Watermark Designer Spotlight: Idan Naor

Brooklyn-based designer and architect Idan Naor goes out of his way to find inspiration in the everyday. To bring that inspiration into his design projects, Idan and his team at Idan Naor Workshop have created dozens of successful, endlessly stylish residential and commercial spaces for the last ten years.

For this Designer Spotlight, we’re showcasing Idan Naor’s approach to carefully designed spaces and thoughtful functionality.

Architecture and Optimism

The spaces that Idan and his team create are designed for performance but are also created to influence style on a larger scale, even outside of those spaces.

“Each project has the potential to influence other systems, paradigms of thought and social interactions,” explains Idan in a recent interview with Watermark. “We architects are in the business of being optimists, and at our core, we must focus on better possible futures.”

Inspiration, in other words, is the architect’s responsibility. “This realization continues to engage me in many ways, around issues of ecology, urbanism, social justice and spatial equity, always with an affinity to things of any scale that prioritize artful execution and craft.”

Staying Inspired in Today’s Design Industry

Idan and his team bring this thoughtful design approach to every project, no matter how big or small. That means his Brooklyn firm has to stay on top of trends and shifts in the construction industry — but they also have to make time for that kind of research and inspiration.

“I keep my eyes open, and I find that’s not as easy as it sounds,” explains Idan. “I give myself unstructured time to wander, wonder and see/do/visit new things as much as possible. On typical work days, this can be reduced to one hour of exploring an artist or a natural phenomenon on the web, or watching a documentary.”

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By staying inspired and informed, designers are better able to give new projects the attention and focus they deserve. “I insist on probing every project with a mindset of curiosity and exploration, whether it’s a small bathroom renovation or master planning public space at larger scale,” explains Idan.

The Idan Naor Workshop team has designed residential, commercial and retail spaces in Brooklyn and beyond, and they bring this same thoughtful, thorough expertise to every project.

The Potential for More in Residential Design

Every project has the potential to inspire visitors in your space. “Design can be a vehicle for functionality and pragmatism, but also for self-reflection and pause,” according to Idan.

Residential design has been the focus for Idan and his team because that’s where the demand has been. “I really enjoy working with end-users because the feedback loop is immediate: Once the clients have settled in, there are things that prove meaningful to witness in every project,” says Naor.

Idan Naor Workshop’s client projects range from luxury homes to multifamily residential buildings. Since the boutique design firm was launched in 2010, the team has completed many successful designs, including the Horizontal Townhouse, an innovative new way to look at Brooklyn Brownstones that won them the 2016 Sub-Zero and Wolf Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) award for best small space kitchen.

Every project they complete features impressive style and intentional detail, and they incorporate materials and products that the team has carefully vetted. But that can be a challenge when you’re designing high-end spaces.

“Y​ears ago, I was looking for reliable fixtures with clean lines, solid internal components and a variety of finish options for statement kitchens,” Idan remembers. “I needed them to be of appropriate scale for their context, and we came across the Watermark products in a Brooklyn showroom and loved the look.”

Idan was able to tour Watermark’s facility since it was local to Brooklyn, where he got a glimpse of the production process and a sneak peek at Watermark’s commitment to design quality. “Learning that Watermark fixtures were fabricated locally and had local customer support sealed the deal: I had to know that I could order replacement parts if needed,” explains Idan.

“Seeing the production process and meeting the team responsible for it gave me so much respect for what occurs behind the scenes to culminate in the finished products we continue to specify for our cherished projects.”

Stylish Solutions for Every Space

Several Idan Naor Workshop spaces feature Watermark products to help finish the project with the kind of careful (and stunning) detail that the firm is known for.

By combining traditional appeal with modern luxury, Watermark Designs has helped designers across the globe achieve success and style in their spaces. For more than 30 years, Watermark has been a manufacturer of high quality, reliable, decorative plumbing fixtures to serve designers and architects that need solutions for their projects.

Explore more of Idan Naor Workshop’s projects and get inspiration for your own space.