The Alternative Bathroom Company is a new business - with an impeccable heritage.

For over 30 years, the people behind it have headed up leading bathroom companies and developed reputations for sourcing and designing great products.
 
Now they have formed The Alternative Bathroom Company, bringing together all their matchless expertise and design credentials.

Initially, the company is launching with two showrooms; one in North London and one in West London.
 
With everything from simple, no-frills ranges to high-end architectural products, which would do justice to a Schrager hotel, both shops offer an exceptional choice of quality bathroom ware and accessories.

Uniquely, there is a combination of The Alternative Bathroom Company’s own-label classic products ‘The Options Collection’ and big international names such as Dornbracht, Duravit, and Hansgrohe.
 
From baths, showers and basins to fitted furniture and brassware, there are looks and price points for every bathroom, with in-depth product knowledge to back them up.

Buying bathrooms can be complicated, but is made easy by the experienced staff at The Alternative Bathroom Company; their individualized customer service offers everything from general advice to a complete bathroom planning service.

Whether you need a complete bathroom rethink, or just a new set of taps, The Alternative Bathroom Company has all the products and all the answers.

Showrooms at:
165 Chamberlayne Road Unit 5, Phoenix Park
Kensal Rise Ealing Road, London NW10 3NU London TW8 9PL.

To view the distinctive bathroom and accessories ranges, visit the Alternative Bathroom website.

Tel:   (020) 3375 9001

As the space most often used to store all the unnecessary household clutter, the cloakroom is usually one of the most neglected areas of the house, despite the fact it offers great potential.

For those looking to upgrade their downstairs space to a fully fitted, downstairs washroom to be proud of, Dolphin has a number of stylish options to choose from:
Under stairs cloakroom (In our picture.)

• Stunning in its simplicity, the understairs cloakroom makes the most of a limited space. It features the gorgeous Esta wash station, complete with an integrated basin, which offers fantastic storage to hide away those everyday essentials.

• With its stylish solar mirror, this cleverly designed room manages to look classic yet contemporary; the mirror has a high-tech infra-red switch fitted, as well as a demister pad to prevent the mirror from steaming up.

• This understairs solution is also fitted with an attractive 300×800 heated towel rail, which adds a practical yet stylish touch.

• Combined with the gorgeous Dados blanco tiles to give the illusion of space, this design will give neglected cloakrooms an instant wow factor.

Cloakroom

• This polished cloakroom features chic, casino wall-hung furniture, and a slightly more contemporary look – perfect for urban living.

• A glossy splash basin adds a sleek look to the room, while the soft-line back-to-wall WC, which is backed on to the Envy WC unit, completes the look.

• With two internal shelves, the mirrored Modena cabinet adds further storage space, which is ideal for maximizing space in this typically small room.

• The effortlessly stylish Young stone scored tiles and add the illusion of extra space.

Geoff Wells, bathroom planning expert for Dolphin Bathrooms, comments:
“Both of these new designs from Dolphin make the most of what’s usually a neglected room.

Each gorgeous cloakroom solution makes the most of a small space, and the stylish and contemporary details add a touch of glamour to any home.

Having a second washroom is ideal for busy households and with Dolphin, it is possible to make the most of this extra space in the home.”

Dolphin is the only national bathroom specialist offering a complete design to installation service. Whether you’re looking for a bathroom, wetroom, shower room or a small space solution, Dolphin’s expert team of designers and fitters will take care of everything.

A fully fitted Dolphin bathroom starts from £6,000, including full design, technical survey, delivery and complete installation.

To request the latest brochure, arrange a free design consultation or find your nearest showroom, visit the Dolphin website.

Tel:  (0800) 458 9697

Fed up of the rushed morning shower ritual to help wake you up for the day?
Now, you can shower in style with the new Atreo wet room concept from Jacuzzi UK, designed to be both beautiful and adaptable.

With fluid shapes that embrace the body and stimulate the mind, the Jacuzzi® Atreo, featured here is something to wake up for rather than pass through.

There are two sub categories within the Atreo luxury shower range:

• All are distinguished by the overhead bracket and many configurations can be achieved, as the side and front panels are not linked, allowing flexibility when positioning the enclosure within the bathroom:

• Jacuzzi Atreo key features include a UV bonded towel rail on the side panels and 6mm glass with Jacuzzi Clearglass coating for ease of cleaning.

• A clever wall profile system ensures that any potentially unsightly adjustments to the enclosure, take place behind the stylish matt silver wall post, maintaining a perfect appearance to your enclosure and cushioned magnetic door closure.

• Prices range from £1,161 for the Atreo Recess Hinge Door and from £1,700 for the Atreo Walk In Wet Room Corner.

The new Jacuzzi Designer Range New Innovations catalogue is available to download now, and features highly desirable products that look superb and perform to the highest standard.

The Jacuzzi ranges are sold exclusively through specialist bathroom retailers throughout the UK.

For further details visit the Jacuzzi website.

Tel: (01782) 717175

The elegant ‘Oval 2′ freestanding bath, new from Aston Matthews, measures a generous 1800 mm by 1000 mm.

The bath has a pleasing elliptical shape with gently sloping ends making it an extremely comfortable design in which to lie back and relax.

Unlike the many acrylic baths on the market, Oval is manufactured from durable steel with a high quality, scratch resistant enamel finish that retains its glossy good looks and feels smooth to the touch.

It is a one piece, seamless construction with no unsightly joints.

The bath is designed for use with a floor spout and is priced at £3,499.

Aston Matthews advises - Designing your perfect bathroom - start with the bath:

• The best place to start is with the bath as this is the largest item you will have to accommodate.

• Steel baths are a durable option for the modern bathroom and are available as either single or double-ended designs.

• For added luxury there’s the option of a soaking tub or super deep bath, and many steel baths can be fitted with whirlpool jets.

• If you want to make more of a design statement, and space permits, a free-standing cast iron bath, which dominates the centre of the room, is an idea.

Visit the Aston Matthews website for further information.

Tel: 020 7226 7220

With the UK’s bathrooms having their annual spring clean, almost 70% of people surveyed said they had found up to 10 unused pamper products, with the remainder having up to 30 bottles, packs and tubes simply gathering dust.

Shampoo is the most wasted product, closely followed by shower gel and moisturiser.

Over a quarter of respondents said their bathroom also held host to out of date medicines, but most shockingly, 54% said that they would still use them regardless, with men proving to be particularly lax on this issue.

The most common reasons provided for hoarding so many unused items in the bathroom was because people ‘forgot they were there’ and ‘always buy too much and never get round to using it’, whilst 58% said most of their unused toiletry toiletries were from unwanted gift packs.

Special store promotions were also cited as a key reason why Brits buy more products than they need, with 61% saying they would still take up a multi-buy offer, even if they knew they wouldn’t get around to using it all.

One fifth of those surveyed by Dolphin* estimated that they had wasted just over £20 on unused pampering products, whilst it seems the Welsh spend the most, at an average of £24.72, compared to the more conscientious West Midlander’s spending £19.85.

The bathroom cabinet takes most of this strain for half of those surveyed, followed by the windowsill and around the edge of the bath.

Geoff Wells, planning expert at Dolphin Bathrooms, comments: “Whilst we may be a nation of pamper addicts, we accumulate too many beauty products that we never intend to use and this often means cluttered bathrooms.

It comes as no surprise to us that over 60% of those questioned, wished they had more storage space in the bathroom, but despite this, we can’t seem to stop ourselves hoarding and so end up losing precious space.

“However, with careful planning, any bathroom can be designed to keep lotions and potions well organised and easy to find.

Clever use of cabinets, sink space and shelving will make sure you optimise every inch of space, whilst keeping your bathroom beautiful - plus you can avoid wasting money on new products you don’t actually need.”

A fully fitted Dolphin bathroom starts from £6,000, including full design, technical survey, delivery and complete installation.

To view the range of storage solutions, or arrange a free design consultation,

visit the Dolphin Bathrooms website.

Tel: (0800) 458 9697

*Survey of 3,000 people commissioned by Dolphin Bathrooms, conducted by OnePoll.

Inspired by period pieces and traditional manufacturing techniques, Drummonds’ classic bathroom products can take centre stage in our ever-larger bathrooms.

Splendid in their sheer scale, sumptuous materials and solid construction, they revel in the luxury of space.

A former bedroom in a Georgian townhouse has been converted into a vast en-suite for the master bedroom:

• Emphasising the space, a cool colour palette forms the perfect backdrop for Drummonds’ magnificent freestanding Spittal shower, (Pictured here), which the owner describes as a “work of art” in its own right and “far too beautiful to be stuck in a corner”:

• A complete glass-enclosed shower unit, which can stand magnificently in the middle of your bathroom, or even in your bedroom.

• The Spittal shower has a classic 8” shower head, and water jets built into the frame, providing you with a blissful all-over drenching.

• Another work of art is positioned by the window. The Torridge Chariot Boat bath is made in cast iron, with a dry-fritt enamelled interior and hand polished and lacquered exterior.

• Each Drummonds’ bath is manufactured individually, taking up to four weeks to complete.

• On the other side of the room stands an imposing double vanity basin, with beautiful white Arabascato marble top and upstand.

• A Drummonds heated towel rail in nickel finish, matches the precision-cast brassware and fittings used throughout the bathroom.

Flooded with natural light and gleaming with reflective surfaces, this bathroom is a living space in its own right.

Spittal Shower: £12,950.

Torridge Bath from £2,825.

Heated towel rail from £1,685.

Double vanity basin from £5,175.
(all prices exclude vat)

Visit the Drummonds website to view all of the above and much more.

Drummonds: 78 Royal Hospital Road, London SW3 4HN.

Tel: (020) 7376 4499

Frontline, a leading UK bathroom supplier and distributor, has launched a brilliant new website for 2010.

It is extremely easy to navigate, enabling customers to browse over 6000 classic and contemporary products, from Frontline’s ever expanding bathroom range.

With the inbuilt Digi-Page functionality users can browse the virtual catalogue, clicking on each page to “turn over”.

The new website categorises all collections and ranges clearly on the Home page.

Users can also select ‘Latest Products & Special Offers’, to find out about Frontline’s newest additions and fantastic deals; information about its ‘Lifetime Guarantee’; and ‘Frontline News & PR’, with a downloadable newsletter.

Frontline’s Marketing Director, Michael Sammon, says, “Whether our customers are looking for contemporary-chic or classic elegance, with no expense spared, or working within specified budgets, we know we offer the perfect one-stop bathroom solution.”

The Frontline professionals pride themselves on customer service and delivery, to ensure the bath time experience is positive from “online to bath time!”

All products are featured in the new (biggest ever) Frontline catalogue, The Complete Bathroom.

The catalogue can be ordered online via the ‘Click here’ button.

Check the new Frontline website for your nearest stockist.

Tel: (0845) 470 2427.

2009 saw the introduction of the colour black into the bathroom, with accents of black on taps and furniture presented in stylish finishes.

In 2010, black is now the defining colour in up-to-date bathrooms.

Basins, for so long only to be had in white, are now available in sleek, sexy black.

The Jacuzzi® Morphosis basin in black, epitomises the essence of the new trend and is available now from the new Jacuzzi® Designer Range.
This distinctive basin, designed by leading design house Pininfarina, oozes style and sophistication.

The stunningly proportioned Jacuzzi Nexus basin takes on a whole new persona, as its sleek lines are accentuated further by this new colour option; combine with a red, black or white deck for a real boutique look.

And why choose white when the Jacuzzi Bordo basin is now available in black? Better still, choose one of each and create your own unique look.
The Bordo basin is available in a choice of two sizes - 45cm and 55cm.

• Jacuzzi Morphosis 80cm countertop basin (£744.00) on Jacuzzi 100cm gloss red countertop (£550). Featured here.

• Jacuzzi Bordo 55cm countertop basin (£224.39) on Jacuzzi white countertop 100cm (£550).

• Jacuzzi Nexus 45cm countertop basin (£257.99) on gloss red countertop 140cm (£650).

Bold, decadent and highly desirable, a Jacuzzi basin in black is the ultimate design statement; add a touch of sophistication to your bathroom and update with this on-trend style, to create a sleek and stylish look.

The Jacuzzi Designer Range New Innovations catalogue is available to download now, and features highly desirable products that look superb and perform to the highest standard.

The Jacuzzi Designer Range is sold exclusively through specialist bathroom retailers throughout the UK.

To view the whole new basins range please visit the Jacuzzi website.

Tel: (01782) 717175

BC Designs has introduced two new baths into their Thinn range.

The Kurvstone and Tassestone baths are made from a new material called Cianstone, which produces the look of natural stone and has the durability of a Cian solid surface bath.

Cian is a renewable, decorative surface material, which is created using an advanced blend of acrylic modified polyester resin and mineral fillers.

• The use of Cianstone means that the new baths are repairable and have excellent water temperature retaining properties.

• Created using the latest casting technology, the baths have a solid colour throughout.

• They are 20-25mm thick and provide a maximum amount of internal bathing area due to the stylish, rimless design.

The Tassestone bath in our picture, measures: L1770mm x H555mm x W880mm and is priced at £3,324.

The Kurvstone, a larger model, measures L1890 x H560mm x W900mm and priced at £3,445.

Visit the BC Designs website  for more information on the new Cianstone baths.

Tel: (01206) 827 100

2010 looks set to be a year full of potential, with more people looking to invest in their homes, and there is no time like the present, because the amazing half price January sale from Moben Kitchens, Sharps Bedrooms and Dolphin Bathrooms, is full of style, choice and promise.

Starting at 10am on Saturday 26 December and running throughout the whole of January, any kitchen, bedroom or bathroom is half price, including the exciting new ranges for the New Year, so you are sure to find something to suit your taste and your budget.

And because each leading brand offers an all-inclusive service, taking complete care of the process from initial design to planning and installation, making over your home is sure to be stress-free.

Pictured here is the Geneva: Moben’s stunning new kitchen for a decade of design .

Meeting consumer demand for sleek matt finishes, this kitchen is a refreshing new take on the popular urban design of the Cortona kitchen launched by Moben in 2009.

Available in a combination of anthracite, chalk and lemon matt finishes, Geneva is designed with modern living in mind.

New things on the Horizon for Sharps Bedrooms
As a UK first; Sharps bedrooms are taking the popular ‘waistband’ wardrobe design across from Europe and into British homes. With sleek white high gloss doors and a walnut waistband feature, this is a gorgeous design that won’t date.

Relax in geometric bliss with Dolphin’s new Cube design
With the chic and soothing tones of cream and anthracite, Cube really is a bathroom you can take refuge in.

Whether you fancy a quick revitalizing shower under the deluge showerhead, or a relaxing soak in the striking designer L-bath, there is something to suit every member of the family.

Heading to Moben, Sharps and Dolphin’s January Sale could be the best move you make this year.

To see the new ranges for 2010 visit the websites:

www.moben.co.uk      www.sharps.co.uk       www.dolphinbathrooms.co.uk