As more and more space and importance is assigned to our bathrooms, the more we want them to reflect our personalities and lifestyles just as much as the other rooms in our homes. In a world of mass production and a throwaway culture, our customers frequently tell us that what attracts them to our products is the feeling that they are investing in something unique that will stand the test of time.
Because every Catchpole & Rye product is hand crafted and hand finished, each one is subtly different from the next. They can be ordered in a range of materials and finishes, and can also be painted in any colour of your choice.
However, our customisation options go far beyond providing a menu of finishes and colours for our baths, cisterns and vanity units. Because our products are hand finished locally at our workshops in Kent, we are able to work with clients who wish to tailor their bathroom pieces in a way that is not always possible with other companies. Our Copper, Nickel and Brass baths, for example, can be made longer or shorter, wider or narrower, deeper or shallower than the standard versions, while our vanity units and towel rails can be created in almost any size to suit your brief. We will do whatever we can to make a product that is perfect for your space.
Sometimes it might simply be a case of tweaking the dimensions of one of our designs to meet your specifications. On other occasions, we might introduce a bespoke element to an existing piece – an alternative choice of materials for a vanity unit, for example, or a custom finish on a bath. We take a collaborative approach to every project to ensure that the finished product reflects our clients’ tastes and aspirations.
We can even create individual pieces from scratch – in fact, it’s how some of our most popular designs came into being. Our Kinross basin was originally commissioned for a stately home in Scotland but has now become one of our most popular washstand designs:
La Cage d’Amour, our romantic shower for two, was first designed for a honeymoon suite and has since been installed in other luxury properties around the world.
Perhaps the ultimate personalisation is the option to emboss your bath or cistern with your initials, emblem, house name or family crest. Adding a name or date to a cistern is a relatively straightforward process. First, we adhere the desired lettering to a template – we will normally consult with you as to how the lettering should appear. The most popular design follows the same format as our Deluge cistern, where the lettering is curved along the top and bottom. Alternatively, a linear form of lettering can also look very smart. Once approved by the client, the template is then sent off to the be cast onto the cast-metal cistern, before returning to the workshop for the finishing touches.
A logo, emblem or a unique motif is a much more time-consuming process. The design needs to be clarified and possibly realigned to fit the proposed location, be it a cistern or a bath. This involves either hand carving the chosen design or forming it from a special clay. Once the template has been approved, it is mounted onto a wooden board, from which a sand pattern is created. These reliefs are then set into the master pattern ready to receive the molten metal.
It’s an intricate and complex process, but one that creates spectacular results. This level of individuality is so special that it really is worth the wait. It elevates a practical product into something unique and characterful that has your personal stamp on it – literally!
Thanks to our expert customisation service, you can really turn your bathroom into a unique and inspirational space in which to unwind. We manage every project, no matter how unusual, with the same professionalism and attention to detail; get in touch with us today to find out more about what we can do for you.
