Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat, but did anyone consider buying kitchen mixer taps? Stephen Cousins pays a festive visit to the kitchen and bathroom supplier's new Specification Hub
With presents for family and friends all wrapped up, perhaps it’s time for architects to head over to Grohe’s new showroom in London to fulfil clients’ festive fantasies of a high-spec bathroom or kitchen.
Located at the Business Design Centre in Islington, the company’s first UK Specification Hub caters for designers, specifiers and architects seeking a first-hand, tactile experience of products in the Grohe Spa core and premium range.
Items on display include exposed and concealed shower systems, basin mixers, flush plates, and the Sensia Pro shower toilet, a unit combining the functions of a toilet and a bidet with two self-cleaning spray heads. The showroom also features a ‘behind-the-wall’ installation frame and a fully plumbed-in shower display.
Giving off a twinkle akin to the star that drew the three wise men to Bethlehem, certain kitchen and bathroom products exploit physical vapour deposition (PVD), a surface coating technology that aptly has its origins in the space programme.
The technique deposits plasma particles on metal to achieve what Grohe describes as a ‘high-quality, highly durable coating’. Unlike regular electro-plated finishes, which are only available in a limited range of colours, PVD enables various colours with fully uniform coatings thanks to the evenness of every layer applied.
Shower systems on display include rainfall shower systems, such as the Euphoria 260, Euphoria 310 and Tempesta 250, and thermostatic mixers, including the SmartControl system with a push-button function.
Basin mixers include the new Cubeo range, available in chrome and matt black, and the Essence basin mixer collection, featuring single-lever mixers, three-hole mixers, and two-hole wall-hung mixers.
Stretching the ‘away in a manger’ analogy somewhat, visitors get to see Grohe’s Cradle to Cradle®-certified Eurosmart and Bau size-s mixers developed to cut carbon in manufacturing.
The sales and project team will be on hand to talk visitors through the product line and, in case there’s no room at the inn, booking is by appointment only through your nearest Grohe account manager.