Talking Shop

Judd Lord, Director of Industrial Design for Brizo and Delta Faucet brands, recently answered a few questions for 'Talking Shop', a recurring feature at KBCULTURE.

As a designer, my greatest responsibility is...
To interpret unmet needs and to influence, in a positive and responsible way, people's everyday lives through the objects I design.

An industry trend I'm watching is...
There are several. One is 'mass customization'—an oxymoron, to be sure, but it's the best way I've come up with to describe how mass-production manufacturers are providing consumers choices that are tailored to their personal tastes; that is, allowing a customer to customize a product aesthetically and/or functionally so it suits their wants and needs. It plays off people's innate desire for change and innovation. And it's heavily reliant on ever-improving manufacturing methods and creative uses of materials; a process newer generations are going to expect.

Another issue is aging in place. Architectural spaces and the objects that 'inhabit' them have to allow us to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Design done correctly is beneficial to all, whether you're 5 or 95 years old.

Finally, water conservation is important. As stewards in the dispensing of this most precious commodity, there is growing attention being paid by us and the industry as a whole to its more efficient use. For example, the flow rate for all our lavs has been dialed back from the industry standard of 2.5 gallons per minute to 1.5 GPM. We've also invested a tremendous amount of R&D resources into our shower technologies, to enhance the bather's experience while using much less water.

The best part of my job is...
Working with a talented team in the reinterpretation of mundane, everyday objects in such a way that it makes end users rethink a product's importance and the benefits it's brought into their lives.

In Hot [Pink] Water

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, I thought we'd share the love at KBCULTURE this week by featuring some items and environments that celebrate amour.

Were the Kouple tub rendered in any hue other than a flaming fuschia, it would be just another sculptural soaker. As its designer, Karim Rashid, is partial to the more extreme reaches of the color wheel, though, there's little risk of that happening. Time to pass the bubble bath. saturn.co.kr

Clean Machine

The name of this 1968 dishwasher perplexes me. 'Fliptop', of course, is self-explanatory; I'm on board with that descriptor. But what about 'Dishmobile'? There's no indication this is a portable appliance.

Nonetheless, I'm happy to see the model isn't put off by this fussy contradiction. She's obviously tickled pink by the 'Jack-in-the-box racks' that pop up when the lid is opened. For my part, I love how the color of the type coordinates with the stripes of her minidress. Ah, the mysteries of marketing.

Looking Glass

In her hand-crafted tiles, Ellen Blakeley combines broken tempered glass with materials ranging from metallic foils to fabric; often, the grout is meticulously multi-colored. This example is called Spring Leaf. But on this February day, with a snow storm coming in, I see this tile in a different light: The foliage is embedded in a layer of ice, like leaves frozen into the surface of a pond. ellenblakeley.com

A Pivotal Point

My apologies to lefties—as in -handed, not the political slant—in advance. The control lever of the Farca swings sideways, which allows the faucet to keep an unobtrusively low profile. The design, by Ezequiel Farca, displays a quiet, contemporary elegance; I like the circular top-tip of the hinge. stanza.com.mx

Full Circle

A steel cable laces through the sides of the Bucatini sink, prompting the empiricist in me to muse about leaks. Of course, it's double-walled and water-tight—but I appreciate any design that forces a second look, and causes reflection rather than simple reaction. And this basin gets a bonus point for wittiness: Bucatini is a long, tube-like pasta. agapedesign.it

In the Hot Seat

While it's named after the sweat lodges of the Lakota Native Americans, the Inipi sauna bears no physical resemblance to those prairie huts. Light and contemporary, it pleasingly departs from the Scandinavian wooden-cabin school, as well. There are five pre-programmed environmental scenarios, each offering different climate conditions, soundtracks and lighting designs. And it's smartly engineered to accommodate a shower module. duravit.com