Griferias Maier

I have held Griferias Maier brassware in my hand. If that sounds sexy, well it is. Their tag of Flowing Water is lovely - free flowing water, and elegant flowing designs. The Spanish and Italians always seem to make their products sound desirable.

Their products are solid brassware, beautifully made, and stylish too.

Maier have a range of 34 collections. Without a doubt there will be a collection that will apeal to everyone.

There is Ikon and their Thousand Facets of Water.The rose gold is stunning and certainly a finish that is appearing more and more in interior design.

Muse Diamond brings together a fantastic tap with genuine Swarovski crystal. Each piece comes with its own unique certificate serial number as they have an official partnership with Swarovski.

It is hard to describe how beautiful are these items of brassware.

There is Flow and Surf Art. I have only hinted at a few of the collections. If this inspires you to look twice at the taps available in the diy sheds and consider the design - then that is good.

There are so many great designs out there. Maier Grifferias definitely one to consider.

Available through our shop here in Hoylake.
E-mail me request

Cersaie 2015

Cersaie 2015 was as busy as ever. While it is predominately about the best in ceramics and tiles,  there is still a lot more to see.
With 1000 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors over 5 days it is one of the must see design shows on the calendar.

The Cer-Stile exhibition was a must. A journey in design made easier by the mock up of the imaginative idea of a luxury interior of a train, complete with changing landscape through curtained windows.  There was a modest bunk, comfy private seating, open benches, and even an antique boxed sink that folds up. Only in Italy!

While the Bologna Cersaie was certainly not an Express Train, there were undoubtedly some significant products expressing themselves in the best way - as part of a design scheme. Glass 1989, Duravit,  Cordivari,  Vitra,  Cristina Rubinetterie all had great products on show as part of this taster exhibition.

It was outside in the main halls where design became even more interesting.

There was much to see in 3 dimensional large scale ceramic wall surfaces. Some of the suppliers creating ranges which allowed greater choice and more flexibility for designers to create a more unique look. While there was some colour, mostly for commercial, there was definitely the core shades of safe neutrals across all ranges.

While designs may have taken a large leap, manufacturers were playing safe with colour palette.

Fiora

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There are always a lot of brick style ceramics in the show. The puritan brickie will appreciate the difference between imperial, metric, and American bricks.They will even explain to you the methods of how bricks are stacked - stretcher and Fleming bonds to name but two brick laying techniques.  Personally I thought some of the random colours fun. Why we don't use more tiles on walls in homes is just my opinion.
I was taken with a lot of the grunge, graffiti styles.Equally some really excellent pastels too.

Brem

Again some great ranges consisting safe plain tiles, coordinated texture, and feature tiles. This makes a designer's life easy in a bathroom or wetroom.
Last year seemed to be about hexagonal and introducing lava. This year there were concrete looks, larger tiles, pared back colours, and raised texture designs.

Away from the tiles, I was impressed with Rubinetterie 3M brassware taps and showers.
From a design perspective their products are stunning.

The taps and shower heads are completely different to anything else I saw at the show.  The quality of the materials exceptional. The flow and economic delivery of water ticks boxes.  I must say really taken with their designs.

Fiora had an amazing stand and some new products. While we love Fiora bathroom furniture and shower trays, they now do wet walls. A new range of furniture and excellent display electric radiators and we are hooked.

I had to go check out Zucchetti Kos. I first saw them at Bologna water festival last year.
As expected they had their own fantastic stand, and also popped up in the Day Off exhibition. Some great basins,  but love their showerheads.

Villeroy and Boch seemed to be having a good show too. We loved the rose gold floor mounted bath mixer.  I know this is a finish that is not as popular as the chrome and brushed steel finishes - but it looks gorgeous on display.

Flaminia

Washbasins came in all shapes and sizes.  They were moulded in mineral cast, porcelain, glass, concrete. They were recessed, sat on top, or moulded as one with surface. They had an overflow,  no overflow,  exposed traps, were freeflowing or not.

Really one could narrow down a favourite once you had seen over 1000. Oh, and there were some great colours too.

Wetrooms have become much more the norm over the last few years. It was great to see so many manufacturers really looking at wetroom walls and floors as part of their portfolio.

I'm not sure emerging trends. What I can say is I love good materials - and no manufacturer or designer will waste a good material on a bad design.

"Style is a simple way of saying a complicated thing"
Jean Cocteau

Related post Wetrooms 

Ora italiano

Zucchetti

A Pop of Colour

Who doesn't like a bit of colour in their life?  We thought as summer is approaching we would search some simple ways to add some feature colour into the home.



The lamps by Fraumaier were a good find at the Milan show. They do a range of table, ceiling, and floor lamps in some fabulous colours. The bases are painted to match the shades too.

No pun intended, but this wallpaper by Graham and Brown is Marvel-ous! While we could see this in a little boy's bedroom, we also think it would look great anywhere, if you are bold enough.

At £13 a roll, it would appear to be great value if your budget is slim.

 This Mondrian style bathroom uses colour block tiles for contrast and certainly adds interest to a normally plain white scheme.

When trying to replicate this idea, it is probably best to sketch the design out on some graph paper to ensure the colour goes precisely where you want it to.

 If you are feeling a little more creative, then why not paint some old chairs and sketch a design onto it, then colour to suit.

Rub off the existing varnish with sandpaper, then apply an acrylic primer. Paint your design, then finish with an acrylic varnish to seal in your colour.

 Funky rugs are fab.

 This one by Rugzone is based on a Rolling Stones image. They also have a selection of Union Jack styles.

Rule Brittania!

 Brem are an Italian radiator company that we love here.

They have a great range of styles and sizes, available in around 64 colours. The heat output is excellent and very efficient. These are available through Radiating Interiors.

Pop by Zazzeri are a fun range of flexible taps and shower systems.

It is hard to describe how clever they are in words, so here is a great little Youtube video.

Head over to Posh Bathing  for prices.

Posh Bathing

Posh Bathing is a bathroom specialist showroom unlike any other I have visited. Owner Gary Walmsley has created a fabulous resource boutique, with an impressive display of quality products by some of the leading European designers.

While some of the suppliers may sound familiar, there are are also some little known brands that are sure to be popular with private clients, interior designers, and architects.

 If you think that Gary has the usual array of sinks, taps and showers - think again!

There are steam showers, quality mineral cast basins, bespoke furniture, wall panels, designer radiators and funky taps.

On display are taps by Maier Griferias which have swarovski crystals, stylish radiators by K8 and Brem, furniture by Burgbad, steam showers, mirrors from Zierath. The list of suppliers is quite staggering.

 Gary is no stranger to the key European design shows and his interest in locating and forging relationships with innovative suppliers is key to the success of this showroom.

There are faux brick and stone wall panels, marble tiles with led lighting, mosaics, and much, much more - all beautifully arranged and complimented by a huge selection of basins and taps.

 One of the more exciting developments has been in his enthusiasm for designer radiators.

I was fortunate to be able to meet up with him in Italy this year where we visited Italian designer Brem. Quite simply their selection of both electric, and plumbed radiators are breathtaking.

Another supplier of note is Tubes Radiatori . The Scaletta shown here is available in a wide range of sizes and colours.

Zazzeri have a unique range of taps with interchangeable coloured heads and impressive eco credentials when it comes to saving water.

Furniture is supplied by Burgbad and Fiora to name but two. However there are bespoke pieces in multiple finishes with glass, wood or marble inserts.

This haven of inspiration is well worth a visit. Gary's eye for developing his product range is matched equally by his expertise in installation. A perfect blend of style and experience.

For opening hours or to book an appointment contact him here.

Zazzeri S.p.A. "Pop"

 Bathroom ware doesen't get much more exciting than POP by Italian company Zazzeri. Already they are the  winners of two awards for stunningly creative design through Red Dot and A Design Awards.

The range comes in four metal finishes, along with a range of interchangeable heads in 6 silicone shades allowing up to 40 permutations.

Consisting of taps in varying heights, shower heads, concealed and wall mounted mixers and more - this unique collection satisfies all the demands of both creative and function.

Their eco credentials are impressive with the ability to control the flow of water by offering a one touch facility on the flexible head.

Playful and fun, POP heads also glow in the dark. This innovative and sturdy marriage of metal and silicone is unique. The products themselves are what you would expect from a company of impressive credentials in manufacture.

POP delivers that splash of colour that makes bathroom design much more fun! Why do fittings have to be chrome when you can mix black and orange , or chrome and violet. The overheard shower heads really can bring a showering experience to life.

Or stay with a complete metal finish that oozes great design. Black fittings are certainly making a big impact in bathrooms at the moment, a trend we envisage to last for quite some time. Stylish white subway tiles with a black shower system looks fabulous.

Whether you are looking for an alternative to the same old fittings available on most high streets, or have a contemporary scheme that would love that injection of colour, or designing for a child's ensuite - POP is definitely worth considering.

The complete range of concealed fittings and valves means there is no worry about creating a complete system, although POP is compatible with all current fittings.

For more information on these products do contact us here. And check out their cute Youtube 

We will be happy to advise and can offer best prices.