Jewish Chronicle in the waiting room to pass the time. Paul had been speaking to the paper about the future of bathrooms and while his ideas are not exclusive, his slant on things is refreshing. The article follows:

Bathrooms Flow Into Bedrooms

The dividing line between bedroom and bathroom has disappeared. The days of the old ensuite are numbered, says Paul Bitton at the British Bathroom Centre (BBC), with showrooms in West Hendon, Hampstead, Hampstead Garden Suburb and London’s West End.

The new ensuite is simply part of the extended bedroom. The doors and walls that separated bedrooms from their bathrooms are being eschewed in favour of open spaces. “The bathroom is no longer separate,” says Mr Bitton. “You can get up and walk straight into the shower, if that’s your thing. You can see everything in the bathroom. In fact, the bathroom has now become the focal point of the bedroom.

“It is taking open plan to a new level – even incorporating the dressing room. Now you can have a walk-in dressing room which might still have a door, but it will be in glass. There won’t be any wardrobes – it will be open-plan hanging and shelves, so it resembles a display in a shop. It all flows from bedroom to bathroom to dressing room.”

Mr Bitton’s BBC has been creating open-plan bed-bathrooms in hotels for some months and now the idea is coming home. One factor that drove this innovative approach to the use of space was the introduction of televisions to bathrooms.

Mr Bitton says: “You can now have a television in the shower. You can have any size television you want and it is made waterproof. Naturally the remote can also be made waterproof. “Some people actually spend a long time in the shower. I get all my ideas when I’m having a very hot shower, so it’s natural that people would want to watch their favourite programme or a sports event. With the open-plan room, you can also see the television from the bedroom. Security cameras can also be viewed while you’re in the shower. There is so much innovation.”

Although it is called the British Bathroom Centre, Mr Bitton allows his ideas to run into kitchens as well. Here, the remote control doesn’t just change the channels on the television – it opens drawers. “This is something for people who find it difficult to reach the top cupboards in a kitchen, or if your hands are dirty and you don’t want to get nasty marks on the drawers lower down. The remote control will open the doors for you – upwards at the top of the kitchen, so you don’t bang your head. Tiny computers are placed inside the drawers and these are activated by the remote, “ explained Mr Bitton.

–         Jewish Chronicle, 11 November 2011