Jan 11 2006
Some say it resembles a swan. Most find it gracious and delicate, like a tulip awakening slowly on a spring morning.
Appropriately named, Organic™ was designed to provoke thoughts and connect the interior world of upscale homes with the elements of nature. Functional by design, Organic is also part of every day life. To deliver water to your home. To cleanse your face and hands. Most of all, to offer a user experience of relaxation, contemplation, and transition.
When the ShowHouse by Moen creative team set out to design a new powder room faucet and accessory collection almost two years ago, they began with two concepts. Nature and organic.
With this open direction, they held a lengthy creative session that included a “sketch fest.”
In a moment of inspiration, Moen senior designer Chris Gilbert conceived his original Organic design that is now showcased in upscale homes across the nation.
“I imagined creating a design that was interpretive and not literal. I found inspiration in many forms — both natural and man-made. I studied images from the organic movement. Images from the 1950s and 60s. I looked at rocks and stones, flowers and leaves, and many other forms in nature,” said Gilbert.
As design is often an evolutionary process, the original sketch did not have ShowHouse’s signature Organic asymmetrical spout. The asymmetrical element was added later when the design team discovered it would need to make adjustments to the spout to ensure the water would fall correctly and elegantly out of the lip. The team took the design back to the drawing board and found that by curving the spout, they could solve the water flow dilemma and, more importantly, enhance the overall design.
The finished Organic Collection offers an unusual focal point for upscale powder rooms. The actual faucet spout emerges as though from a forest bed in an almost lifelike stance with graceful, understated curves. The central lift rod resembles a flower in new growth; the handles are shaped like leaves curving sharply against a strong breeze; and at the base of the faucet and handles, intricate details call out flowing blades of grass.
What’s more, the Organic Collection features carefully coordinated bath accessories that present with the same lifelike characteristics. A leaf-shaped tank lever and drawer pulls, a coordinating towel bar, a graceful open-style towel ring, matching a towel bar and paper holder complete the unusual powder room collection.
“Typically, powder rooms are one of the first rooms that guests experience. Because of their immediate visibility, powder rooms are the ideal spot for homeowners to make a personalized design statement. Even better, they can do so on a relatively small budget,” emphasizes Jennifer Rowell, ShowHouse brand manager.