BECKI OWENS

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Chicago for a day of design hosted by Delta® Faucet. It was an amazing experience filled with inspiration and beautiful design. From the city’s unique architecture, to an incredible showroom with new products and technology, I gathered great ideas for new kitchen and bathroom designs. Today, I’m excited to share with you a glimpse of my day in Chicago and a few designs I’m working on inspired by this trip.

I was excited to go to Chicago where I haven’t spent a lot of time. Even before I left, I started reading about Chicago and what to do while I was there. But I didn’t need to do much research, because from the time I arrived, everything was planned out to capture the essence of this amazing city.

We stayed at the James Hotel which was located one block from the famous Magnificent Mile, full of great shopping and restaurants. In the morning we were picked up by trolley and taken to our first stop, the Delta Dream20 Showroom at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. It was an incredible hands on experience where I could really see all their new designs and try the new technology for myself.

There were several faucets that immediately caught my eye.  I loved the seamless lines of the faucet styles from contemporary to industrial. One benefit of the showroom was it created a cool experience where I could try out the faucets. For example, I really liked the  Zura™ collection with its cool matte black finish and its Touch2O® Technology where I could operate the sink three ways, by just touching it, holding my hands under it or manually lifting the lever. Discovering the Delta collection in the Dream2o showroom got my wheels turning for ways to incorporate them into my kitchen and bathroom designs.

After this first amazing experience it was time to see more sights of Chicago.

The next trolley stop was the Chicago Cultural Center which was stunning. I knew Chicago was known for its amazing architecture, and this was a great representation of it. I noticed beautiful details everywhere I looked, like the green glass mosaic edging around the windows juxtaposed with large, hex marble tile. There was unique mix of design styles throughout this building. It was cool to be able to stop, look closely, and pull elements of inspiration from it.

The Tiffany glass dome in the Cultural Center was breathtaking.

Following the Cultural Center, we visited the Rookery. It’s a great example of the evolution of design in Chicago because, although built in the 19th century, it incorporates modern technology. I love the idea that there were visionary architects that pushed the envelope in this city. I saw this in the unique combinations of architecture and design at the Rookery. This staircase is magnificent isn’t it? I love the steel construction, mixed with floral details that soften the look of its structure.

Next we saw Buckingham Fountain, which was beautiful and grand. It was built to resemble a fountain at Versailles. The water wasn’t on the day we visited. I wish I would have seen it flowing, it must be beautiful, but we were able to study the design of fountain and take in the beauty of its colors and details.

Water plays a huge role in Chicago. The city sits on lake Michigan and water itself is beautifully honored throughout many architectural designs. Two cool examples of this are Buckingham Fountain and the Aqua Tower, seen above. It’s incredible how a modern skyscraper can look fluid by design.

All of these sights were seen prior to lunch, which was hosted at Hampton Social. When I walked inside, I felt like I was home because the decor was fresh, clean, and coastal. Lunch was refreshing and full of great conversation.

Following lunch we had the opportunity to reflect on the inspiration we gathered from our tour of the city and make design boards using Delta faucets. I loved the colors, shapes, and design I had seen that day and decided to create a kitchen and a couple of bathroom designs with Chicago in mind. The kitchen above has a mix of industrial and geometric styles that I saw as I toured the city. The colors are the notable green of Chicago and the warmth of a foggy skyline.  I choose a faucet from the Trinsic® Pro Kitchen Collection for its industrial clean lines and polished look. It blends perfectly with the overall design.

The inspiration for this bathroom was soft blues seen reflected in the buildings of Chicago. The marble and the geometric shapes in the tile were inspired by the buildings we toured. The black is representative of the steel structures in the buildings. The matte black finish with chrome details of the Zura™ Bathroom Collection faucet was the perfect fit for this space. It represents the contemporary, urban feel of Chicago.

This final black and white bathroom design is a more classic concept. It still has the modern, urban feel, but with a minimal perspective.

I hope you have enjoy seeing the highlights of this day of design with Delta Faucet. Sharing the inspirations I gained from this day reminds me of what an incredible experience it was. Stay tuned for a mini makeover I will be doing with one of these new Delta faucets. I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

XXo
Becki

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Delta Faucet . The opinions and text are all mine.