This is the magazine section of the journal where we talk about interior design, style and products, and offer thoughts on decorating - all from a Claybrook perspective.
The world of basins got a little more interesting of late, with the development of new technologies alongside new ways of thinking about how to make the utilitarian brighter and more beautiful.
Bathrooms have been coming under increased focus over recent years with more effort expended on their conception and resolution. No longer deemed unworthy of decoration, they are coming into their own as rooms with as much inherent style as any other space in the home. Instagram and Pinterest have made comparing different schemes much easier, as well as providing ample inspiration for what may be achievable in terms of colour and style. Porcelainware for shower, bath and cloakrooms has been used for decades for very good reason, being fairly inexpensive to make, with a resulting product that is reliably simple to fit and maintain. At Claybrook we have a number of porcelain basins of differing styles for just these reasons.
Now, however, we have added some colourful characters
It's only once you start to a plan a bathroom or shower room that the subject of shower screens rears its head for the first time, unless of course you’ve inherited one in a house purchase or rental that is not fit for purpose and needs replacing quickly; never a fun job to tackle. We have devised shower screens that are worthy of a Pam and Bobby Ewing Dallas dream sequence, rather than an Alfred Hitchcock movie shocker in order to make your space as enjoyable as possible.
Devising additions to a paint palette would be a laborious task if you sat down and were to think ‘we need new colours; now where do we start’.
Claybrook Creative Director Rob Whitaker recently chatted with Interior Designer Lucy Gleeson on her fabulous Podcast ‘Live your own way’. To learn more about why the brand came into being, how the products are chosen and just how did Rob have the ultimate Haagen-Dazs experience, listen along.
It really fulfils more functions that you might think. In some homes it doubles as utility room and boot room, or even a coat and shoe store. In others it has as much thought behind its design as any sitting room, and is dressed for maximum visual appeal.
Deciding on how to decorate a room is a little like planting out a garden from scratch.
Colour, like art, can be a very subjective business. We are each attracted to shades for myriad reasons. Sometimes a colour can trigger memories from childhood or a lovely vacation, with a corresponding emotional response. Like smell, some hues can take you right back to a moment in time.
Many of us enjoy movies not just for the screenplay but because of the interiors shot as part of the drama. These spaces can form a key part in creating not only the setting but the mood for a film.
The beauty and practicality of wood as a use for flooring has long been recognized. It was in the 17th century though that panels were designed for Versailles to replace marble as the practical floor of choice.
When we created Claybrook we knew we wanted a studio space that would cater to homeowners and contract specifiers alike. It had to be accessible but with an edge. Big enough to display our full range of tiles from day one, but flexible enough to allow us to grow over time, and in an interesting building located somewhere with buzz.