KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
11th April 2014
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 International News
Products Bang on trend with colour in the bathroom this Spring
Shower for the freshest thinking
Perfectionism in corner cabinets from Vauth-Sagel - plus much more!
Burbidge takes the tactile approach with Isala
 Ideal Standard unveils a new look for The Bath Room
Abode's new Verla kitchen mixer tap is a smooth operator
What a brilliant idea, as our photo shows! Showering made easy with new Elite easy access from Simpsons
Rearo launches UK's 'best priced' quality kitchen worktop
Blanco makes style statement at KBB
That's exactly what Karonia did at kbb with its Mistral products & I have to admit that John and I were continually distracted from our conversation with the stand team because we kept discovering new configurations and saying to one another: "Have you seen this?" at which point we would both run our hands over it and ask: "How on earth did they do that?"
Just when you thought you knew it all...
AEG launches ProCombi SousVide Oven, bringing professional cooking techniques into the home
"Sous vide is a wonderfully versatile cooking technique, and AEG is proud to bring it into UK homes," explained Helen Casewell. "There is almost no limit to the range of dishes that can be enhanced using this method." Pelipal's Solitaire 6005 and 7005: New for 2014 and highly covetable!
The asymmetrical basin in mineral marble is also available in a modern grey metallic and mineral marble white as well as the black - all enhanced with a fine glitter effect. The gently rounded curves of the vanity unit are echoed in the basins and the selection of handles. New LED lights can be incorporated beneath the wash basin for night-time ambience or be set above, below or included in the mirror - all carefully positioned to provide light without glare. Carron Phoenix: so much to see and a history lesson too...
Extractair - extractors which add that extra 'vibe'
The extractor hood, so often now a centrepiece of the kitchen in terms of positioning, function and striking design, has been taken into the entertainment business too. The one we were looking at was playing music... |
It’s many months since I last received information about Electrolux’s ‘Vacs from the Sea’ initiative, whereby the company manufactured a striking range of vacuum cleaners from plastic waste that had been floating around in the sea. This pollution really worries me and as a keen recycler, I loved the idea of what Electrolux was doing to highlight the problems our oceans – and all that live in it – face, while showing what can be achieved in terms of product design using recycled materials. I was naturally disappointed that I appeared to have exhausted all my options when it came to covering the initiative in my KBzine musings…
I’m delighted to see then, that 19-year-old Boyan Slat has taken up the ‘ocean clean-up’ baton, with his network of floating booms and processing platforms that can be dispatched to garbage patches around the world to salvage the waste. Instead of moving through the ocean, the anchored ‘arrays’, as they are known, span the radius of the patch, acting as a giant funnel. The angle of the booms forces plastic in the direction of the platforms, where it is separated from plankton, filtered, and stored for recycling. Boyan first started developing the concept while at school, fine-tuning it over the years and going on to found The Ocean Cleanup Foundation, a non-profit organisation which is responsible for the development of his proposed technologies. His ingenious solution could potentially save hundreds of thousands of aquatic animals annually and reduce pollutants (including PCB and DDT) from building up in the food chain. It could also save millions per year, both in clean-up costs, lost tourism and damage to marine vessels. It’s estimated that the clean-up process will take about five years. You can learn more here and no doubt learn more about the possibility of sponsoring this wonderful initiative.
Yours,
  This Week's News
Big Thinking Small Spaces - May Design Series represents industry trends
The feature will be edited by Grahame Morrison - a regular on the Kitchen & Bathroom scene with over 25 year's industry experience, Grahame is the ideal candidate to bring together the market leaders in iconic bathroom design. Brands on display at the show pioneering the way in the space-saving design are Roman, Ideal Standard, Duravit, Kaldewei, RAK, Laufen, Roca, VitrA, Crosswater and Aquacabinets. Deputy Prime Minister visits Glen Dimplex Home Appliances
The Regional Growth Fund is a £3.2 billion fund to help companies throughout England to create jobs between now and the mid-2020s. The RGF supports projects and programmes that are using private sector investment to create economic growth and sustainable employment. It is a competitive fund and has a minimum bid threshold of £1 million.
Infrared heating is the heat that we all enjoy from the sun. The best way to understand how this works is on a cold morning when the clouds clear and the sun comes out and you instantly feel the heat and warmth of the sun. So do the solid objects around us; we all pick up this heat and radiate it back and the air temperature rises. Lustrolite continues to impress kitchen installers with its sleek finish and ease of installation
Debbie and Robert Lawrence-Smyth travelled the 90 miles from their home in Bromley, Kent, to visit the Colchester-based Distinctive Interiors. Tim Naisbett helped them design a kitchen for the new extension to the 1930s house they were renovating and the Lustrolite panels, from Abacus Direct, provided the perfect splashback for the contemporary look of the stone coloure Better Bathrooms set for a quacking good time at the Manchester Duck Race!
There is a whole host of activity set to take place across the estate, to entertain the thousands of families that come down to watch their rubber ducks race along the Spinningfields stretch of the River Irwell. At the heart of the action will be a massive 6m x 6m inflatable duck, which has been sponsored by Better Bathrooms. Black Sapphire sparkles amongst three new GT colours
New Black Sapphire takes the rich, deep, stylish appeal of black and highlights this with fragments of deep blue and mirror fleck. The second colour Royal Beige adopts another popular theme of neutral tones, adding a shimmer of beige, quartz, grey, silver flecks and mother of pearl. While the third newcomer, Pietra Serena, elegantly fades to grey, with a contemporary landscape of p IDS exclusively distributes nifty new Yu Seal solution for sealing upstands, splashbacks and tiles.
Upstands are commonly fitted in place using silicone, which can be messy to use and breaks down over time - becoming unhygienic, unsightly and requiring replacement. With Yu-Seal, installers can forget about return trips to site for reapplication too because Yu Seal provides a continuous seal which is uniform and smart in appearance, while also being hygienic over the long term.
The Home & Leisure Fire Safety Pack, available at the special promotional price of £17.95 plus VAT, comprises a powder fire extinguisher, (suitable for wood, paper, textile, liquid and electrical fires) and a 1m square fire blanket for cooking oil fires. Just Taps Plus adds basin mixers to Inox range
Wall fillers are perfect for a minimalist modern bathroom as pipework is hidden away inside the walls - all that can be seen is the tap spout and controls. Two additions to ECF sales team will fit in nicely
David Starling has joined as Territory Sales Manager for the West, South and East Yorkshire counties. Having previously worked for Crestwood UK and Uber Doors, David brings with him a wealth of customer knowledge which will help him and ECF build positively on their reputation as a quality manufacturer and distributor to the trade. The KBzine Archive Search We keep an extensive archive of news stories and product information that have featured in past issues of The KBzine. If you would like to run a search of the The KBzine web site using the search tool below please just go ahead by entering in the name of the person, product or company or any other key words that you are looking for. How to contact us at The KBzine:
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Today's tradesman is well qualified and happy in his (or her) work Research carried out by AXA Business Insurance, one of the largest insurers of the UK's tradesmen, reveals that a formal education to degree level as well as professional qualifications are common place among today's tradesmen while the proportion of females working in trades looks to be growing. UK government relaunches Trustmark
KBB review: Franke - an abundance of everything...
A new take on the goldfish bowl...
Youth, Energy, Vitality, Ideas, Innovation... These are the words Yvonne Orgill is using to describe the progress being made with the arrangements for the Bathroom & Kitchen Conference 2014. "We're delighted with how the industry's long established conference is developing this year," enthuses Yvonne, CEO of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, which organises the annual event. Marketing
KBSA unveils new consumer strategy
Literature
Karonia introduces inspirational new brochure
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