June 21, 2026Keon Khajavi-Noori has spent two decades designing home interiors, many of them grand enough to contain incalculably valuable luxe furnishings, polished stonework and fine finishes. Yet when he talks about what makes a room memorable, he doesn’t begin with art or architecture. He mentions plumbing and the power of the objects people barely notice.
A well-crafted sink or bath fixture can “have an impactful feeling without you realizing it,” he says. The most important details in a home are constantly touched and rarely discussed: the faucet turned on before the first cup of coffee, the door handle grasped dozens of times a day, the sink basin filled with dishes after dinner.
That idea — that everyday objects deserve extraordinary attention — informs the collections of House of Rohl, with which Khajavi-Noori has collaborated on several such objects. Founded in 2016, the company brought together several established kitchen and bath producers under one umbrella, including the English firm Shaws, making sinks since 1897; British brassware manufacturer Perrin & Rowe; European-inspired faucet and fixture maker ROHL; and Victoria + Albert, known for its freestanding bathtubs. More-recent additions — including Emtek, with its highly personalizable hardware, and Riobel, producer of contemporary fittings — expanded the portfolio beyond plumbing.
“House of Rohl is, at its core, about bridging heritage and contemporary relevance through design,” says Eveline Simard, director of industrial design for the company. “What connects our brands is a shared commitment to craftsmanship, material integrity and originality, each expressed through a distinct lens.”
Take the Shaws Lancaster sink. “Each sink is handcrafted using a fireclay process that has remained largely unchanged since 1897,” Simard says. All are signed by their maker and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity — a small detail that connects the finished object to the person who shaped it.
The appeal of such objects goes beyond nostalgia. Today’s design aficionados seek products evidencing the thought and care that went into their creation. “Luxury consumers are more informed, well-traveled and design-conscious than ever before,” says Tania Aldous, vice president of industrial design at House of Rohl. “Exposure to exceptional craftsmanship, culture and design from around the world has deepened their appreciation for authenticity and the subtle refinement afforded by a skilled artisan.”
Those qualities resonate with interior designers as well. Houston-based Paloma Contreras has specified House of Rohl products for both client projects and her own house. “I have House of Rohl fixtures throughout my home, including the San Julio bridge kitchen faucet in my kitchen,” she says. “Their products are beautifully made and have a timeless quality.”
Such attributes were especially important when she designed her daughter’s bathroom. “I wanted it to feel classic and feminine,” Contreras explains, “and the Perrin & Rowe Holborn widespread lavatory faucet was the perfect choice that could easily grow with her over the years.”
Across House of Rohl’s brands, craftsmanship takes different forms. In the Perrin & Rowe Southbank collection, it has a UK inflection. Inspired by mid-century British design, the brassware fixtures tap the vocabulary of furniture making, translating those references into kitchen and bath faucets whose details reward closer inspection.
“The handle draws from traditional wood-joinery techniques, such as bridle and half-lap joints, the bridge form is inspired by the furniture language of Robert Heritage and Gordon Russell, and the fluted base rings echo the sculptural refinement of Ernest Race’s Antelope chair,” Simard says. “The ambition was to achieve a careful balance between a more modern design language and the brand’s heritage identity.”
Meanwhile, she adds, “Victoria + Albert elevates craftsmanship through material innovation, using a patented volcanic limestone that enables refined, sculptural forms while enhancing the experience through superior heat retention, a truly distinctive attribute.”
Elsewhere, craftsmanship serves as a vehicle for self-expression. Emtek SELECT, a highly customizable door- and cabinet-hardware collection, allows designers and homeowners to mix and match grips, stems, rosettes, finishes and materials. Recent stone additions, like marble and terrazzo, expand the possibilities even further. “Today, people want ownership of their environment,” Simard says. “They want spaces that reflect their identity rather than standardized solutions.”
Aldous sees that desire as part of a shift in the definition of luxury. “Emtek SELECT is founded on the belief that luxury is personal,” she says. “The collection is thoughtfully curated by designers for designers and design-conscious homeowners, enabling almost infinite customization that feels uniquely individual.”
For Keon Khajavi-Noori and his husband and design partner, Xander Khajavi-Noori, the conversation often returns to the overlooked details that shape experience. The pair divide their time between Southern California and northern Italy, gleaning inspiration from travel, history and the ways people interact with their surroundings.
Their latest collaboration with ROHL, Apadana, takes its name from a ceremonial palace built roughly 2,500 years ago in the ancient Persian city of Persepolis. The vast hall served as a gathering place for representatives from the many regions of the empire, who brought gifts to the king during Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
“We took direct inspiration from the fluted columns on the Apadana,” Xander says, translating their carved splendor into contemporary kitchen and bath fittings. “What really distinguishes this collection for me is that it’s kind of a chameleon,” he adds. “It can be used in a very modern space. It can be used in a very traditional space.”
The connection is personal to Keon, whose family heritage is Iranian. “The story of this palace is it’s a unifier, and we wanted to design a collection that unifies everything together,” he says, adding, “When this becomes one of the primary focal points of the bathroom — and we don’t accessorize a lot — it really steals the show.”
For the Khajavi-Nooris, the most successful pieces often operate below the level of conscious attention. “It’s what you don’t put in the room that makes the room gorgeous,” Keon says.
That sentiment echoes throughout House of Rohl’s collections. Whether it’s a handcrafted sink, a brass kitchen tap or a customizable cabinet pull, the objective is to enrich a daily ritual.
“A functional object becomes something cherished through the emotional connection it creates,” Aldous says. “When thoughtful design, craftsmanship and elegance come together in harmony, an everyday object becomes something of enduring value.”
