The “U-Turn” concept is a high-end bathroom & kitchen faucet range designed around its users needs; incorporating bathroom items or providing additional features for personal objects. The bathroom sink model provides a recess to safely place rings while washing hands. Also, the multi-purpose “U-turn” features a precast opening to place toothbrushes or other accessories like a customized liquid-soap dispenser.

The larger kitchen model includes an easy-access removable soap/sponge dish mounted on a rotating spout. The “U-turn” tip provides grooves to hang gloves, a watch or other personal accessories.

Designer : Sofian Tallal

[Press Release]
Thousand Oaks, California, June 23, 2009 – World-recognized strategy, innovation, and design consultancy RKS and Water Advocacy KOR Water teamed together again to create a strategy that empowers consumers to make a difference. The result of this collaboration is the introduction of KOR’s Thirst for Giving™ program.

News of the original KOR ONE’s release was met by an immediate and overwhelming positive response. The viral PR campaign driven by RKS resulted in countless blog pickups, with the KOR ONE landing on Oprah’s “O List,” winning awards for both design and environmental preservation, and driving sales beyond all projections.

To build on this success, KOR Water enlisted RKS to create a Brand Trajectory and Product Proliferation Plan that would amplify the authenticity of the KOR brand. The first result of this effort is KOR’s new Thirst for Giving program to raise funds for water-related charities and help increase understanding of the vital role clean water plays in all our lives. Announced in conjunction of the introduction of three new KOR ONE colors, this innovative program empowers consumers to improve their health as they improve the health of the planet. “KOR’s mission is to celebrate and protect water,” said KOR founder and CEO Eric Barnes. “The Thirst for Giving program is our way of bringing more awareness to issues that deeply impact the future of water on our planet.”

The RKS strategy team first used Psycho-Aesthetics to enable KOR to identify organizations whose passions and goals aligned with KOR’s mission. Next, RKS created a strategy to create meaning… increasing the consumer’s ability to make a difference. Through this program, KOR has aligned with non-profits who are doing exceptional work related to causes KOR supports: ocean and watershed protection, the global water crisis and container recycling.

With each KOR ONE color tied to a specific cause, KOR will donate 1% of all sales to this select group. The original Ocean Blue KOR ONE supports Ocean Protection through the Agalita Marine Research Foundation. Sunrise Orange is for the Container Recycling Institute, while Sawgrass Green sales support Watershed Protection through The Wetlands Initiative. Orchid Pink is for the Global Water Crisis, with purchases supporting Blue Planet Run, a non-profit dedicated to bringing the global community together to provide safe drinking water to the more than one billion people who suffer for lack of access to clean water. “Blue Planet Run is thrilled that KOR Water recognizes how important safe drinking water is to every aspect of human life and is taking the lead in making change happen, said Lisa Nash, CEO of Blue Planet Run. “Our partnership will fund safe drinking water projects around the world, where as little as $30 can give someone a lifetime of safe drinking water.” KOR Water’s Thirst for Giving™ program is administered by 1% for the Planet, a non-profit dedicated to building and supporting an alliance of businesses that are financially committed to creating a healthy planet.

All four lustrous colors are made of BPA-free Eastman Tritan™ copolyester and include the original KOR ONE’s see-through design (eliminating worries of what might be hidden inside a metal bottle), innovative one-handed opening, a cap you can’t lose, inspirational KOR Stone inside lid, and a “just right” spout big enough for ice cubes and easy on the lips.

The Thirst for Giving program and the release of the new colors are just the beginning. “We’re excited about the new product lines we’re developing with KOR,” said Tom White, Executive Vice President of RKS. “RKS is thrilled to focus our strategy, design, and innovation teams on building the KOR Water brand and enabling them to achieve their goals.”
Designer : RKS for KOR Water

Designer : SimpleHuman

Juliet says :

I wanted to make tea making easier without losing the ritual of it, so having one appliance functioning as two makes it easy to use but keeps the ritual alive.The Dusi tea kettle functions as both a kettle and a teapot. You simply boil water in the Dusi on a stovetop, take it off and insert the tea infuser. The infuser is shaped to scoop out tea leaves from the packet then fit neatly in the kettles spout. The infuser is left in the pot for as long as the user desires then taken out and into its holder provided, while the tea kettle is now used as a teapot to serve. The base is copper – the most conductive material for cookware, while the body is double-walled borosilicate glass, and the tea infuser/scoop and it’s holder are both thin stainless steel.From the start of this process I wanted the kettle to look like a teapot while it functioned as both. Its form was inspired by a Bauhaus teapot with a beautiful shape that I came across in my research, and after using a teapot with a side handle I knew I had to have that feature on my kettle. So Dusi is a real mixture of Bauhaus, cottage and 21st century styles but result in a smooth contemporary form.

Designer : Juliet Symes

Designer : Mete A. MORDAG