Waterworks — the sleek and luxurious bath and kitchen design retailer, with 14 showrooms across the country — recently celebrated the opening of its new location in the Design District. To get the party started, co-founder Barbara Sallick and her son, Peter, CEO of the company, flew in from Connecticut.

Sallick's company is largely credited with transforming the oft-neglected bathroom, formerly considered perfunctory and utilitarian. With a focus on the finest fixtures, surfaces and textiles — think handmade copper tub from France, elegant faucetry in finishes ranging from sleek polished nickel to architectural bronze, marble washtand, and a stunning selection of tiles — Waterworks helps homeowners create bathrooms finer than those found at most high-end European hotels.

We chatted with Barbara to learn about the brand and what the new locale — Waterworks was formerly situated at the Plaza at Preston Center — means for home design enthusiasts.

"The location is is perfect," she says. "When people shop over in the Design District, [Waterworks] is now in the mix."

Barbara says that good design is all about "balance, proportion and scale" — something she learned while working at Yale University's Art Gallery, in her early days. And something that the English know well. She says that England is the country that best reflects Waterworks' style.

"The foundations are very Edwardian, which we freshened up and updated."

Although Waterworks has boutique partners in Texas, where retailers have department showrooms within the store — such as Alexander Marchant in Austin and Allen & Allen Company in San Antonio — Dallas has the only stand-alone showroom.

"We're thinking about Houston," Barbara says, "but whether it'll be a showroom or associate with a wholesaler has not been determined."