Hospitality Design - July 2016 - 20

advertorial

Q&A

with

judd lord
senior director of industrial design,
delta faucet company

How has technology changed the way
you develop products?

Ninety percent of the time, we're still starting
off with pencil and paper. But tablets, modeling
software and 3D printers have changed how
quickly we can get through the process.
When you're not carving stuff by hand, you're
able to experiment much more quickly. You're
getting ideas out as fast as you can-building
them three-dimensionally within the computer,
then using that database to create and revise
prototypes with incredibly quick turnaround.

What current trends are you keeping
your eye on?

Two overarching trends have had a broad reach
for the last five or so years. Industrial chic is a very
welcoming, laid-back trend. It's a celebration of
how objects are put together. Open loft floor plans,
exposed beams, concrete, sheet metal-there's not
a lot of formality about it.
The other influential trend has been the MidCentury Modern movement, with fun colors
and organic shapes juxtaposed against crisper,
minimalistic lines and harder edges.
As a nation, our increasing acceptance of
the clean northern European aesthetic has
been driving us from the traditional toward the
contemporary. We're moving to the transitional
middle of the spectrum.

How is being environmentally friendly
changing the way you design products?

The Artesso Kitchen Collection

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July 2016 hospitalitydesign.com

Obviously, our product line revolves around water.
And we're having to figure out technologies that
maintain or actually improve the user experience
while using less water. H2Okinetic® Technology
was a successful attempt at doing that.
Government regulations have encouraged
builders to earn certifications for being ecofriendly. And having smart solutions such as
H2Okinetic® Technology gives us a leg up. The
builder can swap their showerheads out, meet
their certification in spades-and end users won't
even realize less water is being used. All they'll
know is that they're getting a great-feeling shower.

The Zura™ Bath Collection

What is your company's philosophy?

As an overall entity, we hang our hat on
innovation and technology. We do a lot of research
on how people use water in their homes, and
our innovations flow from the insights we get
from that research. Ultimately, we want water to
transform how users feel throughout their days.

What do you look for in a good
partnership?

From a studio perspective, we work as a total unit
with our marketing group and our engineering
group. That triad forms the foundation of how all
our products get created, researched, and made.
We're the head of the spear. We'll get to a
certain point in our design, then pull in our
brethren to provide feedback. There's a lot of great
back and forth. And our engineering department
is phenomenal at maintaining designs.

What's one thing people probably don't
know about your company?

Historically, Delta Faucet Company has earned
a reputation as a quality-driven, dependable
manufacturer. But we have a tremendous
aesthetic portfolio to go with that longevity. In the
last five years, every product suite we've launched
has been on the contemporary to modern end of
the spectrum. Being the head of design, I may
be biased-but I don't think people realize
what a cool, interesting portfolio of products
we actually have.
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - July 2016

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