Category: Blog

5 Reasons Industrial Style Bathroom Taps Are Trending Industrial look with use of “natural feel” materials will continue to be on trend in bathroom design this year. Nothing complements more contemporary bathroom style like an industrial looking bathroom taps, showers and bath mixers. Creating a bathroom look inspired by factories and warehouses can be achieved by using surface textures such as marble, concrete effect porcelain and smooth bevelled-edge metro tiles with a combination of brushed nickel or steel wetroom wastes combined with contemporary wetroom shower screens and even black, grey or chrome finished wall hung toilets. Ultimately the centre peace of industrial look bathroom is its brassware; basin taps or mixers, bath taps or mixers, shower valves, head showers and hand showers. They have become increasingly popular aesthetics in creating the ultimate industrial makeover. Here are Five Reasons Why Bathroom Designers and Architects Love to Use Industrial Style Taps and Bathroom Fixtures 1. Adding a Sophistication to Your Bathroom Concealed two or three-hole basin mixers in combination with bath and shower mixers combined with attractive finishes creates a classy, minimalistic, metropolitan bathroom ambience 2. Cutting Edge-Technology In the race for the best and the most attractive finishes, tap manufacturers are constantly pushing boundaries and inventing new and better finishes, so industrial bathroom taps and mixers are the cutting-edge technology. 3. Precision Engineered Tap Handles Industrial Tap Handles represent designs inspired by industrial valves, steering wheels or even by a classic fire hose nozzle look, bringing that vintage experience and more importantly great engineering. 4. Industrial Metal Finishes Industrial type of brassware brings best finishing technology out of tap manufacturers. Most popular finishes are rough, industrial, vintage look like Vintage Brushed Brass, Gunmetal Distressed or two-tone finish like Polished Nickel with Black, Brushed Gold with Black or Chrome with Black. 5. Tap Handles are Ergonomically Designed Tap handles, levers and wheels are also very practical, ergonomically designed and easy to use due to their knurled edges to prevent slipping Note:As a official supplier of Graff faucets or taps, for this blog post, we at Kallums Bathrooms have used photos of Graff’s new industrial ranges Harley and Vintage. Should you have any questions on the new ranges of industrial bathroom taps from Graff, please call us at: T: 020 3620 2076

Traditional Designs for A Luxury Bathroom Why are Traditional and Classical Bathrooms Coming Back Into Style and What Should Homeowners Look Out For? Bathroom styles have come and gone for centuries, ever since the first public bath houses were introduced in the Roman era. This has meant that the room has been given space over the years to evolve into what it is today. Everybody wants a perfect bathroom; the mix of relaxation and cleanliness which you get form the room should be reflected in its aesthetics, leading to a sleek and crisp designs. However, as designs have evolved, so have our tastes and it seems that the most luxurious bathrooms we have are finding their design inspiration from the past. This has led to the resurgence of those classical designs, some of which you can find below. It seems that in the modern day, those luxury bathroom owners are favouring the likes of Villeroy and Boch bathrooms London whilst giving a nod to the early 20th century industrial designs. Here are a few of the features which are hot right now in the bathroom world. Exposed Shower Pipes Recently at the launch of the Axor Montreux collection, the company unveiled their industrial inspired exposed shower pipes design. This design for their bathrooms was simple in its effect, showing great through lines streaming down their walls whilst also keeping the levers and knobs simple in their functionality. This means that with the exposed piping, you’re given a great throwback to industrial era Europe whilst also serving as an easy to use shower. The exposed piping also added extra dimensions to the bathrooms aesthetics, a new smooth and flowing pipeline running down the side of the room. This adds flavour, originality and beauty to the bathroom. Chrome and Nickel Some of the most popular materials with which to make the metal finishes in these throwback bathrooms is Nickel and Chrome. In part the chrome is to add a modern touch to these nostalgic designs, whilst Nickel was more commonly used in the early 20th century. What both metals have in common however, is their unique textures and durability, especially when alloyed so as to resist water damage. If you’re looking for the perfect metal finishes to your exposed shower pipes, these unique metals are the way to go. Keep it Simple and Bold With Black and White Décor One design to bring you back to the industrial age is the classic blacks and whites. However you decide to work it, these simple but bold colours act as the antithesis of one another and therefore help to frame each other, adding an eye catching nostalgia to any bathroom. Take It Back to Tiling Tiling is the perfect way to bring your bathroom back to the traditional décor of the early 20th century. Whatever style you go for, tiling, either of mosaics or polka dot patterns is all the rage and will help you to make your bathroom as unique as possible. If you look at many Bathroom Showrooms, they will have examples of bathroom tiling you’d be mad to miss out on. Industrial Inspired Bathrooms The Industrial era of the Western world was all exposed piping and minimalist designs, fuelling the trends of today. In many bathrooms you’ll find a great mix of sturdiness and aesthetic edge, adding new dimensions to your home. Old School Glamour Many new Luxury bathrooms are kitted out with Victorian style antiques and amenities, such as faux chandeliers or shiny gold or metal plating. Of course, these are kept subtle, but a dash of the vintage can really add originality to your bathroom.

How To Choose The Right Vanity Unit For Your Bathroom Lending a bathroom that unbeatable combination – timeless elegance and sheer functionality – bathroom vanities make for wonderful additions, whatever the type of bathroom your home features. Indeed, that’s because while they help store many of your bathroom’s possessions, they also ensure the place can be decluttered and offer a touch of traditional or contemporary style to go along with whatever the interior décor of the overall room. But how do you go about selecting the right bathroom vanity? How do you know, out of all the makes and models out there, which one single unit is right for your bathroom? Well, we strongly advise you come along to our Putney site (the newest of bathroom showrooms in the London area) so you can check them all out for yourself and, additionally, you might want to ask yourself the following questions – the answers to which should give you a good clue as to the right bathroom vanity for you: Bathroom Vanity or Sink Console? How much space is there? If it’s restricted your best bet may be a sink console, which by and large tends to be smaller than a bathroom vanity; this means it’ll be naturally ideal for the likes of a powder room or guest bathroom, should your home feature either. Granted, sink consoles aren’t blessed with great storage space beneath a sink like a bathroom vanity, but some do come complete with a small enclosed cabinet. The latter, by contrast, are generally larger and so better suited to larger high end bathrooms. Finding The Right Size Obviously, the vanity you select for your bathroom ought to be a good proportionate size for the general size of the room and its furniture and fixtures. To that end, in addition to measuring and bearing in mind the dimensions of the area that the final vanity you choose will fill, you might want to consider the arrangement of the room’s other features – the size and shape of the vanity has to complement them; don’t forget. Moreover, where will it be positioned in relation to the bathroom’s door? What about swing-path – will there be enough clearance? Choosing a Bathroom Vanity Style Is your bathroom traditional-looking or does it have a modernist appearance? Be sure to think about the pre-existing style of the room when picking through potential vanities. For instance, an elegantly carved or pastel-coloured ceramic vanity might suit a traditional-styled room; a clean-lined, more simple-looking one, perhaps in bold colours or starker black or white, will likely better fit a room with a contemporary feel. Material Matters In terms of what your preferred vanity should be made from, well, that’s most likely to come down to two factors, style and price. In the style stakes, as noted above, you may prefer a wooden or ceramic unit for a more traditionally designed bathroom; that said, you should be aware that solid or ceramic models aren’t necessarily the cheapest, although they’re certainly value for money. Cheaper options tend to be offered by those made from pressed wood or, if you prefer, medium density fibreboard (MDF); they’re certainly durable and dependable when covered with laminate to protect them from moisture – important in a bathroom, for sure. Additionally, you may find that in smaller bathrooms glass vanities achieve the fabulous trick of suggesting there’s more space – and look great whatever the style of the rest of the room. What Goes On Top? The general rule of thumb is that a bathroom vanity will either come with a top or with a sink bowl set in the countertop. Should you have already chosen a sink for your bathroom (possible if you’re looking to renovate the room in general), then a unit with a top is likely to be the best of the two options here. That said, you should check whether it will be compatible with the sink you’re looking to install (whether or not it has cut-out holes to enable matching with a faucet or sink).

Fuel Your Imagination: London’s Newest Bathroom Showroom Despite the always evolving nature of the luxury bathroom industry, with its drive for ever higher quality and ever more aesthetically pleasing suites and products with which to fill them, one thing has never changed and remains as true as it always has – people in the market for a brand-new bathroom suite relish the chance to get a clear idea of just how such a suite with its different fixtures and fittings may look in practice; how it may look in their own home. In short, they still crave to visit bathroom showrooms as much as ever. And it’s for this reason that Kallums Bathrooms have recently opened a showroom in the Putney area of London. Fitted out with so many of the outstanding, high-quality bathroom products that we sell through this very website, our Putney showroom is undoubtedly then a living, breathing showcase of our broad and highly varied range – and demonstrates just how well so many of them go together to create the perfect, complete bathroom. You’ll find items from all our product categories here (baths, showers, wash basins, WCs and bidets, taps and brassware, saunas, whirlpool and hydrotherapy baths and tile designs and wallpaper for wall and floor coverings). And all of them drawn from our luxury bathrooms brands – from Catalano to Victoria & Albert, Hansgrohe to Villeroy & Boch and Bisque to Imperial – while our showroom is fitted out too with our many and various natural stone offerings, featuring the likes of black and gold marble, carrara, calacatta and nero marquina. A bathroom should be a place of relaxation and repose; a room in which you’re able to forget about the outside world and wash away the trials and tribulations of your day. To that end, your bathroom ought to be utterly unique; of all the rooms in your home it should be bespoke. It ought to provide that little touch of luxury you require and need, enhanced by your personality and your own sense of style. A visit to our showroom then is all about inspiration – giving you the opportunity to see with your own eyes the latest creations available for all present and future luxury bathrooms London and to create a composition in your mind’s eye of how you’d like your own bathroom to look; what your bathroom should contain to fulfill its purpose as that haven in which you can perfectly unwind, refresh yourself and face the day and life anew. Maybe you yearn for a homely yet beautiful, traditional bathroom or are you hankering for a modern, more minimalist-designed space in which to relax and bathe? Whatever takes your fancy and suits you best – you’ll find true inspiration and myriad options to catch your eye and tickle your fancy at ours, the latest perfectly appointed, state-of-the-art of bathroom showrooms. Moreover, visiting us at our showroom also affords you the opportunity to meet our staff in person, of course; enabling you to speak to them face-to-face and get to know them – and them to get to know you – so they can impart all the years of experience and wisdom they have and advise you best on products and wider ideas for creating the perfect bathroom for your home. This includes, of course, not just tying down the ideal style and look of the space but also identifying the most suitable and best-fitting products for your bathroom; making well-informed decisions. All ensuring then that you end up with a beautiful and stylish but fully practical and perfectly functioning new bathroom suite – one that’s absolutely the right fit for you, your family and your home.

Bathroom Renovations: What To Consider Before Renovating A Bathroom When you’re looking to renovate a pre-existing bathroom, you’re highly advised to call on experienced and well-respected specialists in that arena – professional bathroom designer and installation companies. That way, you’ll avoid many headaches and not fall into the trap of employing and relying on lesser contractors who either don’t really know what they’re doing or think little of the care and quality needed to do the job properly. That said, they’ll still be mental and emotional work to throw yourself into; like it or not. Because it’s down to you to decide on the fundamentals – the new look, the total cost and the overall level of functionality and storage capacity. The trick to get through it all successfully and unscathed? Keep your eyes on the prize throughout the process; have a clear vision from the start and stick to it. Here, in more detail, is how we advise you approach a bathroom renovation… What Should The end Result Actually Be? Yes, you’re looking to change your bathroom, remove pieces, replace them with new ones and give the whole thing a shake-up and different look and feel. But beyond this, what are you really trying to do? Because the reality is you probably, literally can’t afford to get it wrong – what happens if you spend a big chunk of your time and energy and you’re a proportion of your savings on a luxury bathrooms suite that, in the end, you realise is all wrong? So then, before you start, you need to seriously consider what you want – and need – the end result to be. At this point, don’t complicate matters over expenditure and space restrictions, just focus on the finished room and a visual image. Who’s this designer bathrooms London suite going to be for – just yourself, you and your partner or a whole family? How often then will it be used – in the morning, during the day or at night? And everyday? Do you want an easy-to-clean room that’s simple to look after? What then should it include? Do you want to ‘update’ the look more for potential resale than for yourself? And what sort of feel, look and style should it feature? Factors to Consider So, once you’ve established the reasons for the renovation, what do you need next to focus on? What are the burning issues you need to deal with? Well, perhaps you ought to consider the following: Updating the appearance – should you remain satisfied with the general look and layout of your bathroom, then it’s likely you’re after more of a ‘refresher’ than anything else. In which case, it becomes about dealing with material selection (cabinetry and plumbing fixtures and the like). Renovating for resale – if it’s an update for resale (or, rather, to help achieve ‘upsale’) you want; the focus is, like it or not, going to be on trying to deliver what potential buyers are going to respond positively to. Sure, this may be hard to decide on as it’s difficult to anticipate what another individual will genuinely like or dislike, but research can be a big help (or talking with experts like us at Kallums Bathrooms) to get an idea of trends and looks that are popular. Storage and functionality – Had enough of stacking toilet rolls on top of the cistern, or having nowhere to put your shampoo, conditioner, soaps and make-up so they’re out of the way? And what about those swing-doors that collide with the vanity unit unless guests are careful when opening them? Or could you save on space by removing the bath you never, replacing it with a shower on its own? Be aware that fulfilling such changes will result in significant remodeling, nay gutting of space and the potential rerouting of water pipes. It’ll take more planning, require a longer installation time and cost more. Are you up for it? If so, your dream bathroom awaits with the right supplier!