Designing Taps
Some projects to illustrate the work and the processes used in the development of kitchen & bathroom products.
During my time in consultancy, I've had the opportunity to work on commercial bathroom products for companies like Armitage Vanesta and Cistermiser, domestic bathroom products for Ideal Standard and Bathroom Brands and kitchen and bathroom products, inhouse at Kingfisher. These products include, taps, hydro, and furniture all for a range of consumers from value to premium. Some of these projects are highlighted here.
As the first range of taps to be designed around historical periods, much of the research was around production methods and the aesthetics of the products throughout time. The process then follows a typical iterative process working with vendors in both China and Italy to create designs that met the period, cost and functional requiremnts set out by the Kitchens category.
Prior to the design of this range of kitchen taps, products where bought off the shelf from Chinese or Italian factories, directly as they were or with some minor changes. With a new design offer within the business, the head of the Kitchens category wanted to create a new range of taps which would inform customers of the intent to create a 'Stunning,' range of designer taps, unique to Kingfisher at an affordable price point. The designs for the taps drew inspiration from different style periods. These periods would form the basis for designs in other categories, so as the first project of this type within the business, the identification of styling cues for each of the periods needed to be something that could be transferred to different type of products as well as taps.
