Spotlight

UNION

5th April 2018

In my last post I mentioned about how I’ve shifted into product sourcing mode, and I have to admit, when thinking about a shower room redesign, this new collection from Crosswater has pretty much defined what I want to do. In a word: black – black tap, black shower fittings, all black, against crisp subway tiling. I’ve had my eye on this style for a while – since I wrote about a bathroom in Edinburgh where the owner wanted black fittings and had been challenged to source them online at the time – and while I’m wary of trends as such, especially with a kitchen or bathroom where you want a design approach that won’t date, this aesthetic has stuck with me.

Which is why this new UNION collection from Crosswater caught my eye. Launched this spring, UNION was designed to challenge the traditional concept of bathroom fittings, and features a range of brassware including basin mixers, bath fillers and an exposed valve with kit and shower head. You can go classic with Chrome and Brushed Nickel finishes, or opt for Brushed Brass – a stunning finish that looks fresh in these clean-lined designs – or Brushed Black Chrome, which as you’ve probably gathered is my personal favourite.

As Crosswater says: ‘UNION takes inspiration from the industrial era and brings it boldly into the 21st century. Smart on the inside, each piece in the collection is manufactured using the most advanced brassware engineering techniques and the latest in cartridge and thermostatic valve technology to offer complete water flow control.’

The quality is obvious when you look at Crosswater’s collections, but what makes UNION stand out to me is the industrial edge to these pieces. These are solid, gusty fittings that would look fantastic in a contemporary bathroom, but they are also refined – distinctive knurled detailing is machined as accents on every piece in the collection.

And this collection also includes a striking and more unusual design option as the basin taps and bath fillers are offered in a choice of lever or wheel handles, with a Red Lever option, which looks fantastic against the chrome. Which would you choose? Are you also sold on brushed black chrome, or drawn to the elegance of the brushed brass? Or does this industrial styling look best to you on the sleek chrome and brushed nickel finishes? You can see more of the new UNION collection from Crosswater here.

All photography from Crosswater.