Competitions Archive

UK Bathrooms Design Awards Winner 2020

The winning space of the inaugural UK Bathroom Design Awards has been crowned, a bold room designed to stand the test of time and passing trends, made up of monochrome tiles, tactile surfaces and, perhaps the year’s biggest bathroom trend, statement black brassware.

The space is one of the first rooms completed in the new home of textile designer Sian O’Doherty in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, which is being built so the family can live alongside to the herd of alpacas that contribute their wool to Sian’s sustainable modern knitwear business. Sian is an award-winning textile artist and designer creating beautiful and unique, ethically produced colourful fashion pieces, homeware and accessories with a modern Welsh twist.

Sian, her husband Mike, and three-and-a-half-year-old Ava have been living in a one room static caravan for two years while they wait for the house to be finished and baby number two to arrive in January. ‘The new bathroom is just amazing – especially after having had such a tiny shower for so long!’ Sian tells us. ‘I wanted it to be simple, timeless and practical, but also to have a designer edge.’

Large format white tiles meet a tactile slate floor and are finished with slick black brassware and accessories. ‘We kept things as simple as possible, with clean lines, and a monochrome palette – I was mindful of creating a space we could live with for a long time’ Sian explains.

The combination of longevity and effortless industrial style is what drew the judges to the space. ‘I love natural materials, and the slate floor is a wonderful contrast to the slick white walls,’ Sian says. ‘I paired it right back because I wanted it to last, but we pushed the boat out with the large shower head to make a modern statement and give it an industrial edge’

While the space looks beautiful, it’s based on the requirements of real life. ‘I chose each element to be as practical and easy to clean as possible,’ Sian explains ‘I kept referring back to what we needed as a family’. Thus, larger tiles mean less grouting, grout is grey for quick maintenance and surfaces are matt to show fewer small finger prints.

‘Pretty much everything came from UK Bathrooms which I hadn’t planned but just made sense – they guided me to good models in the price range I could go for, and because I bought so much, delivery was free,’ says Sian. ‘UK Bathrooms just made life more manageable, such as making sure I had the things that you don’t think about, like water traps and plugs. The bathroom includes luxury brands such as Crosswater and VitrA, and it was so easy getting them from one place.’

‘The bathroom is exactly what I was hoping for; clean lines, open space, and practicality; I take great pleasure in using it and will do for years to come’ says Sian, who won £500 worth of Love2Shop vouchers gifted by VitrA Bathrooms. ‘I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the UK Bathrooms Design Awards, and it’s been a massive help with finishing off our new home.’

Architect? Interior Designer? Trades?… build your brand awareness by entering the UK Bathrooms Design Awards

In an ever changing, competitive environment designers, specifiers and fitters of bathroom spaces face the ongoing challenge to increase their brand awareness. The concept of ‘branding’ is critical for any business, even once the basic brand is understood and developed, the challenge continues to create and constantly build brand awareness. Being consistent with branding is key, getting your brand in front of potential customers is top priority.

89% of Marketers say brand awareness is the most important goal” (Content Marketing Institute).

Having recently launched our Design Awards, we are inviting entries not just from homeowners but also from professionals. Architects, Interior Designers and Trades are being encouraged to submit their entries to win best architect/interiors designer bathroom, best hotel/guest house/restaurant bathroom or best trades bathroom. Winners of each category will be awarded £500 worth of products from www.ukbathrooms.com but the opportunity is much bigger for professionals entering, it’s more about the brand exposure that we can help them achieve. Even if they don’t end up a winner, the project they submit may be showcased on the website, social media, blogs, newsletters and in press releases to related publications by ourselves and by our supported manufacturers.

Alongside Graeme Borchard, MD of UK Bathrooms, the expert panel of incredibly talented judges include Amy Moorea Wong ex Features Editor of Elle Decoration, Interior Design & Lifestyle Journalist and Writer, Darren Paxford National Sales Manager of VitrA UK Ltd and Sarah Evans Head of Channel Marketing at Hansgrohe UK.
Entering the UK Bathrooms Design Awards is via an online entry form and full terms and conditions can be viewed on the website https://designawards.ukbathrooms.com.

Exciting panel of judges for the UK Bathrooms Design Awards 2020

UK Bathrooms, the leading online store for premium designer bathroom products, has launched its very first UK Bathrooms Design Awards and is open to homeowners and professionals whether architect, interior designer or trade entry.

The expert panel of incredibly talented judges include interior design and lifestyle journalist Amy Moorea Wong, ex Features Editor of ELLE Decoration. As well as writing and commissioning editorial content for ELLE Decoration, Amy edited the inspiring bi-annual 100-page Bathroom and Kitchen guides. One of her favourite things to do is to predict and report on the season’s most relevant interior trends, up and coming names and brands, innovative products and beautiful, contemporary design, and she has a strong affinity for design with an eco-edge. Amy has a particular penchant for bathrooms and in her own words “loves nothing more than a creative bathroom space”.

Sarah Evans, Head of Channel Marketing at Hansgrohe UK joins the UK Bathrooms Design Awards judging panel.  Sarah in now in her 17th year with Hansgrohe UK and is a Brand and Product Specialist for hansgrohe and AXOR.  With prior experience at competitor brand Vola, Sarah has spent 20 years in the bathroom industry and has a wealth of industry knowledge from product design to trade and sales.

Darren Paxford the National Sales Manager for beautiful bathroom brand VitrA also joins the judging panel bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience from more than 30 years in the bathroom industry.  Says Darren “VitrA’s quest is to create gorgeous, inspiring bathroom environments, and to change the perception of the bathroom from that of a purely functional space into something much more – I am excited to be part of the UK Bathrooms Design Awards and I will be particularly looking for innovation in the entrants approach across all of the categories.”

The fourth judge is UK Bathrooms’ Managing Director Graeme Borchard.  Graeme’s understanding of the bathroom and kitchen market is unsurpassed, his visionary leadership and strategic management skills have helped to secure the no 1 spot for the online premium designer bathroom store.  The design awards judging panel will benefit from his experience in both commercial and consumer interiors, his background in project management, keen eye for design detail and his continuous pursuit of perfection.

To enter the UK Bathrooms Design Awards, visit https://designawards.ukbathrooms.com and complete the online entry form.  There are three categories for homeowners and also for professionals providing an excellent platform for interior designers, architects and trades to showcase their projects in the media and build brand awareness.

The panel of judges will carefully consider all entries before making their decision In June 2020.

Challenge Completed – Race the Sun!

After weeks of training, it’s all over now, the UK Bathroom team completed the Race the Sun challenge in a respectable 10 ½ hours. Most importantly well over £2000 was raised beating the target with more donations still coming in. Which is fantastic news for the guys and of course Action for Children.

The weather pretty much held out this weekend for the Race the Sun Challenge, apart from the odd rain shower and temperatures weren’t too hot which is a blessing for competitors. The odd rain shower for the support team wasn’t fun though!

The guys were exhausted by the end of the challenge, after being tested to their limits, although it must be noted Director Andrew Boddy, didn’t look like he’d even broken a sweat during and at the end! Considering the events, the most challenging part of the challenge was the walking section, but after the adrenaline of the other events, it was a bit of a come down.

Donations can still be made directly to Action Medical Research here: http://www.action.org.uk/

Anyway here are some pictures from the day:

Eager to Start

cycling and cannoing

lily Sheltering from rain
Lake Thirlmere

final sprint to the finish

finish line crossed

group hug

celebration time

The Day Has Come for Race the Sun

This weekend our UK Bathroom race team will be taking part in Race the Sun. The gruelling training all comes down to this as they undertake 3 punishing events in the Lake District. The guys in the team which is made up of Mark Walters (Director), Andrew Boddy (Director), Graeme Borchard (Director) and Simon Williamson (Our driver) have been training hard in preparation and have already raised a substantial amount of sponsorship.

Race for the Sun prep

The guys are raising money and awareness for Action for Children a fantastic charity who bring hope and help to thousands of sick and disabled children and their families. The team have the full support of the office, even the UK Bathrooms rubber duck is joining in with the support.

Sponsor Teams

During points over the weekend the guys will be keeping us up dated best they can through social media so keep an eye out on our Facebook feed and Twitter updates to see how they are getting on (3G signal permitting).

For more information on the race, sponsorship and the charity, please check out the Action Medical Research page.

Finally a thank you to our wonderful sponsors, you have really made a difference!

racethesun sponsors

 

Race the Sun UK Bathrooms Challenge

This year the guys from UK Bathrooms are taking part in Race the Sun on 31st August, to raise money for children’s charity Action Medical Research. The triathlon event will see them starting just before sunrise and hopefully finishing before sunset. They will have to compete in 3 gruelling events, cycling approximately 50 miles (80km), hiking to the summit of England’s second highest mountain Helvellyn which at 3,116ft (950m) is no mean feat and canoeing a 3km course on Lake Thirlmere.

The UK Bathroom team taking part in this challenge consists of:

Mark Walters (Director)

Andrew Boddy (Director)

Graeme Borchard (Director)

Simon Williamson (Our driver)

Currently the team are training hard in preparation for the challenge and are always looking for more sponsorship for this worthwhile cause, please check out our Action Medical Research page for more information and sponsorship details.

Race for the Sun prep

Action Medical Research for Children is a wonderful charity, for over 60 years they have been involved in the care of seriously ill children, helping to save lives and playing a significant role in medical breakthroughs and pioneering new technologies, to help save children’s lives.

We will let you know how the guys get on at the end of the month!

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