Delta+Brizo Trip

Hi Friends! Wowzers, have I been busy lately. It's a great problem and I love it, but it gives me little time to sit down and add words and pictures to my little spec of the interwebs.

I am SO excited about this week's post, you guys. Last week, I had the pleasure of going on a trip to Indianapolis to the Delta+Brizo faucet manufacturing company. I was invited to go by my lovely and talented friend Amber with Ferguson Plumbing and Lighting. The trip was a blast, I had an amazing time and learned so much. They shared new products being released later this year and we got to share our input on conceptual products that are in the design process right now. It felt so amazing to have such an influential and groundbreaking company genuinely want to hear our input.

We were there for a full day sandwiched in between two half days, if that makes sense. Our first evening there we had cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for a welcoming reception, followed by a keynote speaker. At the welcome reception, we got our first peek at some of the new concepts being designed for both the Delta and Brizo lines. There were several really fascinating and innovative ideas, and since they aren't released to market yet, we had signed waivers and were not allowed to photograph any of those pieces, super bummer. But let me tell you, they were really gorgeous and got my design mojo-a-going. And that was just the beginning!

The second day was jam packed and well worth it. We had a business session where we heard from board members and the lead industrial designer for the companies. This part of the day was so inspiring and really set the tone for the rest of the day. We were walked through the design process, trend forecasting and how the design team plans out how they develop what style of product they want to put in the market, planning 5-10 years out! It was really cool to be walked through their process.

The next session of the day was a workshop focused around the Delta Brand and products. Here we learned a little more about the Touch2.0 technology that they have patented and implement in to most of their kitchen faucets as well as some of their bath lines. We also got a bit more of an in depth look into the new lines to be released, and let me tell you, I am in LOVE with the Zura collection they are launching. It is so clean and elegant. The pendant shower fixture is just gorgeous in person.

After a delicious lunch we went on to session two for the day, which focused on the Brizo brand and products. And here is where my jaw hit the floor.

The new line that will be coming out for the Brizo brand this year, Litze, is absolutely breath taking. The line was designed with so much intention, each element not only visually adds to the piece, but serves a specific function as well. I adore how much the Golden Ratio was taken into consideration in the design of this line. They are also adding a new finish with the debut of this line, Luxe Gold, and I couldn't be more thrilled about it. Let's just say, that all around, this line was hands down my favorite of the trip and still makes my heart swell.

Any trip wouldn't be complete without a fun night out, so Delta+Brizo pulled out all the stops and took the group downtown to the Indiana Roof Ballroom for a night of cocktails, fine food and naturally, dancing. So obviously I did what any gal being treated would do and got jazzed up and had a fabulous time (I am on the right).

The venue certainly did not disappoint. I was taking pictures like a crazy person, but since it was dark inside, not all of them came out well, so I will just share a few. I loved the architectural details that covered every inch of the building. It was stunning.

The last day there we attended a few more workshops and dove even further in to the fascinating technology Delta has developed and patented, namely their H20 Kinetic and Touch 2.0 technologies.

They had side by side comparisons of the touch technology that Delta implements in nearly all of their faucets against both Kohler and Moen. And while the other two companies make a nice product, there are certainly several advantages to the product Delta has developed.

There was also a side by side comparison of a standard shower head that utilizes air induction to provide water pressure, the standard Delta continuous stream shower head and the H20 Kinetic shower spray. The developed a specific chip, that is inside of each hole in the shower head that throws the water out in a spiral pattern, represented in the image above if you look closely and in the videos below. This pattern creates larger water droplets that retain heat longer, increases the spread of the water, giving better coverage and makes it feel as though you are using more water than you actually are. It was really fascinating to learn about and then literally feel the difference.

In this video, she is shining a strobe light on the shower streams to highlight how the water is coming out of the faucets. On the left, you have the standard air induction shower head, with the streams looking a little softer and almost cloudy. This is a result of the water droplets being pushed out by air sucked in from the room which spreads them apart, makes them smaller and makes them cool faster. The center shower head is the Delta standard continuous stream shower head, and you can see a difference in the stream between the two. The continuous stream looks like it has more pressure as the streams are more clearly defined than the first shower head. And on the far right is a shower head with the H20 Kinetic chip behind each of the holes. Admittedly, it appears as though there is less water coming out, which is in part a visual cue, due to fewer holes on the shower head. But when she shines the strobe on the streams, you can see the water spiraling out of the holes, creating a wider spread with fatter droplets that maintain their heat longer. It really is fascinating.

Both of the shower heads shown here, on the right and the left exhibit H20 Kinetic. In the center, is the cool part. They created a super large version of the chip that goes into the shower heads, so that you can see how the water flows through, creating the signature stream. So cool.

After we did the final two educational sessions, we had a brief run through the design studio which was beyond inspiring, followed by an executive Q+A session with influential members of the company. Another delicious meal wrapped up our trip and we were on our way to the airport to head home from the beautiful water dream land the trip had been.

I know that my job and design nerd is showing in this post and I don't blame you guys one bit for chortling at my expense. It is extremely safe to say that I had a design semi during this entire trip and I loved every minute of it. I feel absolutely honored to have been a part of the experience and to have met such an inspired design team. I only hope to be able to experience such an event again in the future.

Have a great Thursday

Later Gaters,

- D