Creating your own Eco-Smart Haven
Green: The colour you didn’t even know was so on-trend for the year ahead. However, alongside all the quirky ceramics, vibrant furniture and exciting textures you can add to your bathroom in this lovely palette, we are talking about how to make your bathroom eco-smart and environmentally friendly.
Over the course of the past year, we have seen a rise in clients more aware of their environmental impact; and wanting to understand how to reduce their energy waste. Design has developed from an interest with bringing the outdoors in, to now protecting the outdoors while updating the inside. Here are a few of our top tips and favourite products for our eco-conscious clients.
Hansgrohe Cool-Start Basin Taps
Our days and evenings are filled with several trips to the bathroom where we turn the tap on briefly to wash our hands. Aesthetically we know that a tap looks best when the handle is perfectly aligned with the main faucet of the base mixer. However, how often do you need to use ultra-hot water to rinse your hands after using the bathroom or when brushing your teeth?
Did you know, that when you use a traditional mono-basin mixer with any kind of lever in its centre position, you will often be running a mix of hot and cold water when you open the tap. This kick-starts your boiler into life to heat water that is going to be used for a minimal amount of time.
With Hansgrohe’s innovative Cool-Start taps, they work with a tap that only turns one way. When it’s in the central position it opens at the coolest temperature. Thus, saving your heating system from booting up for teeth brushing and hand rinsing which ultimately reduces unnecessary costs to your energy bills.
Furthermore, eco-smart technology is a must for cloakrooms – where guests use the facilities frequently. Another benefit to this technology is that it prevents hot water accidents; so perfect for children and the elderly. They are also much easier to operate as you only turn the tap handle in one direction to increase the temperature gradually.
A handy little ‘did you know?’ fact for those of our clients that are Hansgrohe fans. The manufacturer generates their own energy for the production halls in Offenburg, Germany. Using a photovoltaic system on the roofs of their buildings (that’s solar panels to you and me!) This shows Hansgrohe’s long term commitment when it comes to green manufacturing and why they are one of our favourites here at Bathroom Eleven.
Go with the flow – as long as it’s Eco!
Although not particularly new technology, it’s still worthwhile to remember that there are low-flow devices and other ways to reduce water flow within your home. After all, an overly powerful basin tap only leads to unnecessary wasted water all over your clothes! With more and more homes installing pumps, combi-boilers and, unvented systems such as Megaflo. It’s important to remember that sometimes high pressure isn’t always best!
When it comes to your basin mixers, perhaps consider brands such as VADO who offer their range of H2Eco products that can either come fitted with, or be fitted retrospectively, with flow restrictors saving up to 80% of water when washing your hands, face, brushing teeth or shaving for example. This again offers a further saving on your gas and electricity bills too! Leaving you to save the high pressure for filling your bath or for a luxurious shower.
The focus for these manufacturers is performance whilst helping you to go green. Therefore, you can be happy in the knowledge that you’ll get the high performance you’re used to coupled with the warm feeling that your eco-friendly aspirations are being realised.
Don’t refuse, re-use!
Some of our favourite brands to use here at Bathroom Eleven have a commitment to ensuring that their products are sustainable and recyclable. With everyone pushing to integrate an eco-view on interior design, it’s important to us to be working with reputable brands that offer us the opportunity to create unique designs with no limitations for our clients, whilst also being aware of the environmental impact they have.
We offer ranges of steel freestanding tubs, standard baths and stunning basins from Bette who ensure that all their products are 100% recyclable. Their manufacturing process is without the use of chemicals or solvents. Moreover, much like Hansgrohe, they generate 66% of their energy from their own sources.
Our stylish ceramic WC’s from GSI offer the highest quality of Italian design and functionality by offering a reduced flush capacity of 4.5litres without impacting the power of the flush.
We also can’t forget our lovely stylish radiators from Zehnder and Bisque. With their new laser technology integrated into their manufacturing, this keeps their CO2 footprint to a minimum.
When it comes to tiling your bathroom, why not consider the new Starwood range from Porcelanosa? They offer an eco-aware approach to manufacturing, design and distribution of their wood effect tiles with an ISO 9001-certified Quality Management System. You get the warm look of wood with the easy-care tiles offer.
Don’t Go Neutral, Go Natural!
Now you have an idea of all the products available to you to create your green bathroom. Why not add a splash of this natural palette to your bathroom design? Greens are known to enrich the relationship our interior spaces have to the outside world, particularly nature.
When it comes to paint, green can pair beautifully with sandy or earthy tones, light beige and even whites. This works exceptionally well if you’re looking to add subtle colour to your ‘Scandi’ bathroom.
Does the thought of coloured basins and WCs give you the fear of avocado bathrooms once found in homes decades ago? Well, put that dread aside and embrace the 2019 version from our manufacturer GSI Ceramics! With a modern twist, these sleek, sophisticated and earthy colours offer a dynamic contrast to bathroom sanitary-ware in a muted and understated way that pairs beautifully with many of our tiles. Be it from marble, concrete or wood effects.
If adding a lick of one of these natural hues to your walls is a little too understated for you, it’s worth considering bringing in a strong pattern with wallpaper. The range of wallpapers for bathrooms are growing and it can add something dramatic, unique and exciting to your bathroom space. From geometric patterns to softer edges and huge banana leaf patterns, you can go natural in a modern, contemporary or traditional space.
Going green – literary
If you want to go that extra mile and literally go ‘green’ in your bathroom – how about having a living wall? For those that haven’t seen a living wall before, it’s a wall of plants that are usually specified to the room depending on what light and space the room has to offer. Think of it as a garden that is installed, vertically! They are largely self-sufficient. Due to the moisture in bathrooms, there are quite a few options available in terms of the range of plants that can be used. Meaning you can tie these unique installations to the scheme and colour palette of your room. Best of all, plants are proven to boost well-being. See more on this in our previous blog.
If you want to know more on creating a bespoke Eco-friendly bathroom give us a call or complete our contact form to book in your free design consultation at our showroom. Don’t forget to look out for our next blog in March!
