Neo Design’s Vegan mimics leather

Neo Design of Germany has launched Vegan, a rug mimicking the shape of a cowhide. Made of an alternative material to the traditional cowhide rugs, the carpet with a captivating design has been created by Rodrigo Vairinhos, the Portuguese industrial designer and founder of the company.

Vairinhos made use of cork leather, a non-animal product of vegetable origin, which is ecological and renewable.

“This carpet has a fresh new look and serves many purposes. It’s for sure a beautiful highlight in any contemporary setting, turning a floor space into a stylish area, increasing overall comfort and providing extra insulation,” says a company spokesman.

It offers the warmth of the cork material beneath one’s feet and unlike real cowhides, it is hypo-allergenic, easy to clean and can be ironed. The product is natural, flexible and sustainable. In addition, it is lightweight, impermeable to liquids, fire retardant, highly abrasion resistant and hypoallergenic.

It comes in cork, black (edging) colours. 

Neo Design is a design studio established in late 2005 in Witten, Germany. Its design philosophy aims at creating a concept of everyday products with a strong character, whose design language and quality are clearly seen in the creations of Vairinhos.

“Vairinhos’ creations unify functionality and aesthetics. They feature multi-functionality without lacking elegance and freshness that mirrors at best our contemporary panorama,” says the spokesperson.

Karcher’s BRC 40/22 carpet cleaner.

Karcher launches cleaning beast

Karcher, a global leader in innovative cleaning technology solutions, is launching a new deep-cleaning and intermediate cleaning carpet machine – the BRC 40/22 – to the Middle East market next month (September).

The machine has been shortlisted for the International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) Innovation Award in the Machines, Accessories and Components category, according to a spokesman for the company.

“The BRC 40/22 is a three-in-one machine with functionalities to dispense cleaning solutions, work the solution into the carpet, and finally to clean the solution and dirt from the carpet,” he says.

It has spray nozzles on the front of the machine which supply the cleaning agent solution, rotating roller brushes that work the solution into the carpet, helps the operator by providing an additional traction drive – both forwards and backwards, and has a squeegee that wipes the dirt and solution away. These functionalities work together to provide an overall increase in efficiency by cleaning carpets and reduce drying time effectively.

“The BRC 40/22 is equipped with a head capable of rotating 200 degrees on both sides which makes the machine highly manoeuvrable,” the spokesman says.

The machine is suitable for both intermediate and deep cleaning of carpets. When the machine is used for deep cleaning, the area covered is 350 sq m per hour but on the intermediate setting, the area increases to 1,000 sq m per hour.

Furthermore, intuitive and ergonomic operation of the machine is a key feature of its design which includes a simple rotary switch for setting the operating mode, the ability to change the roller brush and squeegees without tools, a separate cable guide and height-adjustable handlebars.

Bathrooms get versatile with Tesi

Ideal Standard, the leading provider of innovative and design-driven bathroom solutions, has blended form with function to create Tesi, a collection of bathroom ceramics, furniture and fittings that combine well together to create a versatile and affordable bathroom range.  

Created by Ideal Standard designer Robin Levien, Tesi is a cross category solution, with options suited for family bathrooms, cloakrooms and ensuites alike. The collection is slender, elegant and versatile to suit environment and lifestyle needs.   

The toilet bowls within the Tesi collection are fitted with AquaBlade flushing technology, offering high aesthetics with superior hygiene, less splashing and greater noise reduction. “With AquaBlade, the toilet flushes from the top of the bowl, washing the entire inner surface, and is unique to Ideal Standard products,” says a spokesman for the company.

The Tesi range offers different basin options. There are cloakroom options featuring a simple design to adapt to smaller spaces with ease.  One can choose from 60 cm, 55 cm, 50 cm and 45 cm basin options, with a choice of full and semi pedestals, as well as the 55 cm semi-countertop option for those wanting to combine with marble.  A selection of minimal vessels with a very thin modern rim – 100 cm, 80 cm and 60 cm – is also available to combine with Tesi furniture.

Tesi ceramics integrate seamlessly with the range’s elegant and practical bathroom furniture.  The intelligently conceived furniture pieces bring smart discreet storage to busy bathrooms.  Tesi mixers are characterised by clean geometric lines and counterbalanced by soft, round forms, and complement the Tesi ceramics. The shower and bath and shower mixers are packed with Click technology, giving the option of using the fittings at 50 per cent capacity, therefore achieving 50 per cent less consumption.