We Went to ICFF 2019: Trends and Takeaways
Held at the Javits Center in NYC, the 2019 ICFF show was a huge success. From the Gallery featuring curated works of original art, sculpture and textiles to the silent auction to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association to the exhibitor show, there was never a dull moment for architects, designers or manufacturers.
Touring Our Facility
Not only did we have a booth, we even hosted some ICFF attendees at our Brooklyn manufacturing facility to show them our creative process!
We took two groups over to Brooklyn, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning group was treated to made-in-Brooklyn bagels (only the best!), while the afternoon group got the world’s best Brooklyn pizza.
Both groups were taken on a tour of the facility and shown how our faucets and accessories are made. Then they got to chat with our world-class designers and engineers and able to ask any questions they had about the manufacturing process, how we come up with our designs, our favorite products and more.
We can’t lie; this was probably our favorite part of the event. There’s nothing like sharing our passion with equally passionate professionals.
The Trends We Saw
Mixed metals, textures and finishes were the big new trend we saw during ICFF 2019. Products that used mixed materials (think marble and chrome), mixed finishes (think matte black with bronze accents) and/or mixed textures (think smooth faucet with a textured handle) were catching eyes left and right.
But that’s not to say the industrial trend is going away any time soon. Gaining popularity last year, this trend seems here to stay, seen in exposed pipes, wheel handles and finishes like gunmetal and copper.
We also saw a trend of more coordination throughout the finishes in the bathroom. With this trend, the faucet matches the towel warmers which matches the shower door pulls which matches the toilet trip lever.
Watermark’s New Collections
Watermark Designs is proud to have launched three new collections during the exhibition: the Lily, the Rainey and the Brut.
All of these gorgeous designs cater to this mixed trend that’s proving to be gaining momentum this year. The Lily features a unique manufacturing and plating method you can’t find anywhere else. It allows us to create several different textures along with split finish combinations: not only multiple finishes on the same faucet but multiple finishes on the same faucet component.
The Rainey line brings luxury design to any budget. This collection is a minimalistic-but-sophisticated line of fixtures that work with a wide range of styles. It allows for multiple textures on your faucet, making a statement that works with any design.
The Brut is an experiment of textures, involving two completely different polishing processes to achieve another in its family of unique finish combinations. Brut’s spout exterior is smooth and polished but the underside is given an earthy rough-hewn finish. This collection was designed with the design studio O&G, located in Rhode Island, and it may be our favorite one yet. The Brut will start shipping in Winter 2019.
2019 and Beyond
We are so excited by what we saw premiered at ICFF this year, and we can’t wait to see how these trends play out in the industry, not only this year but in years to come.