kbb Birmingham 2020 | SHOW REVIEW
Small but nicely formed
Having missed kbb 2018, Derek Miller, co-owner of Scope Bathrooms in Glasgow, finds much to interest him at this year’s event
event, coronavirus scare or no coronavirus scare. I’ve always been a far greater devotee of ISH than kbb, but I like to support the British show as best I can.
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The most obvious thing this year was the gap left by the numerous Chinese manufacturers who were unable to attend. The bathroom show was pretty small as a result, but what was exhibited was definitely worth seeing.
Outside the main arena, Roca Laufen put together
a very stylish display in a separate shop-style space. Both brands complement each other very well, and were undoubtedly among the very best the show had to offer. Laufen’s New Classic, designed by Marcel Wanders, is genuinely beautiful, merging classical styling with modernity in a unique way. The relatively new Sonar range has now been fully developed and looks increasingly impressive. Roca’s special finishes and new digital showering offer were highly impressive, as were the two displays by Cosmic, a small Barcelona-based design house, fully owned by Roca Group.
In the main hall, I was highly impressed by Rak Ceramics’ stand. Having been around for a number of years, Rak has recently made significant investment into product development and has established a robust UK hub to service its British business. With the incorporation of its impressive large-format
porcelain April 2020 · tiles into worktop/slab
Minus the numerous Chinese manufacturers, the bathroom side of kbb was pretty small, but what was exhibited was definitely worth seeing
solutions for its bathroom furniture, it has created a niche we didn’t know existed. This impressive Emirates-based firm is undoubtedly one to watch over the next few years. Matt sanitaryware finishes were increasingly in evidence, in white and other muted colours. The highlight, in my opinion, was the matt white Profile Duo bathtub from Carron of Scotland. Carron is one of my very favourite manufacturers, and they are increasingly ahead of the game in terms of bathtub design and development.
Roman and Merlyn each had impressive stands to showcase the best in contemporary enclosures. It was interesting to note a resurgence of large-sized shower doors, with minimalist framing. The market has been dominated by walk-in panels in recent years, but more money can be made by astute
retailers from the sale of a 1,600mm inline pivot door in 10mm glass than it can from a walk-in panel, so this is a welcome development. Black framed doors were in abundance, with bespoke special finishes also appearing. I
loved Bathroom Origins’ new accessory
collection, especially the coloured, acrylic open boxed shelves and ultra-contemporary framed mirrors. Sofia Charalambous is a real champion of accessorising the bathroom and she and Frixos have pushed the boat out with their latest editions. Spanish manufacturer Acquabella won ‘Best Bathroom Stand under 50sq m’ for its innovative exhibition space, showcasing its excellent products in the context of a retail boutique environment. Abacus of Harrogate also showed the versatility of its portfolio with a display of sanitaryware, coloured brassware, wet-room solutions, and furniture. Kbb 2020 was small from a bathroom perspective, indeed, a quick recce of the whole event could have been done in an hour or so. However, there were some real nuggets of quality for the interested observer. An exhibition is what you make it – I made quite a lot of kbb 2020.
aving missed the 2018 kbb Birmingham thanks to the ‘Beast from the East’, I was determined to attend the 2020
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