Neil Barron's winning carafe design
Image source: Interior Design

Leave it to Londoners to make the relatively mundane act of drinking tap water into a stylish, fabulous brand experience.

London Mayor Boris Johnson and local utility Thames Water recently announced the results of a design contest to create the signature serving vessel for London On Tap, an initiative meant to encourage Londoners to choose tap water over bottled.

As David Owens, chief executive of Thames Water, proudly told Interior Design:

Now [Londoners] will be able identify our tap water with Neil’s stunning design, and drink the best water from the best bottle.

Contest winner Neil Barron received a prize of £5,000 from Thames Water for his design, called "Tap Top" (pictured above). According to Interior Design, the carafe will be manufactured in England and available for sale to the hospitality industry in spring 2009, with potential plans for selling it to the public under discussion as well.

Though a gimmick for sure, the contest is a smart way to bring high style and sophistication to simple tap water, which is both less expensive and less wasteful than bottled water. And we think it's only fair: slick branding is, after all, one of the tricks that the bottled water industry has always used to its own advantage. (My personal favorite detail? The four slender spouts neatly trap ice cubes inside the carafe...)

More about tap water and bottled water in our archives here, here and here.

Thanks to Worldchanger Morgan Greenseth for the tip!