Judd Lord has always been interested in product design and its application in everyday objects. As the Senior Director of Industrial Design at Delta Faucet Company, Judd spends his days working with a team to gather inspiration from around the world to help shape the company’s bathroom and kitchen collections.
Delta recently released its 2016 interior design forecast, which takes into account insights from different cultures, architecture and industry developments. The leading trends in 2016 – Delicate Victorian, Reclaimed Rustic, Colorful Contemporary and Jeweled Luxury – will fuel Delta design this year. We talked to Judd to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Delta design process and what’s trending.
How do these trends fit into overall design style?
Our team breaks design up into five style categories: stately, traditional, casual, contemporary and modern. These are the terms people often use to describe the world around them. These categories never go away, but what does change are the patterns, colors, textures, finishes and forms within them. These are the trends—what I like to think of as the added flavor within each.
Where does the Delta Industrial Design Team find inspiration?
Our team travels a lot, attending events and seeking out inspiration. Often times, the events are not about plumbing products but rather fashion, furniture or even automotive. They give us a sense of what other industries are doing and trends to track.
In the last year we made trips to Dubai, Shanghai, Vienna, New York and London. One city doesn’t usually define one trend, but we find interesting elements and details present in multiple locations to feed into the overall design forecast.
How do these trends impact what consumers find in-store?
The trend report acts as a palette to work from and helps dictate what we want to bring to market. Some of the fine details we see during our travels may turn into a cool feature on a handle or soap dispenser. These things trigger our interest and inspire a design sketch, a computer development or a new way to look at the lines we’re developing.
For example, the Merge faucet shows hints of the “jeweled luxury” style. Touting a trend-forward design with its unique profile and faceted spout and handles, the new bath offering features a luxurious split finish of matte black and brushed nickel further highlighting its sophisticated silhouette. Our new products capture the essence of these trends, but we don’t want to design something so over-the-top that you’ll be sick of it in three years.
Has there been a shift in the styles consumers tend to gravitate towards?
We are seeing a lot of kitchens and baths move into the contemporary space. People are changing how they classify their style. Years ago, Victorian was considered casual and traditional to consumers, but contemporary has taken its place. Contemporary is a little bit cleaner and uses a little less ornamentation, but the forms themselves are still visually interesting.
How often are homeowners renovating their kitchen or bathroom space?
Typically, serial remodelers update a bathroom every 5-7 years; it’s probably a longer time period for a kitchen. It’s not like the past where you do your bathroom and leave it for 20 years. People are much more apt to change things. We want to give them designs that are on-trend, but something they want to keep for the next few years.
Interested in bringing these trends into your home? Judd gave us his personal picks of faucets you can find at Home Depot that convey each aesthetic:
Delicate Victorian:
Reclaimed Rustic:
Jeweled Luxury:
Colorful Contemporary:
