New IMAGE-in Bathtubs from WETSTYLE
11 July 2011
“Free to Be”
One of the things I most want to do with any remodeling project is to express something of myself, which is why I found the trip to KBIS 2011 to be such an enlightening experience. On the one hand, it is amazing to me that I am still, over two months after the event, still writing about what I saw there or, as I shall today, about those things I wish I had been privileged to see in person. As I have pointed out the show itself was gargantuan, some 585 exhibitors, and with only 19 hours spaced over three days, it was a virtual certainty that I could not possibly visit every booth that was of interest to me. On the other hand, it almost seems that I could write about this event until next year, simply because of the many innovative items I saw there.
One of those I missed in person, WETSTYLE, is actually an old friend. I first wrote about them in a blog entitled, “Elementary.” At that time I was much taken with their wonderful walnut bathroom cabinetry, which is still available, by the bye, and which still blows my mind. Actually, WETSTYLE has quite a few products that fit into that category, as they are very much on the cutting edge. They’re a Montreal-based company that manufacturers design-driven, premium-quality bath furnishings that really do live up to that description. The subject of today’s blog is a case in point.
They introduced a new line of products at KBIS, namely the IMAGE-in line, which is a culmination of a proprietary tone-on-tone finishing and design process. By drawing on the contrast of a matte finish applied flat against WETSTYLE’s True High Gloss finish, they have come up with streamlined bathtubs that quickly become the foundation of any bathroom in which they reside. They have four distinct styles, each of which comes with an explanation for its motif. They are: EARTH, which evokes dried cracked clay beneath well traveled feet; WATER, which was inspired by the fluid lines of the ocean; FLORAL, the astonishing creativity of nature brought to fruition through floral patterns; and CALLIGRAPHY, delicate arabesques that demonstrate an age-old knowledge of Zen and tranquility.
All that, of course, is a description of the externals; the other essential is their durability, and that’s where they shine. They are actually manufactured by hand and made of WETMAR, which is an eco-friendly natural stone composite material which brings strength, durability, slip resistance, and natural thermo-insulation to the finished product. These tubs can be obtained in True High Gloss or matte finishes, and each model features a slot design hidden overflow channel, eliminating the need for external plumbing connections.
Finally, I wanted to call attention to the fact that these are design motifs with a wide variety of applications. What they have done with this new product line is to forever change the whole concept of personalization and customization as it applies to bathtubs. I mean, think about it. It’s a tub, right? Pick the one you like, install it, move on the next part of the bathroom design process. That’s how it has always been, but now we have a tub and a company that revolutionizes all that. With this tone-on-tone motif collection from WETSTYLE, there is now an absolutely unheard of option, the chance to imprint creative shapes and artistic designs directly onto the shell of a bathtub.
Don’t like what you see in these four designs, wish you could have something else? Well, now you can! As Mark Wolinsky, WETSTYLE president explains, “The true beauty behind IMAGE-In is that customers and designers can choose from the four WETSTYLE motifs or design their very own distinct signature or personal imprint. WETSTYLE can help designers create their inspiration-be it romantic, classic, eccentric or rational-through its unique made-to-order proprietary tone-on-tone finishing process.”
Really, the IMAGE-in line from WETSTYLE provides consumers with the best freedom of all, because with a product like this, you and me are free to be you and me!
Joseph
No comments yet
Leave a Reply