concealed shower curtain

Interview With Lee Brown

When did you first come up with the idea of the Outasight?

About seven years ago - it only took an hour or so to work out how it would work but it has taken that long to develop, test and bring it to the marketplace.

What prompted you to come up with the idea in the first place?

I had just installed a new bathroom suite in my own house. I had spent ages making sure all the items would fit in perfectly with the look I was trying to achieve, but when it came to a shower screen or shower curtain I just couldn't find anything that I liked. Shower curtains were too "flouncy" and all of the shower screen designs had major drawbacks: single pane shower screens cut the room in half and made it feel smaller while the concertina type looked awful. So I decided to come up with a better solution, initially for myself. My father in law, who has a bathroom showroom, was impressed with my idea and thought it was an ideal solution to the problem of overbath showering. He persuaded me to take it further and get it patented. I had a great deal of help and support from Leeds University's technical department, especially with getting the prototype up and running, which was a huge bonus.

Do you have a background in bathrooms?

No, I was involved in shop-fitting. I would regularly be asked to come up with novel storage ideas for clients so that aspect of my background helped enormously when it came to formulating the actual design of the Outasight.

When did you first start marketing the Outasight?

It has been on sale for over a year now, preceded by a lot of hard work and effort to ensure the product was exactly right.

What was the most difficult part to get right?

The curtain, without a doubt. The rest of the Outasight is straightforward engineering, but we had to travel far and wide to get the materials to ensure it would do everything we required.

How do you see the product developing?

Once this version has established itself firmly in the UK bathroom market we will be looking at developing a version of the Outasight specifically for corner baths. We also plan to bring out a recessed version of the outasight as well as our own cleaning solution.

What is the best thing about being an inventor?

I suppose the sense of pride in making my idea a reality, and then getting such positive feedback from the thousands of people who have installed an Outasight in their homes.

And what are the downsides to inventing?

You really have to go through the mill to get a product patented. It costs a fortune and takes a lot of guts. Your stress levels go through the roof but I am glad I have come through it all successfully. I am also extremely grateful for the support of my family over the years - if they hadn't put their faith in me the product would never have got off the drawing board.

I don't know if I would go through it again - or recommend it to anyone else.

Do you have any other inventions?

No this is my first - and my last!

Other than the Outasight is there any other invention that you admire?

I think the Black and Decker workmate is probably my favourite. A very simple idea that has made my life easier on countless occasions.

Thank you Lee, and good luck.