This past week I had the opportunity to travel to Schiltach and Offenburg in Germany to visit Hansgrohe, manufacturer of luxury kitchen and bath faucets, showers and hand showers. Made in Germany has always been Hansgrohe’s recipe for success. For more than 100 years, the bathroom professionals from the Black Forest have only used high-quality materials, and undertaken research and development of products in a trend setting way.
I learned that made by Hansgrohe means the use of the best materials, technological expertise, top design, environmentally-friendly products and manufacturing methods, qualified specialists, customer service and reliability and respect.
As a kitchen and bathroom designer, I design the two rooms in your home that use most the water in your house. Water, is unfortunately, the single element that many of us take for granted. Besides oxygen, there is no other single element as important to our existence. Yet, day after day, we take long showers, we wash dishes by hand, and otherwise waste gallons of water. Why? Is it because water is magically there every time you turn on the faucet? I think the answer is yes!
When was the last time you turned on a faucet and didn’t get water?
For the first time in history, the entire state of California is in a draught. Concerned? You should be! You don’t live in California? So why worry? I’ll bet much of the produce you eat comes from California. I believe it’s time, in fact way beyond time, to start doing what we can to save life most precious resource, water.
So, Hansgrohe’s environmentally friendly products were the focus of my attention.
Since 2007, the company has been a WaterSense® partner. One of Hansgrohe’s achievements in sustainability is its EcoAIR technology, which adds air to every drop of water, enabling up to 40% water savings without sacrificing performance. For example, its low-flow 1.5 GPM faucet aerators reduce water consumption by 30%. Beyond the products, the company prides itself on its global green practices and programs including: its use of alternative energy at its Offenburg manufacturing facility.
I had the unique opportunity to see the production of their faucets, showers and hand showers as well as to “test drive” all of their showers in Shower World. Shower World, is one large shower, were all of the Hansgrohe showers and hand showers are installed and individuals can walk thru and try them out to determine which one works best for them! One might think that this concept would waste water, but NO, the water is recycled, cleaned and used again, yet this time to flush toilets.
Designing bathrooms that are functional, safe and beautiful is the goal of Mother Hubbard’s Custom Cabinetry. Hansgrohe has products to fill that need while saving water without sacrificing quality and performance.