German sanitaryware manufacturer Villeroy and Boch has impressed the world of designer bathrooms once more by walking away with two prizes at the Red Dot Design Awards 2011.

The distinctive pieces that caught the judge’s eyes were a hand basin and a freestanding bath from the My Nature collection. The organically inspired bathroom range is manufactured by the company using ground-breaking production techniques to create a textured finish on the surface of the ceramic.

Texture is currently a big trend in bathroom design and is usually referenced by using contrasting materials such as wood paired with stone. Texture on satintaryware itself, however, is a feature previously unseen on the luxury bathroom market and is something that the designers at Jacques are keen to offer to customers in the UK.

David Jacques, director of Jacques Designer Bathrooms, commented; ‘It’s great that this development has been recognised by this prestigious award. Our customers have shown a lot of interest in the My Nature range as it is so unique and can really contribute to the overall design of your bathroom.’

Jacques went on to say that organic forms and texture are set to be ‘big trends’ in bathroom design for 2011 -2012, as part of homeowners’ desire to install luxury hotel-style bathrooms at home.

‘Consumers are looking to create a boutique hotel effect in their bathroom, making strong design statements with freestanding baths and luxury details.’

The hotel bathroom trend is thought to be a reflection of the recession, as design-lovers unable to get away as often are bringing the luxury experience to their own homes. And as adding or improving a bathroom ranks highly on the estate agents’ list of modifications that could add value to your property, it also makes financial sense to splash out on a designer bathroom.

The bathroom design team at Jacques Designer Bathrooms are offering consultations to people looking to follow this trend and will be showcasing the new Villeroy and Boch range as part of this. The team are regularly taking commissions to design, plan and install luxury bespoke bathrooms.

The Jacques designers begin by selecting statement contemporary bathroom suites and then work with the customer to add opulent touches and boutique elements inspired by current design trends. Customers can choose to renovate their designer bathroom with luxury items such as whirlpool baths or bathroom TVs for the ultimate experience.

As well as creating a beautiful bathroom, the Jacques designers also factor in practical elements to make the bathroom a useful space. Clever storage is an absolute must, as toiletries must be hidden out of sight in order to achieve that perfect luxury feel. No finishing touch escapes their watchful eyes – even taps and fittings must be designer.

Jacques Designer Bathrooms (http://www.designerbathrooms.net) is a specialist luxury bathroom design company based in the West Midlands in the UK. The company uses a variety of contemporary bathroom suites from high quality manufacturers such as Hansgrohe, Samuel Heath and Utopia in their designs. Some examples of these bathrooms can be viewed at the Jacques Designer Bathrooms showroom in Solihull where the team have installed bathroom set-ups to demonstrate to customers.

German sanitaryware manufacturer Villeroy and Boch has impressed the world of designer bathrooms once more by walking away with two prizes at the Red Dot Design Awards 2011.

The distinctive pieces that caught the judge’s eyes were a hand basin and a freestanding bath from the My Nature collection. The organically inspired bathroom range is manufactured by the company using ground-breaking production techniques to create a textured finish on the surface of the ceramic.

Texture is currently a big trend in bathroom design and is usually referenced by using contrasting materials such as wood paired with stone. Texture on satintaryware itself, however, is a feature previously unseen on the luxury bathroom market and is something that the designers at Jacques are keen to offer to customers in the UK.

David Jacques, director of Jacques Designer Bathrooms, commented; ‘It’s great that this development has been recognised by this prestigious award. Our customers have shown a lot of interest in the My Nature range as it is so unique and can really contribute to the overall design of your bathroom.’

Jacques went on to say that organic forms and texture are set to be ‘big trends’ in bathroom design for 2011 -2012, as part of homeowners’ desire to install luxury hotel-style bathrooms at home.

‘Consumers are looking to create a boutique hotel effect in their bathroom, making strong design statements with freestanding baths and luxury details.’

The hotel bathroom trend is thought to be a reflection of the recession, as design-lovers unable to get away as often are bringing the luxury experience to their own homes. And as adding or improving a bathroom ranks highly on the estate agents’ list of modifications that could add value to your property, it also makes financial sense to splash out on a designer bathroom.

The bathroom design team at Jacques Designer Bathrooms are offering consultations to people looking to follow this trend and will be showcasing the new Villeroy and Boch range as part of this. The team are regularly taking commissions to design, plan and install luxury bespoke bathrooms.

The Jacques designers begin by selecting statement contemporary bathroom suites and then work with the customer to add opulent touches and boutique elements inspired by current design trends. Customers can choose to renovate their designer bathroom with luxury items such as whirlpool baths or bathroom TVs for the ultimate experience.

As well as creating a beautiful bathroom, the Jacques designers also factor in practical elements to make the bathroom a useful space. Clever storage is an absolute must, as toiletries must be hidden out of sight in order to achieve that perfect luxury feel. No finishing touch escapes their watchful eyes – even taps and fittings must be designer.

Jacques Designer Bathrooms (http://www.designerbathrooms.net) is a specialist luxury bathroom design company based in the West Midlands in the UK. The company uses a variety of contemporary bathroom suites from high quality manufacturers such as Hansgrohe, Samuel Heath and Utopia in their designs. Some examples of these bathrooms can be viewed at the Jacques Designer Bathrooms showroom in Solihull where the team have installed bathroom set-ups to demonstrate to customers.

According to the NUS Accommodation Cost Survey 2012/2013, private sector student accommodation now controls 39% of the current supply of UK student rooms, which equals a 22% increase over the past 3 years.

The survey, which was conducted over 81% of student accommodation providers, showed an in-depth look into student property trends and the increasing cost of living.

Why has private student accommodation become more popular? 
Student accommodation investment has evolved into a a key asset class over the past 5 years with UK transaction volumes reaching £2 billion in the first 9 months of 2012, up by 145% on 2011 (CBRE UK Student Housing MarketView).

In light of this investment, the NUS has commented that, 'Funding for new student accommodation developments has been available because of a general view among investors that the yields from what is now almost a separate asset class outperform yields in other commercial property sectors'.

With an increase in demand for student accommodation investment opportunities from institutional and individual investors, the private accommodation sector has increased its market share in the United Kingdom.

A survey by UCAS, which has tracked the growth of private sector student accommodation for 10 years, also stated that in 2003-04 96% of all purpose-built student accommodation was institutionally owned and managed however, in 2012-2013, the private sector formed 39% of the total supply.

It also revealed that in 2012-2013, private providers will account for 79% of new bed spaces; 58% of which will be directly let into the market and 21% will be covered by nominations agreements.

The Future of Student Property Investment 
The way in which students' view halls of residence has also changed rapidly over the past 10 years. Typically, purpose-built student accommodation would just house first year students however, due to the mod cons and high specification of new build rooms, a rising number of students are returning to halls of residence and more so purpose built shared student accommodation built by private providers after their first year.

The NUS survey has highlighted that, 'Private providers clearly accommodate a greater number of returners: 40% Let 26-50% of their stock to returners (compared with only 14% of education institutions) and a further 8% house between 51-75%'.

With an increase in the amount of overseas applicants to UNIVERSITIES IN THE UK (13.7% Rise recorded by UCAS in Jan 2012), a lean towards attracting international students has also had a positive impact on the private student accommodation sector, with a lot of new-build developments specifically aimed at overseas tenants.

As investment in the private sector continues to increase due to the sector's ability to generate high and sustainable yields for investors, private providers will inevitably increase their market share in line with demand from a growing number of students looking for new, purpose-built rooms.

For investors looking for a student accommodation investment in the private sector, London-based property agent, Experience Invest has just launched a new investment opportunity in the heart of Liverpool.

Large 25 Sq. M self-contained studio apartments with kitchenettes are available for £59,950 and will generate 10% NET yields per year for investors, assured for three years.

“We're pleased to launch a new student accommodation investment in Liverpool with the largest self-contained studios currently on the market,” Jerald Solis, Business Development Manager of Experience Invest stated.

For further details contact Experience International by calling + 44 (0) 207 321 5858 or go to thehttp://www.experienceinvest.com website to request the investment brochure.

Williams Commerce ltd announce Mercia Garden Products are set to launch new website next week. The new website is to be launched next week by Williams Commerce ltd, provider of B2B eCommerce Solutions to its trade customers, the new website enables the ability to purchase products directly online. Trade customers will benefit from a login only area that gives them access to their exclusive discounts. The new website also means that orders can be made at any time with no office hours restriction, so a busy day on site doesn’t mean that housing deadlines won’t be met.

Mercia Garden Products have seen a demand in bike sheds due to government new housing targets set in 2007, increasing the supply of housing to 240,000 additional homes per year by 2016. 4 years into this project, there is fresh debate over whether this target would meet the demand for new housing and deal with the backlog of unmet housing needs.

Global leader for trusted HR and related financial advice, products and service, Mercer PLC, have announced employees in the UK will experience another year of below inflation pay rises in 2012. With Premium Diesel reaching an all-time high price of £1.49 per litre, rising cost of food and a bleak outlook for pay increases, cost conscious Brits look to save money with pedal power.

An example of British commuter cost saving is the city of Cambridge, more commonly known for rowing is also well versed in cycling as a way to commute, however in 2010, 2,870 bicycles were stolen in the city alone.

Earlier in the year, the BBC reported on Cambridgeshire Constabulary's efforts to support cyclists, during 2011. It was revealed that a unit of police successfully reduced the number of thefts of bicycles by setting up a second hand bike shop that offered to buy used bikes. This operation alone enabled officers to recover 500 bikes that had been stolen in the local area, and prosecute the thieves they recovered them from. While this operation has stunted the activity of bike thieves in this area, there are still many operating throughout the country.

The government has been forced to implement measures to help keep bicycles safe, and in November 2010 the EnE8 Code for Sustainable Homes was introduced, EnE8 specifically effects new housing developments.

EnE8 code states ‘Where individual or communal cycle storage is provided, it should be adequately sized, secure and convenient.’ This means that 2 and 3 bedroom houses require 1 cycle store per dwelling and 4 bedroom houses and above require 2 cycle stores per dwelling.

Housing developments will also gain 2 credits as part of the code for sustainable homes, a step-change in sustainable home building practice. This is beneficial to contractors looking to increase property value and also encourage the public to use their bicycles more. This will increase the general health of the cyclists, but also cut down on the amount of cars on our roads.

Award-winning property developer Dandara is bucking the UK national trend by creating new jobs forarchitectural technicians, structural engineers andcivil engineers within their Aberdeen operations.

New positions have been created for Engineering and Architectural Personnel on the back of a successful 2012 and continued investment in the future of Aberdeen.

Having already built an exemplary reputation for delivering high quality residential and commercial developments throughout the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and across the UK, Dandara is expanding its operations at an unprecedented scale in the Aberdeen region.

To help drive this continued growth, a variety of Architectural Technologist, Structural and Civil Engineering roles are available within Dandara’s Aberdeen division.

Dandara Group HR Manager, Tony Comerford commented, “We have enjoyed tremendous growth in the Aberdeen area and established a reputation for quality. We are looking for individuals who can bring experience and a desire to deliver outstanding developments at what is an extremely exciting time for the company.”

Dandara’s properties are consistently several steps ahead of Industry standard thanks to their attention to detail throughout the entire spectrum of the construction process, from R&D to customer handover and after sales support.

Construction of LPC Living’s Cedar Point development in Formby, Merseyside is continuing apace following the removal of scaffolding around the seven properties.

As well as providing a tantalising glimpse of how the finished properties will look, prospective housebuyers can now see the stylish stainless steel Juliette balconies which are being installed which will offer panoramic views from the second floor bedrooms. Good progress is being made internally with the first staircases being installed and plastering commencing.

Housebuilder LPC Living, which is owned by the Pervaiz Naviede Family Trust, started work on the seven three-storey homes in May 2012. In the coming weeks the exterior will be rendered in a crisp white finish and clad with the cedar wood cladding from which the development takes its name.

Scott Neal, LPC’s marketing said: “Our research identified the strong demand for high quality, large family homes in Formby which have parking and easy access to the excellent local schools and the town centre. We believe the redesigned layout of the seven homes will meet the needs of young families and create a better use of family space.”

Ranging from 1,600 to 1,760 sq ft, every home comes complete with a stylish fitted kitchen by Magnet, Whirlpool appliances and a designer RAK bathroom. In addition, each property benefits from flooring including throughout as standard, a fenced and turfed garden and driveway parking or an integral garage.

The project marks yet another success for the Pervaiz Naviede Family Trust. 

To learn more about the development visit www.cedarpoint-formby.co.uk.