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If you’re looking for the best information on creating your dream kitchen, bedroom or bathroom, look no further than Kitchens Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine online.
We’ve selected our favourite features from Britain’s best-selling kitchen, bathroom and bedroom magazine, from wow-factor kitchen spaces, to sublime bathroom and bedroom sanctuaries. In fact, you'll discover all manner of expert planning advice for the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom as well as regular news of future designs bound for the home.
We also bring the latest and greatest home appliances to the fore, so whether you’re after a top-end professional oven for the kitchen, or the hottest designer showering system, KBB magazine online has got it covered. What’s more, we’ll bring you profiles of the industry’s best designers and their innovative designs that could take centre stage in your kitchen, bedroom and bathroom projects of tomorrow.
Of course, there’s much more in store in the latest issue of Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms magazine, which is on sale from December 2nd. But, in the meantime, sit back, relax and enjoy our dedicated online service.
Jackie Daly, Editor
Resourceful Thinking
Hansgrohe: Raindance AIR showers from Hansgrohe mix air with water in the showerhead resulting in a 10% water saving. In addition, EcoSmart technology cuts the flow rate by almost 50% from 18 litres per minute to 9.5. Priced from £71 for the Raindance EcoSmart hand shower
Turn to eco-friendly products in the bathroom
The average person in the UK uses 150 litres of water a day and nearly a third of this runs straight down the drain without being used. Tony Rheinberg at Armitage Shanks says, “Access to water is man’s most basic need. We must use it wisely because changes to the climate mean water will become more precious than ever. One of the areas where we can make most impact in the home is in the bathroom, where 63% of the water piped into UK homes is used.”
In April, building regulation Part G was introduced, which requires all new-build homes to be water efficient. New properties must not exceed a water efficiency standard of 125 litres per person per day. Although a key step to water efficiency is reducing waste – don’t leave a tap running, spend less time in the shower – bathroom manufacturers have responded to this change in regulations by developing products to help meet the requirements. According to Russell Barnes at Laufen, “Future legislation is likely to see even greater restrictions being placed on domestic water use and such requirements being extended beyond the new-build sector to include refurbishment. Water-saving sanitaryware and brassware will become the norm among homeowners looking to update their bathroom.”
Bossini: The Mixa 3/Fitair hand shower flows at just 6 litres per minute. Venturi technology reduces water consumption by up to 50% by drawing in air and mixing it with water. Priced at £434 for the sliding rail set with shower
First Flush
The UK is behind the rest of Europe when it comes to toilet flushing: the average UK WC uses 6 litres of water, while on the continent they use only 4.5 litres. WCs with dual-flush controls make a real water saving. Geberit produces concealed cisterns and supports for wall-hung WCs. Its dual-flush cisterns provide either a 6 or 3-litre flush and are compatible with the majority of wall-hung WCs, so there is no compromise in style. Grohe offers dual-flush plates that allow the user to choose from a 6, 4.5 or even 3-litre flush. The plates, designed to make an impact in the bathroom, are available with colour finishes or in reflective glass.
One area where serious water saving can be made is the use of grey water (the term for recycled water), especially when one considers that it is pure drinking water that is draining away down the plug hole from fittings served by the water system here in the UK. Roca is well ahead of the game with the launch of its W+W combined WC and washbasin. Waste water from the basin is filtered, stored and used to fill the WC cistern. As such, W+W reduces water use by 25% compared to a 6/3-litre dual-flush WC.
Geberit: A dual-flush cistern can reduce water consumption by as much as 60% compared to the more traditional 9-litre full flush. The Sigma50 dual-flush plate in reflective chrome is £185 from Geberit and the DuoFix wall-hung frame £217
Shower Wise
However, thanks to the latest technology, water-saving showers can provide an invigorating experience and, thanks to the latest designs, sensible can also equal stylish. Both Matki and Roman produce attractive showers with a built-in restrictor that reduces the flow to 11 litres per minute yet still produces an invigorating result.
Hansgrohe has received industry recognition for its EcoSmart technology, which mixes air with water to provide a soft shower similar to raindrops. The technology dramatically reduces the amount of water used and the fittings look no different to Hansgrohe’s non-EcoSmart counterparts. The company’s Crometta 85 Green Shower has won the Environmental Innovation Award for Bathrooms from the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) and the Waterwise Marque. The shower, featuring EcoSmart technology, has a flow rate of just 6 litres per minute.Digital showers can also make a contribution as they can be pre-programmed to a preferred flow rate and temperature and they allow the user to pause mid shower and then re-start at exactly the same temperature so the water is not left to run while the user washes their hair.
Reducing the amount of water used in the tub is still an issue, unless we are going to start sharing our bath water. However, reduced-depth baths are available such as VitrA’s Optima Shallow which has a 105-litre volume compared to the standard Optima bath volume of 164 litres.
VitrA: Available in three lengths the Optima Shallow bath, £207 from VitrA, has a reduced depth so takes less water to fill
Tap Technology
Taps too can perform perfectly well with a reduced flow rate. Grohe’s EcoJoy technology delivers a flow of 5.8 litres per minute and is incorporated in a number of its taps including the Allure single-lever basin mixer, which has won numerous international design awards.
Manufacturers including Roca, Bristan and Ideal Standard have also introduced click technology into its lever-operated taps. By lifting the lever until you feel a slight resistance, flow is then limited to 50%; push past the click for full pressure.The September issue of KBB is on sale now or you can subscribe online here
