BATHROOM FURNITURE Stuart Martin
Ambiance Bain
BKU’s Matt Broughton spoke to Head of UK for Ambiance Bain, Stuart Martin, about last year’s key activities, and what we can expect from the company in 2025.
hen I ask Ambiance Bain’s Head of UK to sum up 2024, he replies with “Challenging”, noting the various furniture suppliers that fell by the wayside in 2024’s competitive market. The company did however enjoy year-on-year growth due to Ambiance Bain’s continued work in partnership with its customer base. “We do not believe that we should be arrogant in our approach; each retailer is an individual business run on its own merit, and it’s up to Ambiance Bain to work alongside these showrooms, backing up our extensive product portfolio with great service. This has led to an increased confidence in the brand which is proving to have continued success.”
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In 2024 Ambiance Bain updated its website to make it more useful for both consumers and retailers. Each product page now includes all the key details, such as product specifications, available finishes, technical details, and downloadable resources.
Key products in 2024 included IMAE, a horizontal fluted range with colour-matched handles to suit the sleek design. Fully opening drawers and the smooth lines of the SMO™ basin and worktop make cleaning easy and hygienic. Different unit and SMO™ colours are available, along with different handle choices - some colour-matched and others in Matt Black, Gold and Chrome.
Another key product for Ambiance Bain were the Vango Shower Trays, a stone resin shower tray collection available in over 20 SMO™ colours. It comes with a colour matched waste cover and the ability to co-ordinate your Worktop, Shower Tray and Wall Panels in the same SMO™ colour. I ask Stuart what trends he noted in 2024: “The move away from traditional floor-mounted fitted furniture to a more contemporary look, hence why Ambiance introduced Connex, a linked modular system giving all the features and benefits of a traditional fitted run, whilst retaining a contemporary modular look. Select individual configurations from a selection of modular units in different colours to create a truly unique look for your bathroom, up to 2.5 metres in length. From Floating and Offset to Modular designs, then complete the look with mirrors, lighting and storage units.”
20 BKU FEBRUARY 2025 2025
The company’s overall ‘mission for the year is to increase its customer base by 25% in areas not yet covered and to continue to support our existing independent retailers with both innovative and practical products. “We’re looking to explore further into the contract market with an exclusive collection of quality, contract-specific products to suit the market.”
The first key activity in 2025 will be a product launch for early spring, a new brochure, a new price list, and new products/colours. “This is very exciting for us and our customers to elevate their product offering even further,” says Stuart. Stuart expects that - as there are stronger wall coverings - muted colours will become more popular. “Ambiance Bain offers a wide variety of muted colours to suit all designs, which all prove to be selling very well.”
Sustainability is also high on Ambiance Bain’s agenda: “We’re moving away from plastic
packaging to cardboard, by investing into new machinery in the urge to become more sustainable,” explains Stuart. “At Ambiance Bain, we are proud to showcase our SMO™ ranges of Silica-Free Worktops, Shower Trays, and Wall Panels. This reflects our commitment to aesthetically pleasing products while marking a significant step in sustainable and health-conscious design, offering a safer and more environmentally friendly choice.”
“2025 started as last year did, with installers in demand. This has an impact on the cost of installations, which results in the showroom having to resort to more price-sensitive products to secure the sale. To react to this, Ambiance Bain’s collection of products uses the same colour pallet throughout the portfolio, enabling the retailer to retain the integrity of a design whilst interchanging feature units to suit a budget and secure the sale.”
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