Water World
Get the faucet you never knew you always wanted
Story time: Today’s faucets come complete with creation stories. Some mimic nature, others provide an homage to the past. Above, the Fan faucet suggests the elegant shape of a geisha’s fan. Image courtesy of Sustainable Solutions International
No longer satisfied with a straightforward description of a full or half bath, today’s savvy homeowners pay attention to the particulars. As design details take center stage, the spotlight shines on simple shapes. Modern and minimalist have replaced classical and ornate as inspirations for the bathroom faucet.
Never one to be impressed with plumbing in the past, Kathy Gillespie, Albany, N.Y., says her local hair salon’s recent restroom renovation transformed her expectations for a hand-washing experience. “I had never seen such a faucet before,” she says. “The top was exposed. The water flowed out like a stream. It was fascinating.” Sara Maduscha, senior product manager of bath and faucets for Kohler Co., Kohler, Wis., isn’t surprised by the salon’s shift or Gillespie’s enchantment.
“Water is soothing, and today’s faucets bring a peace and tranquility to the user by incorporating water delivery into their design,” she says. According to Maduscha, as new technology delivers a wider array of aerators (the part of the faucet that controls the way water releases from the spout), faucet designers now aspire to be contemporary artists working with a liquid medium. Kohler’s Margaux line produces a laminar flow, or a solid stream of water. “The water looks natural and pure when it comes out of the faucet head,” she says.
Nature’s imprint also can be found on the Fluid line from Sustainable Solutions International, Burnaby, British Columbia. “Our design inspiration comes from architecture and the environment. Born from images taken by photographers and artists, our faucets tell a story for consumers,” says Glenn Sheargold, company president. Fluid’s Fan faucet, which retails at $595, represents the ancient accessory of a Japanese geisha, while the Sublime line resembles a rainbow.
The movement to bring the outside in was inevitable, says Russ Wheeler, president of Hansgrohe’s North American division, based in Alpharetta, Ga. “If you look at the evolution of faucet design, everything started off elaborate and complex, then moved to the opposite extreme of hard and bare. Finally, today, you see a blending of both styles with flat surfaces, smooth curves and sculpted pieces.” With the modernization of faucet styles has come greater functionality.
“The whole industry has gone to using levers. No one designs with knobs anymore,” says Gray Uhl, director of design for American Standard, Piscataway, N.J.
As consumers have grown to view bathrooms as destinations for indulgence, a place to shut out the world, they have embraced designs that are more contemporary and global in feel.
“People want bathrooms to be sanctuaries for peace and quiet,” Maduscha says.
“The bathroom is the No. 1 place in the home [where women] go to find quiet and to escape,” Uhl says.
Clean, fluid fixtures without heavy details create the calm that consumers crave. “Our PuraVida line is designed to create the appearance of one complete, cohesive look,” Wheeler says. “Instead of just placing it on top of a sink, the faucet becomes one with the rest of the bathroom. This pulled-together design makes users feel tranquil and comfortable.”
Maduscha finds that consumers interested in upgrading a bathroom are more confident when it comes to purchasing plumbing parts. “ They have done their own research, seen the different styles and are comfortable purchasing a more contemporary product,” Maduscha says.
Sheargold believes contemporary faucet designs possess staying power.
“A modern bathroom stands the test of time ... A contemporary bathroom works well in a traditionally decorated home,” he says. Classic hotels that upgrade outmoded bathrooms are a prime example of the power and adaptability of contemporary design, he says, proving that it can augment and not undermine old-school charm. The lesson is not lost on guests such as Kathy Gillespie in her New York salon. “People ... return home saying, I want that for my bathroom,” Sheargold says.
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