The history of Hidealoo

This scenario is something Monty Ravenscroft, Founder of Hidealoo, knows all too well – having launched a startup predicated on the awareness that having a fold-away toilet or 'hidden loo' can help solve this problem and create more space for storage-deprived families and individuals.

“We’ve heard from homeowners who are under pressure with the rising cost of living. Those who can’t afford to move but who need more facilities for their growing family, or who are needing to rent out rooms to cover spiralling mortgage costs,” detailed Ravenscroft. “We can help them make the optimal use of the space they have.”

Examples of how homeowners are using the Hidealoo include, “multipurpose shower rooms and cloakrooms, extra facilities being added to lot spaces and within attic bedrooms. The use of space

in compact bathrooms being maximised. While 25% of current installations are within traditional bathrooms, the majority are being used in more unusual locations.”

However, although Hidealoo has found a place in this scenario, the idea for the startup wasn’t just born out of this awareness – but also from Ravenscroft’s experience of helping his father, who was receiving palliative care.

“He needed the convenience of bathroom facilities in his bedroom but in a discreet way that preserved his dignity,” Ravenscroft explained. “It was soon obvious that there was huge potential for a moveable toilet frame in the open market and I went on to work closely with award- winning international designer, Sebastian Conran, to perfect Hidealoo’s design.”

Designing the Hidealoo

The design is perhaps what’s most interesting about Hidealoo – because of the work that happened behind the scenes to created a toilet that can be folded down and hidden in a cupboard, or another small space.

“The Hidealoo frame can be used with any standard UK wall hung toilet and allows it to be moved through 90 degrees,” said Ravenscroft,

“Meaning it can be hidden inside a cabinet, cupboard or wall space when not in use.

“As well as creating more flexible use of space the frame provides an opportunity for additional toilets to be installed where adding a new bathroom may not otherwise be possible.”

When asked about design challenges, Ravenscroft said: “When people first come across Hidealoo they often have questions about how the system works. The answer is, we’ve spent many years engineering, perfecting, and testing every element – there are more than 100 parts working together in each frame.”

The key challenges, however, “were the flexible piping and the structure. The piping needed to be robust enough to last for many decades and be easily replaced. The frame structure needed to be capable of supporting a substantial amount of weight – with 400kg able to be supported on the toilet pan.”

In terms of challenges more generally speaking, changing people’s perception and way of thinking of what constitutes a bathroom has presented as one. “It lies in both introducing people to, and giving them confidence, in a completely new toilet concept. It can take a moment for people to ‘get’ it, but they soon have ideas and questions for how it might work in their own home.”

Highlights

Hidealoo, which was officially launched last year, is the proud owner of three awards. “Shipping out a Hidealoo to a customer in our fifteenth country was a special moment,” he said. “Further to that, hearing this comment from Kevin McCloud on Grand Designs was humbling: ‘people like Monty, pioneers are essential, without them there would be no progress.’”

Ravenscroft featured on Grand Designs, which documented him and his wife’s process in creating a space-conscious house.

There were several moving parts during this process, Ravenscroft shared: “With just a small plot of land to work with, we needed to get creative with all sorts of moving architectural elements that allowed us to make optimal use of the space we had available,” he explained. “This included a bed that slides away to reveal a bath underneath, a basin hidden in a drawer that pulls out from the wall, and a light fitting that doubles as a shower.”

They featured again in a 25th anniversary special of the Channel 4 show, and Ravenscroft was invited to co-host on another Channel 4 programme, this time with Zac Monroe, ‘Inside Out.’

“In each episode I focused on creating a new invention to solve a problem faced by a homeowner. Getting creative with space and engineering innovative solutions has always been my focus,” he added.

Looking ahead: what's next?

“Changing 400 years of history since John Harington invented the flush toilet for Elizabeth 1st is a challenge in itself,” said Ravenscroft. “But one day ‘built-in’ bathrooms with items such as toilets that fold out only when needed, could become the standard.”

Growth opportunities that Ravenscroft identified are looking at concept hotels, student accommodation, and camper vans. “There are more than 35 million toilets sold a year in Europe and North America, so in those markets alone there is a huge opportunity, let alone in Asia with greater space and population pressures.”

The plan for the company going forward includes working on relationships and the launch of its new cabinet package product. It goes to show, a combination of engineering expertise, innovation, and a savvy-space solution are always welcome.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Startups Magazine. Click here to subscribe