Perrin & Rowe® is one of the leading manufacturers of authentic kitchen and bathroom fittings in the UK with an international reputation in the design community. Despite operating in exceptionally competitive markets against much bigger companies, Perrin & Rowe® has continued to grow, exporting more than half of its products outside the UK. Each of its products has a unique storybehind it, linking the design inspiration with the finished article, and connecting the consumer with the craftsman.
Established in 1978 by Bob Perrin and Greg Rowe, Perrin & Rowe® started life in a back garden in East London, a partnership of engineers solving manufacturing problems for others. By the 80s, the company was focused on its own products and acquired its first factory in Essex, which is where the headquarters are located today. In 1991, Perrin & Rowe® invented and patented the world’s first 3-in-1 tapthat could dispense hot, cold and filtered water, and quickly became an established market leader. Today it sells its kitchen and bathroom brassware, chinaware and accessories around the globe. Along with Victoria + Albert Baths and Shaws of Darwen, Perrin & Rowe® is now owned by Fortune Brands, bringing together the very best in kitchen and bathroom design.
Perrin & Rowe® is passionately committed to British design and craftsmanship and is driven by a desire for engineering excellence. All brassware, chinaware and accessories are manufactured in the UK – in sites at Tamworth, Rainham and Wolverhampton – from the highest quality raw materials, by an incredible skilled and dedicated team of artisans. Shunning the trend for mass production, Perrin & Rowe® products are created in small batches with key stages such as casting, plating, polishing and glazing completed by hand. Each tap is individually inspected, and water tested before being shipped. It is this attention to detail and care that ensures every product offers a flawless finish, unbeatable performance and real value for money.
Discover the unique story of Perrin & Rowe® and how its products, including the new Armstrong Mixer are created here.
*Please
note filming took place prior to Covid-19.
As this film
shows, Perrin & Rowe®’s workforce is the heart of the brand. The company is committed to its UK
manufacturing base and continues to invest in technology and skills. From
hand glazing and casting to soldering and polishing, an apprentice scheme helps
preserve these specialist skills for generations to come. Only the highest
quality raw materials are used. Taps for instance are hand-cast or
moulded from low-lead brass; shower valves are engineered from solid brass,
while lever handles are crafted from Cornish glazed porcelain. Perrin &
Rowe® uses premium quarter-turn ceramic disc valves within its taps for ease
and comfort, while brassware is plated to a thickness above industry norms to
offer greater longevity and aesthetic appeal. Bearing rings and
engineering ‘O’ seals on handles and spouts help to prolong the life of the
product while ensuring a ‘wobble-free’ feel.
Available in a
range of styles and finishes to complement traditional and modern spaces, every
Perrin & Rowe® design is crafted with care. Polishing a product by hand, such as a
large Deco bathroom spout can take up to an hour due to the intricate level of detail
and some components will have up to six individual inspection as they pass
through the production process. With attention to every detail, the name
of the person who assembled and polished the brassware is also included with
the product as a mark of pride.
There are three
kitchen brassware collections to
choose from – Traditional, Country and Contemporary – along with Instant Hot
Taps and Filtration Taps, all designed, engineered and handcrafted in the
UK. The latest launch is the new Armstrong range,
an industrial design from Perrin & Rowe®, which offers a modern take on the
heritage of domestic brassware. The single lever and bridge mixer designs
blend an industrial style with a luxury feel and both models are available in a
choice of eight finishes, from hand-polished chrome to 24-carat plated gold.
The range is inspired by brothers Joseph and George Armstrong, designers
of locomotives for the Great Western Railway in the second half of the 19th
century. The Armstrong tap is made just a few hundred yards from the site of
the railway works at Wolverhampton where Joseph and George worked. The
Armstrong collection evokes the golden age of British engineering, while
bringing contemporary luxury to an industrial aesthetic.
Perrin & Rowe® 4549HT Armstrong
Lever Mixer with Pull Down Rinse & Textured Lever Handle in Satin Brass
Knurled Grip Handle
Detail in Aged Brass
Along with high quality brassware, Perrin & Rowe® also offers a stylish collection of fireclay sinks, which are handmade in the UKusing traditional methods and materials by its sister company, Shaws of Darwen. Shaws has been making fireclay sinks since Valentine’s Day 1897. Crafted using a slip casting process, a unique blend of English and French clay with water is poured by hand into a porous mould. Once the newly formed sink is dry enough to be handled, it is removed from the mould and hand finished by a process of sponging and fettling to create a smooth surface then left to dry for up to 40 hours. The sink is then prepared with a ground coat before being glazed twice and fired in specially designed kilns at temperatures of up to 1200˚C to create a tough, impermeable surface that is resistant to heat, impact, chemicals and stains.
Perrin
& Rowe® 800 Double Sink in White with the 1560 Phoenician with
Filtration Mixer and Rinse
and 1307 Parthian Mini
Instant Hot Tap in Chrome
Sitting alongside the kitchen tap and sink designs is a stunning bathroom range, which comprises five collections to suit a range of interior styles – Deco, Georgian, Contemporary, Traditional and the latest launch, Hoxton. Taking its name from the creative area of Shoreditch in East London, Hoxton brassware combines a slim spout with soft, curvaceous lines that makes it ideal for classically modern and industrial décors.
Perrin & Rowe® Hoxton 3440 Freestanding Bath-Shower Mixer in Polished Brass
Not only is the Perrin & Rowe® brand selected for use in private residences, it is also specified for the most luxurious hotels, resorts and spas around the world. Projects include the Corinthia Hotel in London, Chewton Glen in Hampshire, Gleneagles in Scotland, Sandy Lane in Barbados, Taj Lake Palace in India, Lilianfels Resort and Spa in Australia and Dolphin Island in Fiji.
Visit Perrin & Rowe® at www.perrinandrowe.co.uk
