GE Faucet
Product
Faucet
Industry
Home Appliances
Year
2024-2025
Role
Under the direction of a Senior Industrial Designer, I owned concept development, form exploration, CAD, rendering, and user interaction across multiple faucet configurations, refining products through regular design critiques while balancing user needs and manufacturability.
Credits: Michael Watanabe
A suite of 3-in-1, 4-in-1, and 5-in-1 filtration faucets that support a growing line of under-sink systems, providing access to filtered water without the need to drill unneeded holes into your kitchen sink.
Standard Shank. Zero Counter Drilling.
High-end multi-stage water filtration systems typically force users to drill a secondary, un-aesthetic point-of-use tap into countertops discouraging renters and home-owners alike. My task was to design the architecture that packs standard hot/cold feeds, isolated high-purity filtered lines, an active reverse-osmosis backflow air gap, and optional boiling/chilling channels into a single, standard 1.38” sink-hole footprint .
One Language, Two Expressions
Form inspiration built on Profile’s current VBL while evolving it toward a next-generation expression. Designed to flex across both an organic integrated faucet and a more precise commercial style, the language creates distinct forms that still read as one cohesive family.
Defining the Visual Cues
Initial ideation focused on the defining cues of each style: the pull-down faucet prioritized a distinctive side silhouette, while the more constrained commercial spring-style faucet emphasized refined transitions between interfacing parts.
Validating Scale
At every step of this process a key asset was utilizing to-scale mockups whenever possible. This enabled viewing the silhouette and features as they would be seen in a real kitchen - it was incredibly useful to annotate and mark up directly on a to scale print out. Cardboard silhouettes were used for more accurately gauging depth and comparing to existing faucets.
Pull-down Faucet Form Refinement
Ideation of the pull-down faucet explored proportion, silhouette, and part transitions to define a premium, approachable form language. Concepts refined key cues like spout angle, touchpoints, and form continuity while resolving visual tension in tapers, hoses, and part interfaces.
The First Reality Check
Deploying an early high-fidelity prototype served as a key check, exposing visual and mechanical hiccups, while validating core design intent.
Spring Faucet Form Refinement
Ideation refined the commercial faucet through geometry, transition quality, and silhouette continuity. Concepts explored both clean, rectilinear forms and softer transitions, ultimately embracing a precise geometric language that reinforces the faucet’s commercial character.
Final Form Factor
A Scalable and Intuitive Interface
A scalable faucet platform expands from 3-in-1 to 5-in-1 configurations, integrating filtered, boiling, chilled, and sparkling water into a single touchpoint. Simple push-and-twist controls make premium functions intuitive and effortless to use.
Features
Multiple Finishes
Along with the two distinct styles offered, offering various finishes allows the consumer to flexibly fit this faucet into their home.
