Customisable Grab Rails with Rails Direct

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know I have a thing about grab rails and how in general, they can be ugly.  I’ve talked before about my super toilet roll holder and some ideas that are grab rails disguised as some thing else.  I’m always looking for options to help disguise the disability where you can so we can all have beautiful stylish homes that don’t feel like a hospital.

With that in mind I was very excited to hear about a new business called Rails Direct Ltd and the work they’re doing to help make grab rails look cool.  Rails Direct started life in October 2017 (yes, they’re that new!) and are located in rural Wales.  They’ve already been nominated for an award and are building their business with sales across the country and internationally.

Rails Direct are striving to be customer led and I’m very pleased to be collaborating with them to help come up with products that their customers are looking for.  Their tagline is ‘Making Safety Stylish‘ which is exactly the kind of thing that my blog has aimed to do.

They make rails in any colour, any shape, any size.  You can customise the ends of the rails to match your design.  You can have glitter, non-slip and many colours to choose from!  If you have children, get a grab rail in their favourite colour, or you can match the colour to your design scheme. Their website has a handy ‘handrail builder‘ to allow you to order exactly what you want.  You can also purchase their products on ebay.

It’s not just grab rails, Rails Direct also build balustrades for gardens or balconies, bannisters, and all are customisable.

Photo Credit:Rails Direct Ltd

This gallery is just a sample of things you can have, and if there’s something you fancy but can’t see here, get in touch with them!  Also keep an eye on their Instagram page for updates and new designs/colours.  Next year they will be experimenting with different tube sizes should you want something smaller and more discreet.

Photo Credit:Rails Direct Ltd

The angled rail on the right of the gallery above is how my new rail looked before it was coated with the anti-slip covering.  Once the anti-slip is on it feels a little like sandpaper, but as this rail is outside and will get wet, it’s the right rail for us, as we all know how Mr Wheel Chic Home can slip on the slightest thing!

The rail is sturdy and fitted with the round ends (left in the picture above) and we’ve fitted it at the same height as the old rail we had outside the door.  Our builder who fitted it commented on how sturdy and heavy it was.  His exact words – “That’s a proper piece of kit” – praise indeed!

I think you’ll agree it’s a much more stylish rail than our old one, check out the before and after!

The new rail is more modern and stylish, I think you’ll agree, and the black non-slip coating perfectly matches the door.

 

I recently interviewed Abi Jenkins, the CEO of Rails Direct Ltd and she shared with me her motivation for the business:

Why did you start making handrails and grab rails?

Initially we were making them to supply a company that I used to work for, bog standard stainless steel handrails, however, once we were in the market and I started researching, it soon because apparent that:

a) handrails were really quite boring,

and

b) where people find themselves needing accessibility rails it seems that it is assumed that there interior design tastes are to go out of the window as there is literally a choice between shiny chrome and awful white plastic.

This was the real turning point for me as I could see that actually, as well as starting a company and working for myself I could do something that would improve people’s lives, we have since looked at a range of options, and now we are able to offer the glittery finish rails, coloured rails, free staining adjustable ones and anti slip ones.

We are also looking to develop the range further and to add different sizes of tube to the options and we will be displaying all of these options at the Naidex Trade Show in April, which we hope will propel the business into the next level!

What products do you offer?

Anything that anyone can think of that involves a rail. Whether that be a simple T-Bar grab rail (on the website) or something that is custom made to fit the entire way round a room or hallway, whatever our customer’s ideas are we will find a solution.

Why did you decide to take the customised product path?

Because I appreciate that people are unique and as a result their needs are unique. You can’t fit a square peg in a round hole, so instead I prefer to make round pegs 🙂

What plans do you have for the future of the business?

Hopefully to grow in the direction of customised rails, enabling people to have the support they need but in a stylish fashion!  We will be making some simple generic grab rails that we will hopefully be able to sell wholesale, which will then give us the bread and butter resources to be able to further our work on custom made pieces and bespoke design.

Disclaimer: This post was written in collaboration with Rails Direct Ltd.  The grab rail featured above was gifted to me by Rails Direct so that I would be able to see for myself the quality of their products.  I will only work with businesses and brands that I believe in.