We’ve all been there—in a hotel bathroom or at the home of a friend, we’ve gone to take a shower and been unsure which dial or button will deliver the shower we want. This is especially true when more than one shower head is involved; getting a perfectly heated stream of water from a specific outlet becomes a drawn out guessing game as you stand there shivering in a towel. This is precisely the problem the team at GROHE set out to solve with their new SmartControl. The sleek system controls water temperature and pressure, and up to three shower outlets, allowing for complete customization with the push of a button. “Our goal was to make it very intuitive and simple to operate,” says Ben Fix, Senior Director of Product at GROHE. Now, a piece of your home you may have never considered elevating with smart controls can become sleek, streamlined, and completely personalized.

In building the SmartControl system, the GROHE team intended to simplify a user’s shower experience. “People don’t want a lot going on,” says Fix. “They may have a lot of [water] outlets, which meant three or four controls on the wall. We wanted to streamline that.” The GROHE team pulled all controls into one clean, straightforward trim. Having all features consolidated into one system with a single control box means installation becomes painless (your plumber will thank you). And with only four dials and personalizable icons, the design is as minimal as possible while being intuitive. “We looked at different industries to understand how to make products more user friendly. We developed the push button, very much like a car. That’s where the inspiration came from.”

By simply pushing and turning the SmartControl dials, users can customize water temperature and water pressure instantly, and have complete control over their shower. The personalized output give users the tailor-made results we’re all used to when dealing with smart tech, but nothing about the SmartControl is electronic. “It looks like a digital product,” says Fix, “but we accomplished it with manual parts.” This makes the SmartControl a really attractive option. Other companies have developed similar systems with electronic parts, and they tend to fail over time because of their exposure to water and steam. “From a tech perspective, this product is unique,” Fix says.

GROHE is always looking for modern ways to implement their impressive, cutting edge technology. “We have core technology that we’re really proud of and that we want to develop further,” says Fix. As he puts it, his team has developed all the impeccable mechanical ingredients to bring the best products to the market. “Bringing our technology into the perfect engineered product, that’s the innovation we bring to the table.” He sees the SmartControl as a game changer. “From a feature perspective, there’s a lot of choice, and people want the freedom of choice.” In combining beautiful design with completely customizable, streamlined controls, the team has certainly created a singular product. “This is a milestone for showering,” Fix believes. “There’s nothing else like it on the market today.”