Brass and stainless steel, the materials of your bathroom accessories

Brass and stainless steel are the main materials in Water Evolution’s Flow collection, designed by Filipe Neri and Lucie Ramos of Studio P, the Portuguese brand’s product design and development department. The collection spans basin, shower and bath taps, bathroom accessories and other elements that complete the design of washrooms.

Functional products with light forms and simple lines that give the bathroom character. In this article we look at where Flow comes from, what distinguishes its two base materials, which pieces and finishes the collection offered when we presented it, what solutions it has for public washrooms and what to bear in mind when specifying it.

Flow, Water Evolution’s first line

Flow is the first line Water Evolution created, in 2005, the same year the brand and its design studio were founded. According to the manufacturer, Studio P draws on its knowledge of what architects, developers, hoteliers and end clients need to identify product opportunities, and has developed lines of taps, accessories, hardware, baths, shower trays, shower screens, bathroom furniture and installation systems.

In 2016 the brand reissued Flow in a new material: solid stainless steel, machined and brushed, designed, in Water Evolution’s words, for clean, refined settings. Since then the collection has existed in both materials and extends to the bathroom, the kitchen and outdoors. Its aesthetic sets out to be different: taps with light forms and simple lines that ease and accompany the flow of water.

Brass and stainless steel: two materials, two readings

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, the traditional material for taps. In Flow it can be left exposed, as brushed or polished brass, with its golden tone. Water Evolution warns that natural finishes, such as brass or stainless steel, depend on exposure to the environment and on maintenance, so any marks that may appear with use are not considered a product defect.

Stainless steel owes its corrosion resistance to chromium: when its content exceeds 10.5%, a film of chromium oxide, known as the passive layer, forms on the surface and regenerates by itself in contact with oxygen, according to the World Stainless Association. That is why it needs no coatings. In Flow it is worked solid, machined and brushed, so what you see is the metal itself.

In addition to the two metals in their natural colour, the collection offered finishes in white, chrome, black and a range of PVD (physical vapour deposition) finishes. A wide variety of options for adapting the taps to the design of each project.

Pieces and finishes in the collection

Not every Flow piece was offered in the same finishes. The table summarises the main families in the collection and their finishes according to the product sheets Water Evolution published on its website between 2019 and 2021.

The full range of finishes is concentrated in the main basin and shower taps; the electronic taps, some shower sets and the accessories came in a shorter palette. This matters if the project aims to repeat the same finish throughout the bathroom.

Basin taps: formats and uses

The basin tap models in the Flow collection differ in the format of the spout (fixed or swivel, in various shapes), the use for which they are intended (domestic, commercial or hospital) and the height of the mixer.

There are single-hole and three-hole deck-mounted mixers, with separate spout and controls, and two- and three-hole concealed wall-mounted mixers, with separate spout and control.

Electronic and timed taps

Technology plays a key role in the collection. The electronic taps are activated by a sensor and come in two versions: with a 1.5 V battery or mains-connected with a 110–230 V transformer. They incorporate an automatic Stop & Go valve, as does the hospital mixer. The range is completed by a cold-water tap with a timer and the wall-mounted electronic version, with a concealed part and a visible part.

Shower, bath and accessories

The shower and bath taps combine different sets to suit the needs of each project: exposed or concealed mixers for shower and bath, and sets with rail, hose and hand shower. The shower heads come in different models and formats, from classic round ones to more contemporary designs, and there are also sliding shower rails.

The accessories belong to the same line as the taps: towel rails of different lengths, toilet roll holders and hooks, among others, so the whole bathroom can be resolved with the same collection.

Key points when specifying Flow

Beyond aesthetics, these are the points worth settling at project stage:

• Material and finish: decide whether the metal remains exposed (brass or brushed stainless steel) or a colour is wanted (white, black, chrome or PVD), and check that it exists for all the planned pieces.
• Use of the space: in public washrooms, hotels or healthcare facilities, consider electronic taps, timed taps or the hospital mixer.
• Power supply: the electronic version with a 110–230 V transformer requires provision for a mains connection; the 1.5 V battery version does not.
• Concealed installation: wall-mounted mixers require the internal part to be fitted before the partition is closed, so they are defined at project stage.
• Maintenance: natural finishes change with use and environment; it is worth explaining this to the client and following the manufacturer’s cleaning guidelines.

Water Evolution, the manufacturer

Water Evolution was founded in 2005 in northern Portugal, within Grupo Azevedos, which has more than seventy years of experience in the construction sector. The company was conceived as a comprehensive offering for the bathroom: taps, accessories, hardware, baths, shower trays, shower screens, bathroom furniture and sanitary installations. Its 800 m² showroom, designed by the architect João Álvaro Rocha, is a few kilometres from Porto airport.

According to the company, its entire value chain, from raw material to product delivery, is subject to quality inspections and tests regulated by ISO 9001. It also explains that it fits its taps with flow reducers, with water savings it estimates at around 50% compared with conventional taps, and that its basin, bidet and kitchen single-lever mixers have progressive cartridges that do not open the hot water in the first stage of the lever’s rotation.

These are models in which functionality comes first but which retain a considered aesthetic: basin, shower and bath taps and bathroom accessories designed for demanding projects. At Matter we help you plan the complete bathroom, from the taps to the wall finishes that go with them. Come to our material library to compare materials and finishes with your technical team.