Introducing BlogTourNYC Sponsor : Samuel Heath

Good morning folks! I hope you all had a good weekend and are ready to face a new week. I can’t believe how fast the time is whizzing by, I almost wish it would slow down a little as I have so much to do and so much to blog about. Remember a while ago I told you how I  had been chosen, along with a group of fabulous bloggers, to go to New York as part of BlogTourNYC? Well that announcement was over a month ago, which means I’ll be headed for the Big Apple in 2 weeks! I can hardly believe it.

So I thought I would start a new series of blog posts to give you guys a little insight into BlogTourNYC so you know a bit more about it and particularly the great companies that are sponsoring the tour and enabling myself and the other bloggers to attend the Architectural Digest Home Design Show  and all the other fantastic events that Modenus, the tour organiser, has lined up for us.

So, to kick off this new series I would like you to meet Samuel Heath, an English brassware manufacturer, internationally renowned for creating beautiful bathroom fittings including faucets, showers and accessories, as well as a range of architectural hardware. I caught up with Samuel Heath’s Marketing Manager Vanessa Allan to find out more about the company and its involvement in BlogTourNYC.

Vanessa Allan Marketing Manager Samuel Heath

Can you please tell us a little bit about the company?

Samuel Heath was founded in 1820 so we are a long standing company. The company stared as a traditional brass founders, Birmingham being historically a centre for brass foundaries. In our long history, the company has made a wide variety of products from brass, however our expertise in working with brass has remained the core of the company.

Products throughout our history have included brass bedsteads, car fittings, lamps, table gongs, and decorative accessories, such as candlesticks. The company now specialises in bathroom fittings; taps, showers and accessories and architectural hardware.

We employ a mix of traditional time-honoured manufacturing techniques alongside some of the latest engineering and testing machinery.

What is it that sets you apart from your competitors?

Samuel Heath designs and manufacturers product from start to finish retaining all process in-house in our factory in Birmingham. Starting with CAD and rapid prototyping through to hot stamping, CNC machining, polishing, plating, testing and stocking. We also make and maintain tooling for our own machines where possible. This integrated approach enables us to carefully control the quality of production at every stage to produce the best quality.

In fact, often most commented upon is the quality of our plated finishes, which sets our products apart. It is a combination of individual processes and the depth of each layer of plate that delivers a deep ‘mirror quality’ finish.

The company prides itself on attention to detail with quality control checks at every stage, and in fact every tap and shower is hand assembled.

It is this ability to do everything in house, backed by British craftsmanship, that sets us apart from many of our competitors. As we are able to produce everything in-house this also allows us to work with designers on bespoke products where possible.

Can you tell us about your most popular range?

Currently our most popular collection is the Fairfield collection. This range was inspired by the Arts and Crafts and Aesthetic Movements drawing many design influences from the period. The collection however is not retrospective but a contemporary interpretation. Fairfield offers a host of design options including the ability to select from a variety of lever options from metal, wood, ceramic and crystal, which allows the designer flexibility.

What is your most recent product to hit the market and how was it received?

We recently launched some new dual-control, concealed showers into the market. These are available in the four main design collections; Fairfield, Xenon, Xiara, Antique designed completely in house. These have been well received by designers and retail trade.

How did you get involved with BlogTour?

We sponsored the first Blog Tour to London in 2011. I initially ‘met’ Veronika through Twitter and got chatting to her about the new venture. This innovative new idea was a great match for Samuel Heath and generated a huge buzz for us last September.

Will you be attending the Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC?

Whilst Samuel Heath will not have a booth at The AD Show we will have a product showcased at the Modenus booth. We are sponsoring BlogTour for a year so will of course be attending some of the events in NYC to network and connect with the blog team.

What are you hoping to achieve by sponsoring BlogTourNYC?

For BlogTourNYC we are hoping to meet and network with bloggers and designers to build awareness of the Samuel Heath brand and what we are about.

Can you tell us something that not many people would know about the company?

We installed the first chromium plating facility in Birmingham in 1929. Also we were manufacturing coffin furniture in the early 1900’s and we also exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition.

I would like to thank Vanessa for sharing these insights about Samuel Heath and I’m looking forward to finding out more about the company when I meet her in New York.

If you want to experience the trip along with us make sure you subscribe, follow and visit all the blogs taking part and don’t forget to follow us all on Twitter so you can keep up with the action as it happens. Also the official Twitter hashtag for the tour is #BlogTourNYC.