Bob Gifford, the Director of Bath Products at Hastings Tile & Bath
In late 2008, Hastings Tile & Bath, well-respected importer and distributor of contemporary bath and tile products with a 125-year history, unveiled a collection of their own called ‘Chelsea.’ The collection is made up of highly stylized faucets, sinks and tubs; all which have smooth and sensuous curves and marvelously relate to one another. What would compel Hastings to become product designers? We sat down with Bob Gifford, the Director of Bath Products at Hastings Tile & Bath because he is the designer behind the new line and we wanted to find out what inspired the man who’s seen thousands of fine bath designs in his lifetime. We also wanted to know what his thought process was and how he came to design one of the most beautiful contemporary faucet and bath collections on the market today.
Tell us about your background in product design.
I don’t have formal training in product design, though I do have a degree in architectural drafting and I’m conversant with AutoCAD of course. From the beginning of my career with Hastings, I’ve been ‘designing’ in one way or another: everything from our trade show booths and showroom displays, to custom glass shower systems. I have also been influential in determining many of the product designs we’ve brought to market from our suppliers in Italy. Add that to the fact that I’ve been drawing since I picked up a pencil, and it all makes sense. It’s a passion.
What type of support did the management team at Hastings provide?
The management at Hastings, particularly Michael Homola, the President of Hastings, have been supportive since day one. In fact, the entire company has been involved in some way with this collection – I really prefer to think of the Chelsea Collection as a team effort.
How long had you been thinking of designing products and why did you decide that now was the right time?
Well, you might say that I’ve been thinking about this for quite a long time, and the reality is that there is probably never a ‘perfect’ time to take the plunge, but waiting for perfect timing won’t produce anything. We also felt the market still had a desire for products that were well designed. We love the fact that the collection is truly that: plumbing and fixtures. Many manufacturers’ collections are based around plumbing and accessories – we wanted to design pieces that actually related to one another in a deeper way.
Chelsea H125 faucet
The faucet you designed, the Chelsea H125 seems to have it all: wonderful lines and ‘green’ technology – was this something that evolved over time, or did you know right away that you wanted to design a faucet line that has all the bells and whistles? This faucet also seems to push the boundaries a bit – was it challenging to manufacture a faucet to these precise specifications?
All of us on the team felt that if we were going to get involved in product design, we should produce something with everything we have always asked our suppliers to produce over the years. We felt it was important to push the limits of what’s been done before: the world certainly doesn’t need another ordinary faucet! We also wanted to produce something that couldn’t be easily imitated or copied – from the energy efficiency aspect to the lead-free construction and the complicated shape of the spout and handles – you won’t see knock-offs of this faucet.
We know that there are other pieces in the Chelsea Collection: sinks and tubs – so which really came first in your mind – the sinks and tubs, or the faucet?
The tub was the first piece but they were all conceived together; we wanted to have a coordinated family of products. We have additional designs for this collection that will be unveiled next year: a fantastic shower head, freestanding tub and shower sets, a second smaller Chelsea tub and new finishes like gloss black!
The Chelsea Collection
You’ve said that you have a notebook full of designs: does this mean that this is just the beginning of your career as a product designer for Hastings, and when might we see more designs?
I’ll never stop designing, and everyone at Hastings is looking forward to our continued growth of product offerings.
