Bona products have been used by Timbered Flooring, Bona Certified Contractors, for the installation and finishing of a 20mm engineered, dark fumed oak parquet floor at London’s new urban hotel, Assembly London. First, Bona D501 primer was applied to the WBP plywood subfloor, and then the parquet blocks were stuck down using Bona R848 silane adhesive. This blocks were then finished with Bona Craft Oil 2K (Frost) and buffed back again to achieve a white limed effect in the grain, which also took away some of the darkness of the fumed oak. After, that, two coats of Bona Traffic HD (silk matt) lacquer – Bona’s most durable polyurethane finish – were applied to provide the hard wearing surface required in the busy bar area. Both Bona Craft Oil 2K and Bona Traffic HD allowed the Timbered team to work within a tight timetable, due to their fast curing time. “We also provided a maintenance specification to the client which included regular cleaning with Bona Cleaner and an annual rebuffing and resealing with Traffic HD. Following a maintenance regime like this means the floor will always look good and the expense and downtime caused by sanding it back to bare wood will be avoided,” said Laurence Warburton from Timbered Flooring. Available in a range of 11 standard colours, Bona Craft Oil 2K can also be turned into custom shades that can be mixed on request. Already a hard wearing finishing treatment when used on its own, the oil can also be overcoated with any version of Bona Traffic to provide ultimate durability – a useful option for busy public areas like Assembly London’s rooftop bar space. Opened in May 2018, Assembly London is located in the centre of the city’s thriving West-End. Fun, sophisticated and playful, the hotel gives everything that matters for a great night’s sleep!  

Maximising space in the workplace is a pressure that all businesses face, as space has an impact on many things, including productivity and staff happiness. It’s easy to fall into routines and stick with an office design and features that have been unchanged for year; therefore these 10 tips will help you create a better environment for your employees. 1.Maximise light and open space As natural light is a well-known mood booster, it is important to remove items from window sills and any other light blockages. By doing so, the room will be brighter and will give everyone the feeling of extra space. If the office has a limited amount of natural light however, the best way to attract it is yo rearrange the desks so that more are positioned close to windows. Avoid heavy furniture Heavy furniture, such as desks, are not necessary in the modern day because people do not use them for storage that much anymore. Even though the classic large dark mahogany desk may appear trendy, when it comes to optimising a space, they are troublesome. Where possible, heavy, traditional desks should be switched with furniture that is lighter in terms of colour and weight. 3.Multipurpose spaces These spaces can accommodate almost anything, from catch ups with clients to group meetings. In an open plan office, a meeting pod can give privacy without needing another room and can double up as a semi-permanent working space or meeting room. 4.Hot-desking Hot-desking involves the removal of personal desks and the introduction of large, communal desks. These are assigned each day on a first come first served basis. From folding tables and laptop tables, there is quite literally a space-saving option to suit any space for hot-desking workers, while also encouraging creativity. 5.Declutter Having a space that is clear and organised makes productivity much easier, so encourage employees to be ruthless with what is kept in the office. 6.Rethink the corridor Make use of every space in the office, including the corridor and the staircase and turn them into productivity-boosting activities, such as phone booths for making calls away from the hustle of the main office area. 7.Sit-stand desks Sit-stand desks are invaluable for productive working as they not only aid health benefits by increasing standing, but are also useful for meetings within an office space. 8.Quiet zones Open-plan offices are becoming a norm; however, it is important to design a quiet zone for those that needs to work with no distractions. 9.Bring nature inside An office full of pictures and accessories spoils productivity and creativity. Fix this by adding a few plants and indoor trees around the office, which will boost productivity long-term. 10.Store files offsite/online An office full of unordered files piled together all over the place makes it look stressful and cramped. Choose to share to-do lists and post-it notes as a spreadsheet and store files on a cloud-based system.  

Washroom Washroom, the innovative washroom designer, manufacturer and installer, has expanded its product range, offering concrete vanities as part of Arpeggio vanity units, which also includes solid surface Corian, granite, zodiaq and glass. As the ideal solution for those seeking to create on-trend industrial-inspired washrooms, concrete is hard-wearing, easy to maintain and can create a stylish high specification design, which is the reason this material is becoming more popular for varying applications. Washroom Washroom has recently refurbished an office, manufacturing bespoke vanity units with cast polished concrete tops manufactured by MASS Concrete to create a contemporary washroom space. “Keeping a close eye on current and future trends and product developments is something we pride ourselves on so we’re always on the look-out for the new materials and finish options to offer,” said Trevor Bowers, director at Washroom Washroom. “We’re excited to extend our standard range, but that’s by no means the end of the story as our design team are always happy to discuss your specific requirements for bespoke projects in order to deliver the unique finish you expect from a Washroom Washroom project,” he continued. Washroom has also created a brand-new product option to add to its integrated glass Concerto duct panelling range,meaning that the manufacturer can now supply glass duct panels complete with unique metal mesh inserts for a truly unique finish. These panels can be seen at the new Saneux showroom in Clerkenwell. Established in 2001, Washroom has grown to become one of the leading providers of high specification commercial washroom, toilet and shower cubicles, vanities, lockers and benching together with a bespoke joinery service for sectors including commercial, health leisure, education and the public sector. The company has successfully built on its philosophy to design, manufacture and install high quality and innovative washrooms, leisure and changing facilities on time and to budget for projects as diverse as the Shard, one of London’s most iconic landmarks to the Aldar HQ, the first circular building in the Middle East.

Speirs + Major, a UK lighting design practice has announced that it will be closing its Edinburgh offices and will operate solely from its London offices. The move comes in response to the ‘ever-expanding international market’, and is part of a strategy that will see the lighting design firm open new studios in other key locations. “We are always evolving and in recent years we have observed changes in the way we get the best opportunities and results,” said Keith Bradshaw, Principal at Speirs + Major. “We know how much love and effort goes into realising a great lighting project and now is the time to change the way we work on new international projects and support both our client’s expectations and our own ambitions.” The practice is now looking at both East Asia and Europe, following a period of consolidation for its UK operation. Currently, it is in the process of establishing new studios. “More than 50% of our workload is international and it is increasing. We are currently working in Europe, Scandinavia, North America, the Middle East, East Asia and Australia,” said Mark Major, Principal at Speirs + Major. “Whilst previously we have handled overseas projects from the UK, the scale and ambition of some of the work we are now engaged on demands a local presence.” Speirs + Major is a multi-award-winning independent design practice that uses light to enhance the experience of the visual environment. Established for over two decades, the team is inspired by light and its innovative use and application. The firm’s work encompasses architecture, strategic branding and innovative product design, as well as raising awareness of the lighting design profession globally. The team at Speirs + Major works in close collaboration with architects and designers, using light to reveal and accentuate the core principles of the architectural design. As lighting architects, the team develops environments where light is an integrated part of the final built form, combining creativity with pragmatism and ensuring the client’s lighting solution is both sustainable and easy to manage.