Meet Richard Reed, co-founder and senior director of Candana.
Richard is a wealth of knowledge and has been helping customers create their dream bathrooms, plumbers find their unexplainable spare parts and inspire fellow architects since 1981.
What is the most prized possession(s) in your home?
I love my Webber BBQ cooker, which I use more than I use the stove. I cook everything on it from my weekend breakfast to delicious smoked meats (of which I’m a massive fan, being originally from Canada). I enjoy being out on the patio cooking on the Webber at my home in The Rocks. This suburb of Sydney sees tourists and locals alike, constantly out and about, who’ll often stop for a chat having sniffed out the beautiful, smoky aromas – it’s a nice social activity.
Another prized possession that I have is from when my father, my son Marc and I were in a pub in Canada. It was the kind of pub loggers and hunters visit to drink! A woman came in selling these laminated pictures on plywood, which have like 10 coats of lacquer. I purchased one bearing a moose (very Canadian!) and while it’s not the prettiest thing, it represents happy memories and is currently at our cottage – as my wife won’t let me keep it in the house!
If you could present a Red Dot award to any one product/collection that Candana sells, what would it be?
The concept of the Electronic thermostatic tapware by English company, Mira. Although, I would say it is almost there, this is only the beginning of what I believe this product and technology can achieve… round one, if you like.
Give it five years and I expect this kind of tapware will just have a monitor with options for your bath, basins and showers and text you when your request is completed. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the company progresses in this arena.
What’s the easiest way to update a bathroom on a small budget?
One, don’t do it yourself (to avoid DIY issues) and, two, leave the plumbing in the same position as labour costs are expensive and moving plumbing is a big job.
Also, to keep material costs down, tile only areas which need to be tiled (e.g. tile shower walls but refrain from tiling any other bathroom walls).
Is there a star product that Candana sells that most customers will ask about?
Brodware tapware is quite popular. The product is made here in Sydney and the quality is as good as anything that is imported from overseas. There is a huge range too, so the price points are varied, from quite affordable to lavish.
There is also a lot of interest surrounding the concealed toilet cisterns, due to the broad range we stock and our knowledge of these products.
Other popular products are freestanding baths and also special finishes such as copper.
Candana predicted copper would be trending in bathroom design at the beginning of 2015 and now we are seeing the popular finish everywhere, what do you believe will be trending next year?
Some time ago it was brass that was popular, and then there was black chrome for years and now copper finishes are seriously trending. If I knew what was coming up next I’d be rich!
Obviously we follow a lot of European trends and I think all the special finishes will still be popular in a year’s time. Also, polished chrome and nickel are still the most functional; people will go back to these finishes as they are the most durable and will stand the test of time, aesthetically.
Give us an idea of what your dream bathroom would look like.
The bathroom I have just renovated in my house!
It has limestone tiles on the walls, with tumbled travertine mosaic tiles behind the basin. We have ceiling to floor Hydrotherm towel rails and a Geberit electronic toilet with a touch button. We made the vanity ourselves, it has an Emperador marble top, a Duravit Starck 2 ceramic basin, Samuel Heath tapware, a Devon&Devon chrome console and the timber apron is of Burmese Teak.
If I’m really dreaming here, I’d have an outdoors bathroom. My wife and I spent a few weeks in Tonga, and in the place we stayed, you bathed outside. In that climate, it was wonderful and there was a great sense of nature with the birds all around.
Who is your favourite designer and why?
Richard Buckminister Fuller, the American architect, systems theorist, author, designer and inventor, who invented the geodesic dome. I’ve always loved geometry and have admired his work for a long time.
Also Frank Lloyd Wright, the American architect, interior designer, writer, and educator- I’ve always appreciated his early understandings of nature and the built environment.
What International design show do you most enjoy attending and why?
Whenever my wife and I travel to Italy we visit Bologna, and stay within the walled city. Every year there is a small exhibition of innovative products, many of the brands already have agents in Australia or the products are not suitable for the Australian market, but we enjoy attending for inspiration.
