Design in the detail: bespoke tapware and bathroom fittings

The majority of kitchen and bathroom tapware is made in offshore mass production facilities. While these mass produced pieces have their merits, they cannot be altered or created in a bespoke manner for a one-off project. It’s this issue that has been the recent focus of high-end supplier In Residence.

For In Residence, bespoke and customisable pieces have become a central and defining part of their business. In Residence works exclusively with luxury English designers and manufacturers, who are family run businesses that produce their own products. 

“It is the relationships we have developed with our manufacturers that has allowed us to offer customisable products to the design community,” In Residence’s Stephan Marshall says. 

This extends to spout options and allowing for three different levels of reach. “You might have a very narrow basin, for example, which would require a longer spout. We are the only supplier of tapware in the world that is able to offer a spout made to a specific length.”

Completely bespoke designs are also achievable. This can mean choosing different fittings from taps across In Residence’s range to create a new product or having a tap made to a bespoke design. 

“We are the only tapware company in the world that can do this. It’s a very unique point of difference for us and we’re seeing more and more people coming to us to achieve bespoke options,” Stephan says. 

Some of In Residence’s other products are made to order, including basin stands and heated towel rails, which means these are all customisable also.

With the heated towel rails, the designer can choose from a range of fittings or finishes to make their own product, or a bespoke product can be ordered and manufactured. A vanity basin stand can be designed entirely from scratch, to accommodate drawers, a shelf and different feet styles.

“We believe design is in the detail, and it’s only with these manufacturers who make the products themselves that this can be achieved, as opposed to mass-produced products where the detail can be lost in the process.”

Because each product is carefully manufactured by the companies that designed them, they have an inherent durability – something more of the market is investing in today. “While people are investing more in these high-end products, they’re doing so consciously because they have a level of expectation that the tapware and accessories will last the lifetime of the kitchen or bathroom. They expect that no issues will arise in that period.”

That level of longevity is achieved because no detail is spared in the choice of materials or methods of manufacturing. “Chrome plating, for example, is required under the New Zealand Standard to be 10 microns. Our Perrin and Rowe tapware has between 20 and 25 microns of chrome plating – a voluntary measure taken by the manufacturer to ensure their products’ longevity.”

Part of choosing products that will last the lifetime of a kitchen or bathroom is moving away from current design trends and focusing on classic, timeless designs that will remain contemporary over the decades. “We often have people bringing back their original taps to us, when doing a renovation, to be refurbished for the beach house or re-used in the renovated room, because these are classic designs that remain timeless.”

Get in touch with In Residence on ArchiPro here to see what’s possible with their range of beautiful, timeless kitchen and bathroom tapware and accessories.