Although bathroom faucets traditionally identify hot and cold with markings on the handle caps, Olivier Gossart, a Parisian designer, is trying something different. His new SO faucet for the French company THG suspends the words "chaud" and "froid" inside glass cubes. "My idea was to have something like water, a transparent material that is very delicate," he said.

The words are engraved by laser. The designer said he considered including diamond shapes in the glass (a witty take on extreme luxury) before settling on something more functional. The faucet is available in a range of metal finishes, but the words come in only one language. "It's the signature of a French company with a French designer," Mr. Gossart said. Available in January, from $2,820 at Davis & Warshow, 150 East 58th Street, (212) 688-5990, dwny.com. 

First Published: December 24, 2011, 5:00 a.m.