Barbara Sallick of Waterworks is Inducted into The New England Design Hall of Fame

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Barbara Sallick: Redefining Everyday Beauty Through Design

Barbara Sallick has never seen any reason why the everyday shouldn’t be arrestingly beautiful. After a short stint as a teacher in Connecticut, Sallick worked in the American Decorative Arts department at the Yale University Art Gallery, where she discovered “the key to learning about art, architecture, beautiful rooms, and objects is looking, looking, and more looking.” She never forgot it.

In 1978, she and her husband, Robert, had a vision for, of all things, the utilitarian American bathroom. “We wanted Americans to think of their bathrooms like the ones we experienced on our travels in England and France,” she says. “The fittings we saw there were exquisitely crafted, elegant, and beautiful.”

The Birth of Waterworks: Transforming the American Bathroom

They saw an opportunity to transform the American bath, so they made multiple trips to Europe to visit plumbing showrooms. They sought out vintage Edwardian fixtures in salvage yards there and in New England, found manufacturers who could replicate them, and launched Waterworks that same year. Headquartered in Danbury, Connecticut, the company started by offering a few vintage English and French styles for the American market. After their son, Peter Sallick, joined in the early 1990s, the brand has grown to include a portfolio of proprietary luxury products, including custom cabinetry, tubs, showers, sinks, hardware, lighting, and even bath towels and rugs, and tile and stone. There are Waterworks showrooms in twelve cities in the U.S. and one in London as well as a team in Paris. The products can also be found in boutique showrooms internationally.

Sallick has always seen functionality in a different light—and followed her North Star. “I always come back to the classical principles of design: balance,proportion, and scale. And to the principles of classicism: harmony and restraint.”

A Legacy of Design Excellence and Mentorship

Over the years, Sallick’s role has evolved, both at the company and within the industry. She is sought-after as a speaker and panelist and has written several design books, served as a board member and chair of arts and education organizations, and has been honored as an innovator and visionary—all the while mentoring the next generation of designers, artisans, and design enthusiasts.