Now that I am back on the manufacturing side of the game, I am reminded how important catalogs are to working with the design trade. The old adage that people need to see an elegant faucet in order to appreciate it and to specify it has evolved into a myth wrapped up into a ribbon of hope.
Talented designers and architectural design teams do not need to see the faucets, showers and tubs they are specifying. They absolutely do need to visit a top-line, forward-acting showroom from time to time to see what is new and trendy. But, they do not need to visit a showroom every time they design a bathroom or kitchen — it simply is not necessary nor worth the time. If they know the manufacturer crafts a quality product and it can be sourced from a knowledgeable and service-oriented distributor, the design trades are comfortable writing their specification from their desk based on the information from a catalog and/or the internet. By the way, this is not new behavior; catalogs have been specification references since I joined this industry in 1979 and their reach has continued to expand over the decades.