VitrA News

8 February 2007

Compact Bathroom Solutions

The UK is fast becoming a nation of individuals – according to Mintel's British Lifestyles report – by 2009, an estimated 8.13 million will be living alone. If this is to be believed, then this shows a massive increase in the number of single person households from 2001's Census – which concluded that there was, at that time, 6.5m.

The interesting fact within the 2001 Census, is that once you have taken out the one-person households who are pensioners, you are left with roughly 3.3m – in which male occupants out number women by three to two!

According to Erol Donmez, Managing Director of VitrA, this could be an interesting development for developers and bathroom manufacturers. Do current ranges and marketing imagery appeal to the male buyer?

"There are two factors that we need to bear in mind. Men are becoming more design aware and conscious – in no small part due to the exposure to great design in the leisure sector such as bars, restaurants and hotels. And secondly, the growth in men's grooming and their interest in their personal wellbeing has to be good news for the amount of time they are spending in the bathroom - and thus the interest they place upon both the functional and aesthetic layout."

Providing bathroom solutions that are space efficient, design-led and have appeal for both male and female consumers is one of VitrA's strengths. The company believes in strength in depth within its design led ranges – so that whatever the size of the bathroom – there is a product which retains the integrity of design to fit the space.

The company's popular Riva range is a classic example of this. It's a distinctive design, that has simple, neat lines formed with the smaller bathroom in mind. Within the range there are close coupled, back-to-wall and wall hung options, basins with half or full pedestals in sizes from 45cm up to 65cm in addition to a corner basin, a semi-recessed and a short projection cloakroom basin. A bath designed specifically for rooms where space is at a premium completes the range.