NORTH OLMSTED, OH--(Marketwired - Feb 11, 2016) - We're touched by water numerous times throughout our day. And whether it's showering, cooking or slipping into a relaxing bath -- did you ever stop and think about the inspiration behind the fixtures that deliver water to you? If it's one developed by Moen, the number one faucet brand in North America, it's likely that a team of associates spent more than 2,500 hours to create this beautiful and reliable product that we depend on every day.
Where does the inspiration begin? And how does it evolve from an idea to an integral part of your kitchen or bathroom? Moen keeps an eye on the horizon in terms of new designs for water delivery, beyond sink and showering fixtures. To meet the growing demand from homeowners, Moen recently launched its first freestanding tub-filler faucets; with the Arris® version providing a modern and contemporary focal point for today's master bath. Here's the story behind this new product, and how this stunning fixture came to life.
A NEW PLATFORM FOR MOEN
Before Moen brings a new product to market, the team listens and watches consumers to learn what they're looking for in their kitchens and baths. And the item at the top of a luxurious master bathroom wish list? A freestanding tub.
"Quite simply, consumers love the look of freestanding tubs for the statement they make within a space," said Chris Gilbert, Principal Designer, Moen. "In fact, freestanding tubs were one of the top five bathroom design trends in 2013, according to Style at Home magazine."
In addition to desiring the beautiful tub, homeowners are also in need of a beautiful fixture to fill it. That caused Moen to design and develop its first freestanding tub-filler faucets to meet the need for this platform within its product portfolio.
A MODERN OPTION FOR TODAY'S MODERN CONSUMER
When thinking through the design for this new platform, Moen looked to one of its existing bath suites for inspiration. "Luxury homeowners look for products that make a unique design statement," Gilbert added. "We saw significant success with the Arris collection, which launched in 2013, with designers and homeowners positively responding to the simple geometric design. So it seemed like a natural fit to extend the line to include a tub filler application."
The Arris design was created during one of Moen's Sketchfest sessions -- the brand's annual, inspirational, off-site event focused entirely on generating new products. "Arris was inspired by simple, geometric, tubular forms, and it was specifically inspired by the E1027 table created by Eileen Gray in the 1920s. It's a table with timeless geometric design and we hope Arris will become a classic, as well," explained Gilbert.
FROM SINK FAUCET TO TUB FILLER
With the design direction determined, the Moen team worked tirelessly to ensure the Arris tub filler perfectly matched the rest of the offerings in the collection. But translating the design of a smaller sink faucet to a larger application required the modification of certain aspects of the faucet to fit the taller stature required of a tub filler.
"This product had to be scaled appropriately to perform in the large, tub-filler platform," said Michael Poloha, senior product manager, Wholesale bath, Moen. "That's not a task our team undertook lightly."
The spout, at 11 inches long, allows the faucet to be installed close enough to the tub to reach into the space, but far enough away to feel like it isn't right on top of the homeowner when using the tub. Plus, the overall height was designed so the diverter knob and handle would sit above the top of the tub, allowing a consumer to easily turn the faucet on and off, as well as actuate the hand shower.
The height of the product -- nearly three feet tall -- was also carefully considered by the Moen team. "Most tubs currently in the market range between 22 and 29 inches off the ground; so we knew our faucets had to work with those products' specifications to guarantee the best consumer experience and interaction," added Poloha.
Plus, since tub-filler faucets function at much higher flow rates when compared to a lavatory faucet, Moen thoughtfully designed and engineered the angles and proportions of the product so it's not only visually in-line with the rest of the collection, but delivers the optimum performance required to quickly fill a large tub.
THOUGHTFUL DESIGN -- AND INSTALLATION
The freestanding tub-filler faucets are much more than beautiful fixtures that complete a master bath design. They're also expertly engineered for a 'wobble-free' installation -- a common problem with other freestanding tub fillers.
Most tub fillers currently on the market -- excluding Moen's -- use a piece of wood that is secured between the floor joists for mounting the fixture. Despite the plumber doing his/her best to 'make it work' and get the faucet as secure as possible to the piece of wood in the floor, ultimately the faucet would 'wobble' significantly when any type of force was applied at the top of it; three feet off the ground.
The Moen team identified this common problem as an opportunity to create an innovative mounting system that not only eliminated the 'wobble' consumers had with these products, but also the 'make it work' mentality that plumbers needed to take with the installation of this application overall.
"Our proprietary mounting system provides best-in-class stability above the floor for the consumer and an easy, confident installation beneath it for the trade. The installation is easy and intuitive; Moen's bracket system assures that the floor-mounted risers and faucet remain wobble-free for a premium fit and finish. A lower-profile bracket is also available and is ideal to easily and securely allow for concrete installations. The bottom line is both consumers and installers will rest assured knowing their fixture is fit and secure," Poloha added.
POSITIVE RESPONSE -- AND ACCOLADES -- TO ARRIS
Since its introduction in 2014, the Arris freestanding tub filler has been extremely well-received by designers and homeowners, alike. The faucet has received numerous accolades for its superior design and installation, earning the platinum prize in the Awards for Design Excellence (ADEX) Home-Bath category and a GOOD DESIGN award in the Bath and Accessories competition.
"We're extremely proud of our product development process and the hours of research and dedication we put into every fixture we bring to market," Gilbert concluded. "But knowing our product designs, especially something new like this tub filler, are truly resonating with homeowners and improving the experience for installers, that's what thoughtful design is all about."
To learn more about the Arris collection of faucets or see Moen's complete portfolio of products, visit moen.com or call 1-800-BUY-MOEN.
LINKS TO ADDITIONAL ASSETS
PHOTOGRAPHY http://www.moen.com/pressroom/image-library/results?search_terms=arris+tub+filler&type=product
VIDEOS http://www.moen.com/pressroom/videos
MOEN PRESS ROOM http://www.moen.com/pressroom
MOEN LOGOS http://www.moen.com/pressroom/image-library/results?type=logos
ABOUT MOEN
As the #1 faucet brand in North America, Moen offers a diverse selection of thoughtfully designed kitchen and bath faucets, showerheads, accessories, bath safety products, kitchen sinks and garbage disposals for residential applications -- each delivering the best possible combination of meaningful innovation, useful features, on-trend styling and lasting value. In addition, Moen® Commercial offers superior-performing products that can deliver lower lifetime costs for today's facilities.
Moen is part of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. (
Contact Information:
CONTACT
Jennifer Allanson or Kristi Stolarski
Falls Communications
(216) 696-0229
