BATHROOM FURNITURE Leanne Martin
Villeroy & Boch
Leanne Martin – UK Marketing Director at Villeroy & Boch – speaks to BKU’s Matt Broughton about the impact of the company’s acquisition of Ideal Standard, as well as detailing what we can look forward to in the second half of 2025.
ollowing finalising the acquisition of Ideal Standard in 2024, Villeroy & Boch Group has continued to reinforce itself as a new company across the first 6 months of 2025, with a new joint strategy, a new organisational structure and two strong global brands. “We have just enjoyed a successful and united ISH, which included launching a strong set of new products,” explains UK Marketing Director, Leanne Martin. “This was shortly followed by showcasing Villeroy & Boch Group at Clerkenwell Design Week.”
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As the new Villeroy & Boch Group, the company has set out to become a key player in the global ceramics and fittings categories, achieving this by building on its three key strengths in 2025 and beyond.
Leanne explains: “Firstly, build a strong global footprint that will be the basis for our future growth. With both brands, we have better access to important growth markets like the Middle East, North Africa and Asia Pacific, but also core European markets (like Italy and the UK), and of course, Villeroy & Boch´s home market, Germany. “Secondly, secure a stronger position in key sales channels. Ideal Standard’s strong position in the project business opens new market opportunities for the Villeroy & Boch brand. We have a joint product portfolio that complements each other excellently, and we will be able to drive more synergies in our innovation pipeline.”
Right now, Villeroy & Boch is focused on the launch of a new collection, Skyla. “Skyla is one of our strong design initiatives this year,” explains Leanne. “It combines round, organic shapes with clean, structured lines. Skyla invites consumers to express their individuality and playful creativity. The series is completed by taps which follow the same design principles. We have also unveiled four new full-surface matte shades of the popular Artis washbasins - Pure Black, Almond, Nightfall and Teal.”
Skyla is enormously adaptable and versatile. The range’s trend-conscious design combines round with angular shapes and blends with the overall look of the bathroom.
The furniture collection series is available in a choice of eight modern colours and the base units
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come in one or two drawer versions, with the option of an additional open compartment in the 80 cm and 100 cm sizes. Skyla also offers scope in terms of washbasin dimensions: with six versions (from 55 cm to 120 cm). This makes Skyla the perfect choice for any bathroom, style and budget. On top of all this, Skyla also offers an extensive selection of taps for the washbasin, bidet, shower and bath in two surface finishes – classic Chrome and modern Matt Black – opening up even more design options.
I ask Leanne how the company stays innovative with so many bathroom furniture collections: “Together with Ideal Standard, our joint product portfolio is highly complementary, forming a powerful synergy, enabling us to accelerate our innovation pipeline. We already offer an extensive range of furniture in a range of colours, but we are of course always striving to innovate. “However, bathroom furniture is always a very individual matter. First and foremost, it must be technically compatible with the ceramics and fittings, but it must also meet the individual aesthetic preferences of our customers. Choice and configurability of furniture is therefore becoming increasingly important when it comes to turning bathrooms into real living spaces. And furniture is an important tool in this regard. “When it comes to storage space, light and smart connectivity, bathroom furniture offers a lot
of potential, which we also use specifically for our mirrors and play cabinets.”
The commitment to sustainability is just another element that unites Villeroy & Boch and Ideal Standard. “It´s not only part of our DNA, but we believe it is a real competitive advantage. We’re committed to climate neutrality by 2045, with non-ceramics factories set to reach this goal by 2030. We’re extending product life cycles, reducing carbon footprints, and using resources like water more efficiently. Our social responsibility efforts include ensuring factory safety, fair working conditions, and human rights across our supply chain.”
As for the rest of 2025… “The new Villeroy & Boch Group will continue to drive customer value with our portfolio of two strong global brands and several local brands catering for individual market needs, including Armitage Shanks for the UK.
“We will also be launching a number of new collections continuing into 2025 including Vea taps, which use the new ViPush technology for the first time. The technology offers classic elegance and modern functionality in a system reminiscent of the mechanism of a high-quality perfume bottle. The water is controlled by a simple push on the control; the temperature can also be easily adjusted. We see a growing trend in shower toilets, with a planned launch of our Supreo range later in the year.”
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