Member Article

London startup Hidealoo sees orders rise for world’s first foldaway toilet frame

A design engineer and TV presenter, skilled in creating space-saving architectural innovations for the home, is feeling flush after securing backing for his latest invention – the world’s first foldaway toilet frame.

On the back of a £160,000 investment from British Design Fund, and with mortgage rate increases seeing homeowners ‘improve not move’, London startup Hidealoo has seen orders rise from those keen to add to their ‘lootilties’ – even including one Hollywood producer.

The patented Hidealoo frame is designed to support homeowners and property developers to maximise the space they have available, including within utility rooms, wet rooms and even wardrobes. It is manufactured in Britain and works with any standard wall hung ceramic pan and cistern.

Its inventor, Monty Ravenscroft, has spent the last 25 years pioneering designs for innovative moving elements in architecture. This includes buiding a 3-bedroom home on a tiny plot in southeast London, which was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs programme. With very little space to play with, Monty needed to get creative with a range of space-saving inventions. His ‘Peckham House’ project being described by presenter Kevin McCloud as ‘genius’.

Monty then went on to appear as co-host of Channel 4’s ‘Inside Out Homes’ which focused on creating a new invention to solve a problem faced by a homeowner in each episode.

Inspired by these experiences and seeking a solution for his invalid father who needed the convenience of bathroom facilities in his bedroom, yet in a discreet way that preserved his dignity, Monty developed the idea of a foldaway toilet.

Spotting the broader potential for the frame, he worked closely with award-winning international designer, Sebastian Conran, to perfect its design.

Monty explains: “I’ve always been passionate about solving problems and engineering solutions for the home. While the idea for Hidealoo was driven by my father’s ill health and the need to get clever with small living spaces, it has many other potential applications. The frame itself has been engineered to be incredibly robust and is capable of taking well over three times normal human weight. It’s also made to last more than a lifetime having been tested over 250,000 times.”

He added: “With mortgages spiralling, making moving home more difficult, and the cost of living also leading people to need to rent out rooms for some extra cash, the ability to fit an extra loo in all manner of places has really hit a nerve.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Creative Leopard .