Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2024 22 O ne-of-a-kind kitchen and bath faucets, made-to-order by human hands, go a long way toward creating a sense of value and luxury. Imagine buying a new coffee table – or coffee mug – and finding the name of the person who made it right inside the package. In today's mass-produced world, this just doesn't happen. Coffee tables, mugs, and even kitchen and bath faucets are churned out using machines and assembly lines to create standardized designs. These mass-produced products are functional and may even look stylish from a distance. A coffee table made of particle board will hold your mug just fine, but we intuitively know there's something missing. When you buy a California Faucets kitchen or bath faucet, you immediately realize the difference between mass-produced and a work of high craft that was made individually by human hands. For starters, you'll find the name of the artisan who finished, assembled, and tested your faucet written right on the package. That's because, as the company's tag line says, their products come quite literally "From Our Hands to Your Home." Just like a handknit sweater or a quilted throw, products made by artisans embody the human touch. They offer a sentimental value far beyond the practical. "Made-by-hand" is a phrase that's synonymous with high quality and longevity. And beyond the obvious benefits of providing productive jobs, handcrafted manufacturing celebrates artisanship and enables homeowners to surround themselves with the handiwork of fellow humans. When something is handmade, it's no longer a commodity that's easily replaceable. It's special. With artisan-made California Faucets products, one immediately recognizes the quality of the solid brass – unlike mass produced products that often use inferior quality composite metals and plastic components. It's evident that there's something intrinsically unique and "better" about the faucet. It feels like a perfect fit for our style and personality – and that's a feeling everyone wants to hold on to. For California Faucets, manufacturing products with human hands is an artform. From casting or forging parts from solid brass to finishing, testing, and assembly, artisans create every faucet by hand, just as it's ordered. It means that every kitchen or bath faucet can be completely customized to create a one-of-a-kind look. And since every kitchen and bath faucet from California Faucet is made to order, designers and homeowners can easily create a faucet that fits individual design styles while creating a truly unique experience in the kitchen or bath. To fully understand what customization means and encompasses, here's a deep dive into what makes each and every California Faucets product distinctive. • Made-to-Order Whereas mass-produced faucets are "buy-it-as-you-see-it," artisan-produced California Faucets offer flexibility, not to mention creativity. Since every faucet is assembled and finished by hand, one at a time, every faucet offers an opportunity for personalization. Designers, builders, architects, or homeowners can choose from among the myriad faucet styles, which run the style gamut from traditional and transitional to contemporary and industrial, mix- and-match it with virtually any handle design, and have it finished in any of the over 25 artisan finishes, including the ultra-durable Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) finish, guaranteed not to tarnish. The vast variety of available faucet designs means there's a faucet to fit any desired style motif. But with so many styles and customizable options, it can be head-spinning to choose just the right design. Coming to the rescue, California Faucets has made it easy with their online Bathroom Faucet Creator. By visiting www.californiafaucets.com, you can have fun experimenting with mixing styles, spouts, handles, and finishes until the perfect combination is achieved. Once you've decided on an ideal faucet design with the Bathroom Faucet Creator, a PDF of your design can be saved, e-mailed, or taken directly to your local California Faucets dealer, making shopping a breeze. • One of a Kind With the seemingly endless style, handle, spout, finish, and accessory combinations, there's virtually no limit to the possibilities. And just as it's impossible for an artist to recreate every brush stroke of a painting, no two faucets made by artisan hands are exactly the same. There will always be slight differences in the finishing, which comes along with being "made by hand." And that's the beauty of it. Therefore, every California Faucets product is a one-of-a-kind work of art. As any kitchen or bath designer will tell you, homeowners seek "different." A sense of uniqueness makes us feel special. It's exciting when friends and neighbors ask, "Where did you get that beautiful faucet?" and you can say, "It was made especially for me." Knowing it's highly unlikely anyone else has this "exact" faucet in their home creates an emotional connection to the product. And this emotional connection is what "luxury" in today's kitchens and baths is all about. • A Touch of Humanity Along with this sense of luxury comes an undeniable touch of humanity. From the moment a faucet is ordered, artisans in the M A N U F A C T U R E R [ N O T E S ] WHY CHOOSE COOKIE-CUTTER WHEN YOU CAN HAVE CUSTOM?

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