In partnership with VitrA
Bathing, showering, washing and luxuriating is a multi-sensory experience that is difficult to replicate online. The delicate art of bathroom design draws not just on furniture choices and a floorplan, but also material texture, quality, tactility, finish, engineering, ergonomics and efficiency. The satisfying feel of a faucet’s on/off action, the burnished metallic look of a mixer tap – replicating these experiences is not part of the internet’s skill-set. Which is why bathroom specialist VitrA has opened a 5,600 sq ft, bricks and mortar flagship space in London’s Clerkenwell district. An acknowledgment of the internationally renowned brand’s global reach and a catalyst for further growth worldwide, VitrA London promises to be not just a showroom destination, but also a social and creative hub for architects, designers and thinkers with dedicated areas for product specification, live events and workshops.
The space offers partners and clients a fully integrated service for their bathroom projects, including design consultations and specification support. Situated in the heart of the Clerkenwell Green conservation area and designed by award-winning architectural practice TP Bennett, VitrA London occupies two floors of the Turnmill Building. The showroom serves both the local and international architecture and design community, while providing a thriving platform, both creatively and commercially, for the dynamic bathroom industry. At the heart of the showroom is the VitrA Talks area where the brand will host exhibitions, social events and stimulating discussions (once guidelines allow) further demonstrating the brand’s ethos of facilitating an open dialogue between the brand and its key audiences.
In 2021, while social distancing restrictions are still in place, VitrA London will host a number of digital and live events that encourage engagement. VitrA London’s ground floor features the brand’s designer bathroom ranges, including those created in collaboration with world-renowned designers such as Ross Lovegrove and Arik Levy. There is also a functioning brassware installation where visitors can watch VitrA’s basin taps in action. On the lower ground floor, VitrA London offers a dedicated specification space that demonstrates the various typographies of WCs and basins, as well as showcasing other important elements of bathroom design, including flush plates and accessories.
An immersive 4D theatre where visitors can use a VR headset to visualise and explore their new bathrooms as they design it, completes the experience. ‘The launch of our flagship VitrA London showroom marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our business, enabling us to engage more effectively with our national and international client base,’ says Levent Giray, Managing Director of VitrA UK. ‘VitrA London will allow us to further connect with the architecture and design community through a constructive, regular dialogue to devise new methodologies, concepts and solutions in a stimulating and dynamic environment.’ VitrA products are available to buy through a network of specialist retailers, installers and wholesalers across the world.
The brand also has flagship showrooms in Istanbul, Cologne, Dubai, Mumbai and Moscow. One-to-one appointments with the VitrA London team can be booked at cutt.ly/vitralondon. The number of appointments is being managed carefully to ensure plenty of space to socially distance. There are also hand-sanitising stations across the showroom and cleaning takes place between each visit.
VitrA has launched a number of touch-free and water-saving products including a touch-free smart panel which allows you to flush the toilet without touching the flush panel, and V-Care Prime, their latest shower toilet, which can be controlled by an app or remote control for a touch-free experience.
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