Drummonds, the designer and manufacturer of luxury bathroom products, has introduced their newest vanity collection — Thames.
Thames is an adaptation of their original Hebdern design, with a useful shelf added for storing towels or baskets of toiletries. This elegant Art Deco-style vanity features solid brass legs and striking marble paneling, showcasing the craftsmanship and use of luxurious natural materials that defines Drummonds’ bathroom collections.
Drummonds’ traditional manufacturing processes bring a special quality to their classic bathroomware. The Art Deco-inspired Thames vanity combines the beauty of a hand-poured China clay basin with a finely detailed brass frame, faucets cast in the lost wax process and marble that has been cut and finished by hand.
With a choice of either a single or a double vanity, Thames is available in Unlacquered Brass, Polished Chrome, Polished Nickel or Antique Nickel, Brass or Bronze with three different marble options: White Arabescato, Atlantic Grey and Black Marquina. The integral shelf is perfect for storing additional toiletries.
Photos courtesy of Drummonds
Gold and brass are the hottest finishes in interiors right now, and California Faucets is leading this modern day gold rush with its culinary kitchen faucets.
California Faucets offers designers and homeowners alike a new ingredient when it comes to personalizing their kitchen design. Among the array of customizable faucet options designed to let you express your inner chef is a wide spectrum of on-trend gold and brass finishes. In fact, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA), shades of gold and brass are the hottest finishes in today’s kitchens and baths.
“Traditionally, silver and gray-toned faucet finishes have dominated the kitchen and bath landscape. But over the past year or so, we’ve noticed a definite increase in gold and brass finishes,” explains Noah Taft, senior vice president of marketing and sales. “Rich gold tones infuse the kitchen with the look of luxury, while brass tones allow you to capture a more ‘industrial’ or ‘steampunk,’ vibe.”
With a vision for the reemergence of this classic finish, California Faucets offers one of the largest varieties of premium gold and brass finishes available on the market. While gold tones such as Lifetime Gold, French Gold, and Lifetime Polished Gold offer a sense of glamour, brass finishes like Satin Brass, Satin Bronze, and Polished Brass are less about “bling” and more about subtle beauty. These artisan finishes, produced by hand at the company’s Huntington Beach, California factory, allow consumers to venture outside their chrome and nickel comfort zones and experiment with an alternate decorative color spectrum.
In addition to the streamlined Culinary faucets, which offer an industry-first ability to color the outer spring in one of over 13 PVD finishes, there are four additional pull-down kitchen faucets series available in the company’s distinctive shades of gold and brass. These include the traditional Davoli Series, the curvy Rosolina Series, and the minimalist Poetto Series.
Plus with the coordinating sink accessories in matching finishes that come with each series, there’s no guesswork when it comes to creating a perfectly harmonized sink ensemble.
Special finishes for the Culinary Kitchen faucets, which include Satin Brass and Polished Brass, start at $1,223. Premium finishes such as Satin Bronze, Lifetime Satin Gold, Lifetime Polished Gold, and French Gold retail for $1,553. Special finishes for Pull-Down Kitchen faucets start at $1,094.
Beyond gold hues, the Corsano and all of the company’s kitchen faucets are available in a selection of more than 30 artisan finishes, including 15 PVD finishes with a lifetime guarantee against tarnishing. For a list of California Faucets Select Dealers nationwide, visit CaliforniaFaucets.com.
The new Leawood tap and shower collection is designed by Martin Brudnizki for Drummonds as part of an ongoing collaboration producing inspirational bathroomware and accessories. The name behind many famous interiors, Martin Brudnizki and his And Objects studio are famously focused on the ergonomics of how products are used, designing pieces that are as practical as they are beautiful.
This attention to detail shines through every aspect of the Leawood collection. The hallmark flattened end on the lever controls was derived from careful observation of how tools were developed to comfortably fit the human hand. The forms were specifically designed to make the most of the centuries-old lost-wax process that Drummonds has always used to manufacture its brassware. Drummonds’ craftsmen worked closely with Martin Brudnizki’s team to finesse every element, from initial sketches to the finished products, with their strong, simple aesthetic. This modern brassware is, literally, a work of art.
Available in polished brass, polished chrome and polished nickel, the Leawood tap and shower collection pulls off the feat of being as much at home in a stark, minimal bathroom as in a traditional setting. This echoes the classic contemporary philosophy that runs through all of Drummonds’ products. The collection is comprised of a floor standing bath and shower mixer, shower controls, wall mounted and deck mounted basin taps.
It’s no secret that Italy — home to many admired artists, designers and architects — has produced a range of beautiful artistry. So it’s no surprise that today’s Italian-crafted furniture continues to bring unique elements to any home, from bathroom to kitchen to outdoor living areas.
By Alyssa Gautieri
Machinne Volanti
Designed by Italian artist Piero Fornasetti, these hand-painted tile designs feature bright and whimsical patterns like balloons, planes and ships. Inspired by the frescoes that Fornasetti painted as a young man in his bedroom, Hastings Tile & Bath’s Machinne Volanti is reflective of Italian artistry. “We work very hard to find artisans and manufacturers whose products are unique — and unlike anything else you would find here in North America,” said Kevin Mashia, the director of tile products for Hastings Tile & Bath. “We certainly feel that the Fornasetti collection of tiles is the perfect embodiment of our continued mission.”
Photo courtesy of Hastings Tile & Bath
Gloss Black Appliances
ILVE is embracing the re-emerging kitchen design trend — black appliances and finishes — with its new Gloss Black color option available in the Majestic Collection of ranges and hoods. Known for its handcrafted Italian appliances, ILVE’s Gloss Black finish continues to bring luxury to life. “The Gloss Black finish is so rich, it adds a layer of elegance, drama and sophistication to the kitchen,” said Melissa Haber, director of sales and marketing for EuroChef USA. With more than 220 colors, three trim options and four leg options, this collection is truly customizable.
Photo courtesy of ILVE Appliances
Hexa Stools
Twentieth presents Lebello’s Italian-crafted Hexa Stools, which are available in a range of hexagonal shapes and colors, as well as three sizes and two heights. While they bring life to outdoor areas, these stools also use a knit-tech fabric and Breath-Air foam to provide extraordinary outdoor softness and elasticity. Twentieth’s Founder and Director Stefan Lawrence called the sophistication of the fabric an “incredible advantage.” “The stools may look ordinary from a distance, but the uniqueness lies in its knit-tech fabric,” agreed Lars Dahmann, Lebello’s founder and brand manager. “I find the product very striking. It’s a harmonious balance of innovative materials with a simple design approach.”
Photo courtesy of Lebello
This story originally appeared in Unique Homes Summer 2017.
Click here to see the digital version.
Hastings Tile & Bath adds 3 exclusive designs from Ceramica Bardelli to their New York showroom.
“We’ve had a relationship with the Ceramica Bardelli company for years, since the 1970s,” said Kevin Mashia, director of tile products at Hastings Tile & Bath. “We appreciate their ability to stand apart from other tile manufacturers by collaborating with world renowned designers like Fornasetti, Wanders and Dawson. They’ve done more to elevate design in tiles than almost any other brand and we are all so pleased to be introducing these collections to our customers.”
Designers worldwide are familiar with one of their most classic collaborators: Piero Fornasetti, whose Machinne Volanti series is again being offered exclusively through Hastings Tile & Bath’s showroom. However, Hasting is unveiling three new collections, comprised of two new designs by Marcel Wanders and one from Robert Dawson.
SOFIA and EVE
Wanders’ two collections, SOFIA and EVE, are each a collection of interior floor and wall, rectified, hand-painted porcelain tiles. SOFIA is available in five color varieties with a matte finish. The designs are created with a laser-engraved silicone roller press, ensuring that no two tiles are exactly alike. The EVE collection is produced using double firing techniques and hand painting on a matte background. The decorations are available in five color variations and as a solid color.
SOFIA
EVE
ARIANNA ORO
Robert Dawson designed the third collection, the ARIANNA ORO. The ARIANNA ORO includes a collection of double-fired wall tiles including 12 mixed patterns and four single patterns made with a precious pure gold silkscreen print on a background of matte white, glossy white or glossy black. All the patterns can be freely rotated and randomly combined, or arranged on the basis of an intentional sequence, permitting countless different laying solutions.
TANGRAM
Hastings also introduced the TANGRAM collection, which was designed by Atelier Bardelli, a designer for Ceramica Bardelli. The Atelier brand represents the vast wealth of culture, knowledge and manufacturing expertise of Ceramica Bardelli. The collection involves the random mixing and matching of geometric shapes that unexpectedly slash and punctuate the space.
All of these collections and more can be seen at the Hastings Tile & Bath showroom in the A&D building in New York City.
Photos courtesy of Hastings Tile & Bath
Infini, a new luxury bath collection, marks the first collaboration between THG-Paris and Haviland, a Limoges porcelain manufacturer.
As the leading French atelier for the luxury bath, THG-Paris‘ new collection combines exquisite detail with timeless design. THG-Paris and Haviland’s designers re-imagined the classic Infini pattern to create this one-of-a-kind collection, which is hand-engraved and delicately hand-painted by French artisans.
Haviland, known worldwide for its porcelain tableware, has been a leading porcelain manufacturer since 1842, and has been designed for presidents including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.
“It is our great privilege to work with Haviland,” said Pedro Uranga, North American director for THG-Paris. “The brand has long been synonymous with quality and refinement, designing for presidents and royalty since the 19th century. Like THG, Haviland is dedicated to the highest level of craft and artistry. Our collaboration has produced something we can both be proud of.”
Infini is offered in various configurations for basins, matching bath tub and shower systems as well as a range of matching accessories. The collection is offered in different finishes, including white, gold and platinum.
Photos courtesy THG-Paris
The luxury bathroom brand Maison Valentina has recently released The Newton Collection onto the luxury market, a futuristic take on simple bath features that are made to be extraordinary.
All photos courtesy of Maison Valentina.
Born through a partnership between Maison Valentina and its sister brand Boca do Lobo, The Newton Collection aims to bring a sense of uniqueness to a space as universal as a bathroom, according to the collection’s designer Joaquim Paulo.
The Newton Collection, or “family” as Paulo sometimes refers to it, consists of a few striking bath pieces, particularly the bathtub, washbasin and freestanding washbasin, which are covered in clusters of black and golden spheres which resemble bubbles floating in a soaking bath. And though all the pieces are vital to the collection, “everything started with the bathtub and only after arriving to final drawing of it we started to develop the other pieces of the family,” according to Paulo. The designer does give credit to the washbasins as well, calling each a “standout piece of international desire that distinguishes itself from all the other designs by its futuristic forms.”
The designs are meant to be futuristic in nature with their overall color scheme focusing on dark colors with bright gold accents, to add a tranquil, elegant or dynamic atmosphere. Paulo says these choices fit well with the goal of the collection, which was to not only bring a luxury touch to every bathroom, but to go beyond and help clients create a unique home experience through the materials.
“Nowadays, bathrooms are seen more and more as a premium area in a house, hotel, bar or restaurant, so we believed that we needed to bring a touch of luxury and exclusivity to these areas,” he says.
The collection took four months to develop from the first sketch to the final product, according to Paulo, a process which took a lot of examination and preparation before coming to fruition. “We studied the luxury market, our competitors, and we identified the needs for these kinds of products,” says Paulo. The designer also gives much credit to the other designers from Boca do Lobo, whose expertise was key to creating such marvelous pieces.
Overall, all of the pieces in the Newton Collection standout and distinguish themselves from all other designs. “Newton is an outstanding moment of inspiration — a luxury statement piece created in order to fulfill the needs of our clients that are looking for the best in contemporary furniture design mixed up with luxurious details and high-quality materials,” says Paulo.
Pricing:
Newton Bathtub – $21,210
Newton Freestand – $11,355
Newton Washbasin – $15,955
Top photo washbasin, bottom photo freestanding washbasin.
Bespoke British bath maker opens first U.S. showroom.
By Samantha Myers
The Copper Tay: Wrapped in sheets of pure copper, The Copper Tay bathtub is the perfect picture of bathroom luxury.
While renovating his U.K. home, Drummond Shaw couldn’t find the classic, quality pieces he desired. Focused on preserving and restoring artifacts, from flooring to stones, he began his own architectural salvage business. His further passion for bathrooms — coupled with his difficulty finding bathroom antiques with suitable plumbing — inspired him to found Drummonds in 1988, now a leading manufacturer and distributer of high-end, classic bathrooms.
Fast-forward to May 2016, and Drummonds has just opened its first showroom in the U.S., ready to bring its in-demand pieces from the U.K. to the states. Director of Sales & Marketing James Lentaigne has been in the business for 10 years, working on turning the company’s past as part of a disappearing artisan trade into a definitive luxury bathroom brand. “We manufacture timeless bathrooms that are classic and made to look good now, and over the years as well, when fashions and trends move out.”
Although best known for cast-iron bathtubs, the company brings luxury to the entire bathroom suite, providing a distinctive range of stunning handmade and hand-finished products and bespoke services. With two showrooms already in London, its first American showroom is in the D&D Building at Lapicida in New York City, and operates, like the others, similarly to an art gallery, highlighting individual products or suites. “Our showrooms give hints to room settings, and help guide and give inspiration, but don’t set the tone completely,” says Lentaigne.
The showrooms demonstrate how applicable Drummonds’ classic aesthetic is to a variety of styles. “We try not to bracket products in historical time periods, because they are truly timeless. With subtle dressing, it can change the look of a room. The pieces are adaptable, and the showrooms allow customers to see that.”
Lentaigne hopes to bring the attention to bathrooms and bathroom pieces that other rooms of the house and furniture have received. “Interestingly, in recent years, the focus has grown from the kitchen to the bathroom. People have the ability to design a spa or a sanctuary in the home out of these products on the market,” says Lentaigne.
Drummonds’ products are a result of absolute hand-manufacturing, occurring in three core areas — iron, brass and copper — which allows it to not only produce unrivaled pieces with stunning detail, but also to fully meet customers’ desires. “Customers come to us because we are bespoke manufactures, and they’ve seen our small range of products and want to select them for custom-finishing. We can paint our products any color, we can hand polish, wrap copper or bronze on the baths, make them freestanding or not.”
While the company intends to remain focused on bathrooms, some of its products, such as lighting and fittings, offer slight adaptability for other rooms. But, according to Lentaigne, “The truth is we are a bathroom company. We don’t want to bring out a lot of new products, but we want to refine our trade in-house and grow.”
From castles in Scotland, to hotels in Ireland, to palaces in the Middle East, demand for Drummonds’ is steadily growing worldwide. Although expanding its distribution is important, Lentaigne outlines the ultimate priority — materializing the quality of timelessness. “We want our bathrooms to outlast us, and to truly outstand the test of time.”
All photos courtesy Drummonds UK.