Bathroom Makeover: Shinola & Waterworks Team Up For Custom Bath Fittings Collection
“It was truly organic. There was a shared excitement about the Waterworks brand, the Shinola brand and the vision we both share,” said Peter Sallick, CEO and Creative Director of Waterworks. “An initial relationship just led to ongoing discussions about what could be and the hotel became a great way for ideas to come to life.”
Waterworks, a Connecticut-based company known for delivering impeccable style and artisanal quality craftsmanship to bathrooms and kitchens around the world, became the perfect partner to create custom fixtures for the Shinola Hotel in downtown Detroit.
SHOP THE WATERWORKS X SHINOLA COLLECTION
The decades-old company wove iconic Shinola elements into its already beautiful, industrial-style Ludlow fittings and wall-mounted accessories.
“We worked closely with the Waterworks design team to incorporate subtle Shinola details into the product,” said Daniel Caudill, Creative Director at Shinola. “We looked to our classic Runwell watch design and used the caseback shape and details as inspiration. Specifically, the badge shape and the tiny screws on the backside of the case, which you can see on the round escutcheon.”
In addition to the custom bathroom fittings, Waterworks created four custom shades of its handmade Cottage ceramic tile for the Shinola Hotel.
“From a design perspective, this is the most evolved collaboration that Waterworks has ever done,” said Sallick. “We’ve created custom colors and finishes for clients since 2002, but there has never been an instance in which we’ve taken a brand’s own product DNA and tried to weave it into our product as specifically and extensively as we have here.”
The partnership worked so well and the bathrooms turned out so beautifully that both companies decided to find a way to extend the products to the public.
“Waterworks has built a pretty extraordinary track record creating customized products for many of the hospitality industry’s most exciting and sophisticated properties around the world,” said Sallick.“This venture with Shinola marks the first time a Waterworks custom hotel design has been added to our product offering as a limited special edition.”
The two innovative American brands, which both share a commitment to the highest standards for design and craftsmanship, are excited to launch these exclusive styles to the public.
“The collection embodies the Shinola look, while delivering the world-class craftsmanship as promised by Waterworks. This particular collaboration is exciting for us in that consumers can really make a piece of the Shinola Hotel a part of their home design,” said Caudill.
The new Waterworks Studio Ludlow Shinola Edition collection includes a bathroom faucet, robe hook, towel bar, paper holders, hand shower on hook, tub filler and volume & thermostatic control valves.
The Cottage Shinola Edition ceramic tile includes the following custom shades: Matte White, Shinola Blue, Shinola Brown and Shinola Green.
“Because the hotel is so distinctive in its design, I think the tile will also capture people’s imagination,” said Sallick. “The way the color is used and the tile is installed is very specific. It’s a fresh, inspiring design concept that people can now bring into their own homes, and so much of it is in the very fine details and the execution. Shinola products are all about meticulous craftsmanship and these offerings are as well.”
Select Shinola stores feature displays of the new collection, and the products are available for purchase on waterworks.com/shinola.
