Interior Design: Creating and Selling the Perfect Faucet

In a tv ad for a leading faucet manufacturer, a couple invites an architect to design a home around a beautiful, high-end faucet. The deadpan sincerity of the actors creates a humorous situation while the camera shows the beauty of the fixture. It is a great spot, but there is a subtext to the commercial: The variety of fixtures is so small that it seems simpler to build a home around a faucet than the other way around.

That is changing, thanks to an online tool offered by California Faucets. This simple, one-page simulator allows a designer to create a custom faucet in moments, then print out or email the result to the client. Surprisingly, you not have to register online to use or even email from the email from the online tool. Everyone is welcome to try it out.

Branded as the Virtual Faucet Creator™, the tool lets you create a fixture from scratch, starting with the spout, adding matching or complementary handles, and choosing a finish. If you prefer, you can start with an existing faucet style and swap out the elemenets.

When you visit the web page for the Virtual Faucet Creator, you find a table divided into three columns: “Spouts,” “Handles,” and “Finishes.” Beneath the headings are columns of corresponding thumbnail images. The fixture components appear in a satin nickel finish for consistency. Navigation arrows appear at the top and bottom of each column. Using the arrows, you can scroll through the offerings. When you place your pointer over a thumbnail image, the name of the componenet appears. Don't bother to write anything down; the system will provide all the specs when you have made your final choices.

To see a close-up of a handle or spout, just click on the thumbnail. A large image will appear to the left of the columns. Click on a different thumbnail, and that component will replace the image on the left. Most people start by selecting a spout, since that is the most prominent component. Just click on a thumbnail of handles, and they will appear perfectly aligned with the spout. Changing the finish is as easy as clicking the mouse as well. Just choose a finish from the column on the right, and the close-up picture of the fixture magically changes color. You can change finishes or components as many times as you like. The names of the components you have chosen will appear above the close-up image of the fixture. This is not all for show: The company is set up to deliver whatever combination you create. You fantasy faucet will be shipped just as you created it.

Selling the custom faucet to the client is as easy as creating it. The Virtual Faucet Creator will generate a full-color spec sheeet for your custom faucet that you can customize for the client. You can print the spec sheet from the website or email it to the client as a .pdf file. Just click “Print,” “E-mail,” or “Save” from the toolbar below your custom design. You then are given the option to name your faucet. This is your chance to personalize the design for your client. For example, you can type in “The Simpsons' kitchen faucet” or “The Simpsons' bath faucet.”

To email the spec sheet, enter your name and your client’s email address. The website does the rest. The email starts with a subject line that reads: “You've been sent a Custom Faucet Creation.” The body of the email says, “Greetings, [Your Name] has sent you the attached custom faucet which was created with California Faucets' Virtual Faucet Creator™.” The email provides a link to California Faucets' website and a description of the virtual creator. The message ends: “Unlike other faucet makers, we meticulously build every high quality solid brass faucet by hand when ordered.” Very professional.

The email includes the spec sheet in .pdf format as an attachment. In case the client does not have Adobe Reader software, the email includes a button to download it. When the client opens the file, he or she will see a large, full-color image of the custom faucet. Above the picture, a title reads, “The SIMPSONS’ KITCHEN FAUCET.” The California Faucets' name for the spout, handles, and finish appear beneath the image. A message at the bottom reads, “This faucet was created using California Faucets' Virtual Faucet Creator™.

You also are asked to name the faucet when you choose the “print” icon. When you submit the form, the website generates a personalized .pdf form that you can print or save to your own computer and attach in an email. You can even save the image on your laptop for in-person presentation.

You also have the option to save your creation on the company's server. Simply create an account, name the faucet, and enter your email. You can visit the website later and browse through your previous designs. To do so, you simply click the "folder" icon on the Virtual Faucet Creator page.

Companies that produce windows, window treatments, and paint have been using product simulators for years. The Virtual Faucet Creator is unique, though, in its speed, its ease of use, and most importantly in its marketing support. Creating and selling the perfect faucet has never been easier.