Lifetime Achievement Award to Robin Levien

Ideal Standard International, a leading provider of bathroom solutions, has announced that Robin Levien (pictured right), Non Executive Design Director, has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Homes & Gardens Classic Design Awards. The ceremony was held on 6th March 2008 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.

The award recognises Levien's outstanding contribution in ceramic design, in particular the bathroom industry. Elected by his peers, Levien has been a Royal Designer for Industry since 1995 and a member of the Council of the Royal College of Art since 2005. Highly acclaimed for the simple beauty and functionality of his designs, Levien has become a name to be reckoned with in ceramics.

Levien RDI is one of Britain's most consistently successful product designers of the last twenty years. Graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1976 he gained many years experience as designer and senior partner in the design partnership Queensberry Hunt Levien. In 1999 he started his own practice Studio Levien with his partner Tricia Stainton and they now design for some of the leading companies worldwide specializing in domestic product design.

The award winning Studio collection is just one success story; this range that he designed over 20 years ago for Ideal Standard is still as popular today as when it first launched. Studio is an example of Levien's understated design, paired seamlessly with functionality offering an easy to live with bathroom solution.

Levien's designs are proving to be timeless. His eminently affordable, understated Space range originally launched in 1996 for Ideal Standard to cater for smaller bathrooms and cloakrooms was instantly in demand and continues to be today. Leviens designs have proved to be ground breaking innovations in the bathroom industry. Space includes slimmed down fittings, compact basins, shower cabinets and a WC seat at a 45° angle, a totally new concept when launched.

Levien himself was thrilled to receive the Homes & Gardens Lifetime Achievement Award, saying ‘I am delighted and honoured to receive this award which came as a complete surprise to me. I have tried throughout my career to stay true to my beliefs and in that sense the award is as much for the customers who buy my design collections and continue to do so over the years. To gain the acknowledgement and the respect of my peers and the general public is almost reward enough.’

Web: http://www.ideal-standard.co.uk