A Matter of Material 

At its core, the best art is about using the best materials: a good chef works only with the freshest ingredients; a good painter chooses only the best brushes. And when it comes to design, the most brilliant pieces are always made with the finest materials. 

Across its portfolio, the Brizo® design team reflects this philosophy. Designers hand-select beautiful, lasting materials for every collection. But they also go to great lengths to mix tried-and-true standards with innovative new choices, like mother of pearl and concrete. We spoke with manager of design futures Seth Fritz on the work and significance of selecting intriguing materials for every collection. 

The search for materials is deliberate, variable, and, quite often, challenging. But it opens up new possibilities for beautiful spaces. “We understand that doing the hard things will elevate our design. It will elevate the connection we’re creating with interior designers and homeowners,” Fritz says. “It will enable us to do things that have not been done before.”  

“We understand that doing the hard things will elevate our design.” 

Here’s how Brizo® experts pursue elegance and innovation in craftsmanship by selecting the best materials. 

Looking Ahead

Sometimes, the research process starts years in advance, guided by industry expertise. Lead color material finish designer Maris Borris surveys aesthetic movements far into the future in order to identify what homeowners will cherish for years to come. 

“We have a really good pulse on sought-after materials in the luxury market,” Fritz says.  

Knowing what’s to come helps the team conceptualize fashion-forward, modern designs. For the minimalist structures of the Jason Wu for Brizo™ Kitchen Collection, the team mixed organic wooden handles with nickel accents. 

It was a seemingly impossible task at first, Fritz says, but the collection turned into a nod to the willingness of Brizo® engineers to create from scratch. 

When it comes to seeking fashion in design, authenticity remains a crucial guide. “We focus on truth and materials,” Fritz says. But it’s not always haute couture that guides the process. 

Revisiting Foundations

In other instances, the most important force at play is tradition. “Sometimes the inspiration comes from the foundation of the suite,” Fritz says. 

“Sometimes the inspiration comes from the foundation of the suite.” 

For the Frank Lloyd Wright® Bath Collection by Brizo®, the team referred to the architect’s love of nature and organic materials. Incorporating wood accents was the most genuine answer. The challenge was finding organic material that would meet rigorous quality controls.  

“It felt the most natural,” Fritz says. “But we also understand that there’s a difference between using wood and using a wood that meets our finish standards. We’re not going to disappoint any homeowner, any interior designer with the materials we’re choosing.” 

For the Kintsu® Bath Collection, they felt called to the collection’s connection to kintsugi, an art form that incorporates breakage and repair into an object’s history by filling cracks with gold or other fine material. In Fritz’ words, kintsugi means that what’s broken is now whole and more beautiful.  

That ethos played into the collection’s use of mother of pearl, an uncommon material that Fritz calls “a broken but whole piece,” to create objects that were uniquely beautiful. 

Considering the Senses

“When we think of design, we often associate it with vision,” says interior designer Brittany Hakimfar of Far/Studio. But when choosing textures, she says designers keep all the senses in mind. “We use many different materials and textures in a space to appeal to all of the senses and really create a one-of-a-kind experience.” 

The Brizo® design team keeps more than the eye in mind when creating new pieces. The auditory aspect is just as important as a visual aesthetic, and just as intentional. “We want to control the water so it looks and sounds beautiful,” Fritz says. Material choices affect the sound an object makes. 

The team alters the materials to control the size of droplets, the direction and angle of the water—small details that can create a unique soundscape for a particular shower or kitchen space. 

Touch is significant, too: “Our faucets and all of the objects that we design are meant to be interacted with and meant to be touched,” Fritz says. “It’s all about how it feels to the person using the objects.” 

For the Litze® Kitchen and Bath Collections, intricate knurling adds texture to the faucets’ touchpoints. That detail creates a unique interaction between the piece and the person using it.  

In the Invari® Bath Collection, too, natural crystal alters the tactile experience: the weight and temperature of the material changes the way users understand it. 

“Those are all things we’re thinking about when we design,” Fritz says. 

Choosing the best materials for a collection is crucial, Fritz says. “It can literally change the mood of a room.”  

But beyond altering the aesthetic of a space, material tells a story. “I still say it’s a way to connect with the home,” he says. “It’s a way to tell a story about the people that live in the home.”