Press Release
Tom Doull and Michael Bowen Receives the A' Design Award for Valet Toilet Brush Ensemble in Bathroom Furniture and Sanitary Ware Design
The international grand jury of the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Tom Doull and Michael Bowen for bathroom furniture and sanitary ware design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 20, 2023 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the A' Design Award in the Bathroom Furniture and Sanitary Ware Design category for Valet Toilet Brush Ensemble by Tom Doull and Michael Bowen, designed for Valet. The award was conferred within the 2022 - 2023 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The A' Design Award Explained
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Valet Toilet Brush Ensemble
Valet works as hard as it looks good. Hygienically able to be cleaned regularly and easily, Valet is an all-in-one toilet brush and additional roll storage in the one slim and uncomplicated unit. A first of its kind on the market, Valet has the practicality and range of finishes to adapt to any bathroom. The brush is made from anti-microbial silicone and has short bristles, allowing it to clean effectively and tap dry. The brush is stored neatly in a sleeve. The sleeve drains into a removable bottom cup which can be detached for easy and effective cleaning by rinsing in a hand basin.
About Tom Doull and Michael Bowen
Valet is an all-in-one wall mounted toilet brush and additional roll holder. Designed specifically to fill a gap in the market, Valet is eminently functional yet elegantly uncomplicated, and visually harmonises with existing bathroom decor. Valet was created when Tom Doull: an architect with over 20 years’ experience designing residential bathrooms, teamed up with Michael Bowen: an engineer with over 10 years’ experience in manufacturing, to design and develop a new and unique toilet brush with patent pending features.
Award Record
With this recognition, Tom Doull and Michael Bowen is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Bathroom Furniture and Sanitary Ware Design Award
The A' Sanitary Ware Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good bathroom product designs by leading designers and brands worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to sanitary ware designers, bathroom furniture designers, industrial design studios and ceramic artists from all countries. Typical entries include toilets, sinks, bathtubs, showers, bidets and faucets. The awarded sanitary ware designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/sanitary-ware
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/147430
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/147430
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!147430
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/337265
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Valet Toilet Brush Ensemble
- Function
- Toilet Brush Ensemble
- Category
- Bathroom Furniture and Sanitary Ware Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home and Architecture
- Colors
- Lavender, Silver, Burly Wood, Dark Khaki and Khaki
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Valet
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Tom Doull and Michael Bowen
- Country
- Australia
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2022 - 2023
- Design ID
- #147430
Credits
- Team
- Tom Doull and Michael Bowen
- Image Credits
- Copyright all images: Tom Doull, Michael Bowen
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Valet is an all-in-one wall mounted toilet brush and additional roll holder. Designed specifically to fill a gap in the market, Valet is eminently functional yet elegantly uncomplicated, and visually harmonises with existing bathroom decor. The brush is stored in a sleeve which drains into a bottom cup. The bottom cup can be easily removed and rinsed in a hand basin, encouraging regular and effective cleaning. Additional rolls to be stored over the sleeve, closer to the toilet pan.
- Inspiration
- The idea came over 10 years ago when designing residential bathrooms and exploring the vast world of sanitaryware only to find that when it came to toilet brushes the offerings were either uncomplimentary to the rest of the bathroom fixtures or at best expensive and difficult to clean.
- Research
- Valet is a response to a gap in the market for a toilet brush that is easy to clean and hygienic coupled with the functionality of additional roll storage, recognised by architect Tom Doull through domestic design practice. Product design began as drawings and digital models and progressed through a process of 3D printed prototyping and domestic situational testing. Data was collected from these and the product further refined to reflect prevailing feedback to produce the final result.
- Challenge
- The main challenges were: 1) Housing a brush within a sleeve that was altogether slim enough to store additional toilet rolls. Remaining operational as a brush without displacement of the stored rolls. 2) Making the device easy to clean while retaining its elegance. The result is a slim and uncomplicated combination of detachable parts made from carefully chosen materials such as silicone and stainless steel.
- Realization and Technology
- The brush bristles and stem are made from silicone, selected for its anti-microbial properties, cleaning chemical resistance, and durability. The bottom cup shown here is translucent ABS plastic. The storage sleeve is hygienic stainless steel. The wall bracket and handle are brass. The whole brush can be customised with a range of typical sanitaryware finishes such as various powder coated colours, brushed brass, nickel, or chrome.
- Operation and Interaction
- The brush is made from anti-microbial silicone and has short bristles, allowing it to clean effectively and tap dry. The brush is stored neatly in a sleeve. The sleeve drains into a removable bottom cup which can be detached for easy and effective cleaning by rinsing in a hand basin. Additional rolls can be stored over the sleeve. The unique slimline design allows the brush to be withdrawn from the sleeve and used without disrupting the rolls.
- Project Duration and Location
- Valet is a new product designed and developed in Australia. Originally conceived more than 10 years ago it was not until Architect Tom meet with Engineer Michael in 2021 that the Valet started to take shape. Development and testing progressed over the following year to arrive at the current resolution.
- Specifications
- Width 50mm x Depth 117mm x Height 435mm
- Keywords
- toilet brush, valet, hygienic, toilet paper roll, sanitary ware, bathroom
