The Decorative Plumbing + Hardware Association announced the 2024 Product of the Year winners at its 23rd Annual Conference and Product Showcase, held October 17–20, 2024, in Denver. The Product of the Year award remains a highly anticipated conference highlight. This year’s entries featured groundbreaking design and technological innovations, impressing the judges and reaffirming that excellence lies in the details.
“The decorative plumbing and hardware industry, through its product innovations, training initiatives, and membership involvement, never ceases to provide inspiration, nurture professionalism, and expand the boundaries of what is possible in the modern-day American home,” explained Eliot Sefrin, founding editor and publisher emeritus of Kitchen & Bath Design News and perennial DPHA Product of the Year judge.
This year’s entries included innovative technological advancements in water purification, clever door hardware latches, magnetic handshowers, a ‘smart’ bidet, kitchen workstations that are both beautiful and incredibly useful and of course gorgeous faucets and cabinet hardware.
The Decorative Plumbing + Hardware Association has created its awards program to recognize uniqueness, design, functionality, innovation and technological superiority. Each year DPHA team hundreds of entries for industry leaders and products. To help assure that the judging is unbiased, DPHA outsources the evaluation process to an independent panel of experts who are not affiliated with DPHA or any of its members. In addition to Eliot Sefrin, 2024 judges included Interior Designer Alena Capra owner of the Fort Lauderdale, FL based firm, Alena Capra Designs; Alissa Ponchione executive editor of Hospitality Design magazine;Eric Goranson nationally recognized as the producer and host of “Around the House with Eric G®;” Garrison Hullinger founder and Principal Designer of Studio Garrison, and Molly Switzer founder of Molly N. Switzer Designs LLC.
THE 2024 PRODUCT OF THE YEAR WINNERS
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: BATHROOM WATER DELIVERY
WINNER
Treemme Watt – AD Waters
Treemme WATT is inspired by vintage lighting and transistor radios. Having already won multiple international awards, WATT features various solutions for the bath and shower areas. All handshowers are held magnetically.
HONORABLE MENTION
Venezia by Venini-Fantini
Venezia by Venini (below) is a luxurious faucet collection that combines the expertise of Fantini, Venini, and Studio Thun. This collaboration produced a unique product that showcases Italian craftsmanship and design excellence.
Photo credit: Fantini
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: BATHROOM FIXTURE
WINNER
Neorest LS Toilet – Toto
TOTO’s NEOREST LS Smart Bidet Toilet is designed to focus on elegance and comfort, creating a bath environment with hotel-like luxury and spa-like features. The NEOREST LS offers a new design, which provides a modern yet classic aesthetic that fits contemporary, transitional, and traditional bathroom interior design.
HONORABLE MENTION
BRIO TUB21 – LACAVA
LACAVA’s BRIO tubs project luxurious opulence and intricate fluted detailing making an interior statement of their own. The tubs are geometrically simple oblong soakers made of solid surface, available in gloss and matte white. The repeat flutes on the entire perimeter invite many creative possibilities for installation.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: KITCHEN FIXTURE
WINNER
FIRA Sink & Accessory Set – Julien
Handcrafted in Italy, each FIRA sink (below) offers a perfectly smooth, non-porous finish. The firing process not only makes the surface impervious to dirt, it also fuses the materials together leading to higher impact and scratch resistance.
Photo credit: Julien
HONORABLE MENTION
HexBottom Kitchen Sink – Ruvati
Ruvati’s HexBottom® kitchen sink collection features an etched geometric design that keeps sinks looking new without grids or sink protectors. This patent-pending technology brings an embossed finish to stainless steel sink bottoms that is both beautiful and functional.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: FURNITURE
WINNER
Winemaker Series – Native Trails
The Winemaker Series brings the essence of California’s wine country to upscale bathrooms through sustainable practices and forward-thinking design. Inspired to give a second life to a quality material regularly discarded after use, the Winemaker Series re-purposes white oak staves which were originally used to enhance the flavor and aroma of wine during the fermentation process. Rich in character, the reclaimed material is transformed into five distinctive pieces, including two freestanding vanities, a floating vanity, and matching mirrors that exude natural beauty and accessible functionality.
HONORABLE MENTION
Portico Console – Stone Forest
A simple silhouette adorned with clean lines and delicate curvature, the Portico Console Sink is a refined work of precise engineering and sculptural ingenuity that harkens back to mid-century modern design. Carved from a single block of antique gray limestone, the console sink boasts an integrated sink with a generous countertop.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: ACCESSORY
WINNER
Modello i – Amba Products
This new single bar towel warmer is offered in round and square profiles and four different lengths. The bars are sold individually and can be installed vertically or horizontally. This flexibility compared to any other product like it on the market gives more creative freedom to mix and match sizes, finishes and orientations in which it can be installed.
HONORABLE MENTION
Brisa Body Dryer
The Air of Luxury™ Brisa™, the first fully integrated whole body dryer is innovative in both design and performance. With multiple finish options, Brisa™ will fits easily within any design aesthetic while the intuitive touch screen controls provide customized heat and air flow, delivering an entirely new body drying experience.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY
WINNER
ThermaTouch2 15 – ThermaSol
The ThermaTouch2 in-shower control (below) is available with a 7-inch, 10-inch or 15-inch screen option. The ThermaTouch2 15 boasts the largest display screen on the market, featuring a brand-new user interface and exclusive, cutting-edge functionalities. ThermaTouch2 offers the convenience of smart home compatibility. Users can run the shower on remotely, set water at a certain temperature and pressure, activate steam therapy and control chromatherapy options through voice-activated smart home assistants.
Photo credit: ThermaSol
HONORABLE MENTION
Pristive Tankless RO – Brizo
Pristive™ Tankless Reverse Osmosis System by Brizo® uses a state-of-the-art, six-stage filtration process to purify and enhance drinking water, reducing more than 90 contaminants. First, three core filters – a reverse osmosis filter, carbon filter, and pre-filter – work synergistically to provide purity and reduce toxins at the molecular level.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING
WINNER
OLI Easy Move – AD Waters
The Easy Move Water Closet (below) gently moves any wall hung toilet up and down with a remote control. Easy Move is especially practical for the elderly, children and those with reduced mobility to easily and safely alter the height of the toilet seat to meet their needs. The mechanism is almost silent, easy to install and comes with one of the most efficient water-saving outlet valves.
Photo credit: OLI Easy Move – AD Waters
HONORABLE MENTION
AirPocket Door – Airmada Drying Solutions
The AirPocket slide-in shower door is designed to replace the traditional swinging shower door to create a combination walk-in shower/steam shower, as the door can create a full shower seal. This walk-in/steam shower can be accompanied by either a flush or raised threshold.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: DOOR HARDWARE
WINNER
Adjustable Latch – Baldwin Hardware
The Adjustable Latch eliminates the need for hardware distributors to stock door hardware with different backsets. The Adjustable Latch easily adjusts from 2 3/4” to 2 3/8” with a pre-installed privacy spacer and enhanced knob and level strength for smooth handling. The ease of use and ability to go between knob and lever settings makes the adjustable latch a game changers in luxury door hardware. This allows a knob to turn left and right, while a lever can only be pushed down.
HONORABLE MENTION
SELECT Terrazzo Knob/Lever – Emtek
The Emtek SELECT Lever program offers new levels of customization: choose 9 lever and four knob textured lever grip options, and pair with 20+ rosettes options in a mix of 11 finishes for hundreds of unique combinations.
PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: CABINET HARDWARE
WINNER
Bijou Collection – Belwith Keeler Décor Solutions
The Bijou Collection embodies an innovative fusion of historical design and modern elegance. The Collection includes 11 pieces, including the 33-inch long Paramount pull available in acrylic, black, clear and Tortoise shell. The Akoya Knob is inspired by the spherical form of Akoya pearls, capturing eternal simplicity and timeless appeal. The Luminescence Pull features an Art Deco-inspired pattern.
HONORABLE MENTION
Thom Filicia for Accurate, Aurora Collection
The Thom Filicia for Accurate, Aurora Collection of cabinet hardware is comprised of five unique silhouettes: rectangular pull, T-bar, round knob, oval knob and hexagonal knob. Each piece showcases laser etched designs ranging from a pattern to match one of Thom’s wallpapers to a simple herringbone.