BATHROOMS DESTINATION DESIGN
Fiona Russell Horne gets inspired by Lords’ flagship Beaconsfield showroom.
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eaconsfield, nestled in the Buckinghamshire countryside, is independent merchant group Lords’ flagship bathroom showroom. The branch went through a big redevelopment a few years ago, as part of a the group’s major capital expenditure plans.
There are 16 bays, and general manager Brett Hurley says the aim was to keep them to the size of a standard bathroom. “It’s no good inspiring customers with products that won’t fit, or suit the space they have available in their homes,” he says.
The showroom displays are used to try and get customers who want something a bit special into a different mindset, allowing them to think outside of the normal white suite styles. “For example, the stunning copper bath in the window isn’t something we will sell a huge number of, but it does get people considering different types of style.” He says that colour is definitely coming back into fashion, especially in terms of brassware, with brushed copper and brushed brass proving good sellers. In terms of bathroom design, after years of greys and whites, greens, blues and pinks are becoming popular. There are also solid trends for bigger tiles.
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The radius for the Beaconsfield showroom covers a wide area, with customers making a special efffort to visit from places such as Ascot, Amersham, Aylesbury, and further afield, even London, Oxford and Milton Keynes.
Most of the customers have been referred to the company by their installer, Hurley says, with a good proportion of them via Lords’ account customers.
“We’ve also found that customers will follow us around, and we’ll see people coming to this branch if they have moved to the area and used a Lords branch or showroom in the past.”
He says there is also a lot of collaboration with local developers, who know that they will need to add an edge to their offer if they want their properties to sell for premium prices, and there is a desigjn service offered for them, too. Pent-up demand for spending is starting to come thorugh, Hurley says. “Early in the year, there was the sense that poeple were waiting tosee what will happen with the economy, butit feels now that they are making the decision to spend the money.”
He adds that popular showroom suppliers include Villeroy & Boch, Utopia, Flair. BMJ
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net May 2025
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