International News
Products
What is infrared heating?
We've run items on infrared heating in KBzine before, but were never quite sure how it all worked. In this article, Peter Ferguson from Infrarad, explains all...
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Lustrolite continues to impress kitchen installers with its sleek finish and ease of installation
With over 30 years' experience of selling and installing kitchens, Tim Naisbett of Distinctive Interiors, in Essex, has seen many new products. When he discovered Lustrolite he was so impressed that he installed the high gloss acrylic wall panels as the splash-backs to two of his showroom displays. His clients were equally enthusiastic and one couple quickly chose Titan Grey Lustrolite panels to complement their new kitchen.
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Black Sapphire sparkles amongst three new GT colours
Black worktops are by far the most popular with UK customers of global kitchen and bathroom makeover experts, Granite Transformations. So the inclusion of Black Sapphire amongst three brand new worktop materials should go down well with homeowners, looking for the distinguished look of a diamond-polished solid black surface, which goes with most styles of kitchen, rustic or modern, and any choice of cabinet door.
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Just Taps Plus adds basin mixers to Inox range
Inox basin mixers are the latest additions to the popular Inox range from Just Taps Plus. Made from stainless steel, the mixers have a tubular design theme featuring a gently curved spout. The breadth of choice within the range means there's an Inox tap to suit every installation with deck mounted models for standard basins, a tall version for use with vessel basins and a selection of wall fillers.
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Bang on trend with colour in the bathroom this Spring
With colour being incorporated more and more into modern bathroom design, Swiss manufacturer Laufen is bang on trend with its furniture offering, with many of its ranges available in hues in line with this season's 'must-have' Pantone colours.
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Shower for the freshest thinking
Have you experienced new ideas, fresh thinking and improved creativity as a result of your daily shower? A new survey conducted on behalf of Hansgrohe shows that 72% of the globe has so you're not alone; in fact, 14% of people have showers with the only reason being to generate new ideas.
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Abode's new Verla kitchen mixer tap is a smooth operator
The innovative Abode Verla is a new take on kitchen mixer tap styling with a unique 'V' shaped body design. Verla's smooth curved radii comes together perfectly - from the architecturally tall spout design, to the easy-to-operate minimalist paddle style handles which epitomise cutting edge design and style... Pure design, distinctly stylish and certainly a tap to stand out from the crowd! The new Verla is available in both chrome and brushed nickel finishes from June this year.
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'Jewels' from Spain!
As we walked towards the stand, we wondered what precious objects were on display in small glass cabinets on individual plinths, objects that perhaps needed to be kept safe from the hands of potential thieves – like priceless jewels perhaps. As we got closer, we realised they were handles… beautifully designed handles I have to admit, but displayed in a way that made them appear to be highly covetable.
What a brilliant idea, as our photo shows!
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Showering made easy with new Elite easy access from Simpsons
Simpsons has launched a stylish new walk in, easy access enclosure in its luxury Elite range. Designed to make showering easy and safe for the whole family, it comes with a robust 8mm toughened glass screen and folding panel to afford easy in and out access.
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Pinova makes its spring debut
Crown Imperial has unveiled its latest kitchen furniture design for Spring 2014 - Pinova. As a renowned British manufacturer and one of the leading names in kitchens, Crown Imperial is synonymous with high quality design and product innovation spanning over 60 years.
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Kitchens the Crosswater way
Crosswater is bringing its well-honed eye for bathroom style and quality to the kitchen with a brand new tap and sink range entitled Cucina.
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Welcome to the
KBzine
John and I were discussing last week whether to send last Friday’s issue out on Thursday instead (because of the Good Friday holiday), or whether giving you something extra to read on Thursday would just add to the pressure of having to fit two weeks’ worth of work into eight days instead of 10. We decided to ease the burden on us all and I have to say I was grateful to have a Friday off!
I know sales have suffered for everyone in recent years and that several well established and seemingly successful companies have gone to the wall, but recent good news on the economy and employment fronts mean that most of us are a bit more confident than we were this time last year.
Add to this the great news about what we’re now able to do with our pension pots, throw into the mixture the warmth and sunshine we’re shortly going to be enjoying again and - well - there’s starting to be a real ‘feelgood factor’ in the air, isn’t there?
We hope you enjoyed your Easter break if you managed to have one and that if you were out and about, you were also able to find some sunshine. But even more so, we’re hoping that as someone who’s in the trade, you enjoyed lots of traditional Easter interest in your products and services and that your order books are on the way to being full.
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Yours,
Jan Hobbs
This Week's News
Kitemarked sinks still flying high
 Reiterating the importance it places on quality and longevity, 2014 sees Leisure Sinks highlighting its range of BSI Kitemarked sinks. Models from the Linear, Lexin and Contract ranges, all of which are produced at Leisure Sinks' factory in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire, have all been recognised for their high specification and stainless steel construction. Not only is the company the largest manufacturer of domestic stainless steel sinks in the UK, it is also the only one to be awarded the BSI Kitemark.
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A retrospective: The best of British design - New Design Britain at May Design Series
Celebrating over 10 years of discovering new design talent, plus a look ahead to what's next for this vital industry programme ...
The May Design Series, organised by UBM Live Built Environment, has announced that previous New Design Britain alumni will show a review of their winning products plus a selection of their new designs at this year's show in London.
Each year New Design Britain discovers, presents and celebrates young talent in the UK by awarding up and coming designers through a range of categories - all now with the added bonus of bring designers to the forefront of the international design industry, at its new home in London ExCeL.
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Bauhaus goes platinum
 Created in Italy by master craftsmen, the Serene basin from Bauhaus introduces precious metal into the bathroom with a beautiful yet subtle exterior Platinum glaze.
Technically intricate to achieve, this stunning Platinum finish is a silvery grey with a soft sheen, glazed onto an artistically formed ceramic shape designed to create an alluring centrepiece.
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Designer collections showcased by Crosswater
 Bathroom design pioneer Crosswater will be at this year's May Design Series, (London's Excel 18th -20th May) showing its latest designer collections that have hit the brassware market by storm in the past few months.
All stylish ranges exhibited by the influential bathroom designer provide the ultimate solution for professional bathroom designers - high quality, fully functional brassware finished with a unique style to set the tone to truly exceptional bathrooms.
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Distinctly Abode: the new Mikro Sink - beautifully simple...
 Prior to KBB Birmingham, Abode launched a new addition to its stainless steel range of kitchen sinks - the MIKRO. The unparalleled simplicity of the clean lines and patterned drainer of this modern sink creates a unique contemporary design. When complemented with other stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, Mikro is an unobtrusive, yet stylish addition to the overall kitchen aesthetic.
Mikro is available in 18/10 stainless steel in 1.0 and 1.5 bowl models, both with drainers, in reversible sink formats with standard basket strainer wastes. All plumbing pipework is included and the sinks are supplied in boxed packaging.
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New Furnipart catalogue available exclusively from LDL
 LDL Components, the kitchen fittings specialist, is now showcasing the latest new products from leading Danish manufacturer Furnipart. With the new brochure for 2014 now available, LDL is offering free handle samples to customers to demonstrate the beautiful quality and finish of the contemporary design-led products. Customers can also visit the Furnipart virtual showroom to view the new styles in a realistic kitchen or bathroom setting.
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Utopia's April Eggstravangza
 Utopia Bathroom Group's 25th Anniversary Facebook promotion continues in April with a 'Guess the number of Cadbury caramel and creme eggs' competition.
Launching at 07.00 today and running until 10.00 on Wednesday 30th April, the latest competition features a video of Mr April, aka Dave Peacock, taking a brief tour of the main Utopia showroom where the displays have been tastefully accessorised with lots of delectable eggs. Simply guess the total number of eggs and you could win them!
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Croydex marathon team begins WaterAid fundraising campaign
 Bathroom accessories specialist, Croydex, is celebrating marathon success this week - after its team of three runners completed the Brighton event for global charity, WaterAid.
Commercial director, Jon Langford; export sales manager, Jason Newman; and business development director, Julian Williams, completed the course, raising £5600 in the process.
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Recent News
Big Thinking Small Spaces - May Design Series represents industry trends
This year, Kitchen + Bathroom at May Design Series, will play host to a new and brilliant concept: 'Big Thinking Small Spaces' - a dedicated area to space-saving bathroom trends, demonstrating to visitors that even with smaller, more demanding spaces, you can easily meet customer desire for beautiful design.
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Deputy Prime Minister visits Glen Dimplex Home Appliances
The Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, visited the UK manufacturing headquarters of Glen Dimplex Home Appliances yesterday, as it was revealed the business is to receive a £3m Regional Growth Fund investment - the largest sum to be awarded to a North West business.
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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.
The poll, carried out among hundreds of the UK's tradesmen showed that:
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UK government relaunches Trustmark
TrustMark, the Government-backed quality mark for reputable tradesmen, was relaunched yesterday by Consumer Minister Jenny Willott with new improved standards of consumer protection under a renewed master licence from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
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KBB review: Franke - an abundance of everything...
'Heaving' is a word I'd normally use to describe a busy pub or club, or perhaps the pitch at Wembley stadium during a rock concert, rather than an exhibition stand, but 'heaving' is the first word that came to mind when I started to write this piece about Franke's stand at KBB Birmingham.
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Marketing
KBSA unveils new consumer strategy
The Kitchen Bathroom Bedroom Specialists Association has announced a new consumer focused strategy that aims to raise awareness of the association and drive more traffic to retail members.
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Literature
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