Three favorite kitchen sinks

Gold Notes is celebrating its third birthday all month. In honor of that milestone, I’m featuring fabulous, fun, favorite “threesomes” throughout July. Here’s the latest, my favorite kitchen sinks.

This is the sink I want for Chez J’s kitchen. Blanco’s Performa in Silgranit II is one of the most indestructible sinks you can buy and it looks darn good, too. (I’ve been a fan of this series for years – long before they made me a Design Council member or brought me to Germany for a fabulous, sponsored trip.)




This is a new favorite that I discovered at this year’s Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. Lenova's Entertainer Sink is pretty, practical and loaded with features. One of my favorites is the PermaClean drain, that eliminates the ugly ring for seamless, easy-maintenance style. You can read more about it in my Molten Gold feature on Affluence Seamless Sinks. Lenova uses the Affluence system.




I really like this update on a classic farmhouse sink in durable, sleek stainless steel. I would use this Verity Sink by Kohler in a transitional kitchen when the surrounding appliances are paneled. (My alternate pick if the appliances were stainless would be Rohl’s Shaw classic farmhouse sink.

Go-to Gold: Fixtures and Faucets - Part II

As I wrote in Go-to Gold's pilot post last month, all designers have their core brands - their go-to-first sources for consistently great products that fit their style and needs. That entry focused on faucets and fixtures from the large, well-known plumbing companies.

This one focuses on the smaller brands that you may not yet know, but that consistently produce good-looking, well-made and innovative products.


Affluence Seamless Sink

Inventor Dan Sullivan approached all the majors with his concept of a sink sans the ugly drain ring. Not a problem that needs solving, they replied. He disagreed, persisted and came up with a KBIS award winner. It's sleek, it's practical, it's as sexy as a sink can be. And it's got Sensible Style points out the window! (A Molten Gold pick last November.)

Can a sink be sexy? When it's this sleek and stylish, it can. This is Affluence Seamless Sink's SR3019-8

Disclaimer: Since I loved it so much, the company sent us one for our new IKDD working kitchen display.


California Faucets

This is the firm that brought high style to the lowly shower drain, first with its StyleDrain line, (Molten Gold pick), then with its CeraLine, (another Molten Gold pick). They also make some really nifty bathroom faucets.

Even without the wet woman, the StyleTherm by California Faucets looks great!

Danze

A bathroom project I designed employed Danze faucets and I really liked their quality and style. I continue to look to their brand when I'm seeking bathroom products with Sensible Style! In fact, Danze faucets showed up twice in Details #2 - The Faucet Edition.

Danze offers serious style with its new Sirius widespread lav faucet.

Graff

Their Luna wall-mount vessel faucet literally stopped me in my tracks at the 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show. What incredible style! At the San Diego NKBA's recent Industry Showcase, they showed some of their newest products which were also really, really good-looking!

Sade Faucet by Graff practically sings with style!

Native Trails

Their copper sinks are traditional, transitional or contemporary, depending on the finish and style you choose. All are incredibly handsome and lend a luxurious, artisinal quality to your design. I also spotted them first at KBIS 2008.

Farmhouse Duet in Brushed Nickel by Native Trails brings quality and style to your kitchen projects

MOLTEN GOLD - Sink Supreme

MOLTEN GOLD is another new Gold Notes feature. Launched earlier this month, MG will focus on hot new products or companies that can add luster to your home. Last time, we looked at a great line of eco-friendly faucets. Today, we'll step into the kitchen for an award-winning innovation.


Revolution, not evolution

Dan Sullivan solved a problem no one had thought about before, the dreadful drain. The sink he invented eliminated that ugly seam around your drain and disposal that catches gunk and creates an eyesore.

Dan Sullivan, inventor of the Affluence Seamless Sink, comes from a long line of plumbers. His invention may make him one of their best friends!

His Affluence Seamless Sink is a work of beauty. It's also, according to the company, a quicker, easier installation for your plumber. Why haven't sinks been made this way all along, some have asked. Sullivan wondered that, too. He took his invention to all the major fixture firms, (you know, the ones whose sinks you find at Home Depot, Lowes and Fergusons)... And was turned down by all of them. Here are some of the responses he says he's been given:

• Sinks have been this way for 50 years, nobody's complaining, why change.
• It means a whole new line of inventory and we already have six.
• The institutional memory of plumbers was too strong. It will take 5 years for them to get it.
• We are in the sink business, not the disposer attaches to sink business.

Like any great American inventor, Sullivan was not deterred by doubt. He made the sink through his own company and sells it online, as well as through far-sighted plumbing stores. And it is a thing of beauty.


The Affluence Seamless Sink

I first mentioned this brand when it won the Best of Competition and Gold Award for the Kitchen category at this year's Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in May. I believe it's earned its own Molten Gold posting, especially with its latest beauty!

Crisp elegance - Affluence Seamless Sink SR3019-8

Besides being darned good-looking, these sinks are made of premium 18 gauge stainless steel with a light European brushed finish. They've got sound-proofing pads and undercoating to reduce clean-up noise in your kitchen.

Look Mom, no ring around the drain! Model D3421L9-7

Among their innovations are a pair of dishwasher-friendly disposal splash guards that come with each sink. This allows you to clean one while you're using the other, and prevents the build-up of bacteria present in the permanently-installed versions so common in American households.

All the parts you need, including the strainer basket and splash guards, are included with each Affluence Seamless Sink.

There are even bar sinks in the Affluence Seamless Sink family

The Brand

Affluence Seamless Sinks were invented and patented by Dan Sullivan's design firm, Create Good, LLC. They're based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The sinks themselves are actually manufactured in China, by the same plant that makes another respected U.S. brand. According to Affluence's web site, they're currently developing some new toilets and shower heads. This is definitely a company to watch.


The Facts

Warranty: Lifetime

Pricing: Full-sized $695 to $845
Bar sinks $295 to $545

Purchase: Online at Affluence Seamless Sink Showroom or at a local dealer

Website: seamlesssink.com

KBIS 2009 - Kitchen Spotlight

Every year, the National Kitchen & Bath Association hosts the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show. At this trade-only event, manufacturers show off their new wares to kitchen designers, kitchen dealers, builders, architects, reporters and remodelers.

This year, the show was smaller because of the economy, but there were still plenty of great things to see. When asked by colleagues and reporters what I thought of KBIS this year, I invariably replied, "More evolutionary than revolutionary." What I meant is that while there were few "game-changers" that brought something new to the industry, there were some very nice additions and improvements.

There were also two distinct "green" trends: One, more products touting their eco-friendly virtues. Two, more products geared toward the recession -- i.e., costing fewer greenbacks.

Here are my favorite KBIS products for the kitchen. Check back next week for a KBIS 2009 - Bath Spotlight.


KOHLER TAKES THE STAGE

Kohler has created a combination sink/accessories/serveware/storage system called Stages that puts a range of kitchen essentials in one convenient location. It looks great, works hard and could be an ideal island or in-law kitchen option.




DRAWER VAC: HOW HANDY!

The very clever DrawerVac, (by a company of the same name), is designed to tie into -- and expand -- a home's central vacuum system. (Think of it as a DustBuster on steroids!). The unit installs in a base cabinet just below the countertop and pulls out when needed. This makes meal clean-up quicker, easier and more convenient. And anything that makes clean-up easier gets high marks from me!




GELPRO ON STEROIDS

Tile and wood have long been popular kitchen flooring options, but both can be very unforgiving underfoot. This contributes to muscle aches and fatigue when spending hours prepping, serving and cleaning up. GelPro produces cushioned mats that are ideal for a more comfortable kitchen session. There are great new designer colors, patterns and sizes to go with just about any decor. Now, instead of having one small mat in front of your stove, you can have an entire work aisle - up to 12 feet! - softened by this amazing material. (If only the whole convention floor could have been covered by GelPros, my feet would have been much happier trampers!)




INDUCTION SMARTS BY BOSCH

Bosch has made it easier for users unfamiliar with induction cooking to use this eco-friendly technology. Its AutoChef Induction Cooktop provides pre-programmed options for cooking a wide variety of foods-from pork chops to pancakes. I like induction cooking because of its inherent safety features, energy savings and easy cleanability. The Autochef makes easy learning a product feature, too, and even includes an induction compatible skillet. It's pretty darn sleek, too!



CORIAN - YES, CORIAN!

One of my biggest surprises at the show was Corian's new collection. If Corian conjures up images of tacky '80s tract home kitchens, you haven't seen its new lines! I always respected Corian for its simple virtues: (1) It's extremely easy maintenance; (2) It's warm and soft to the touch; (3) it's repairable; (4) It appears to be seamless, and (5) You can attach an integral sink. What I never liked was its attempts to imitate its richer rival, natural stone. This new collection has a beauty all its own, and deserves to be reconsidered. For another interesting Corian innovation, check out this posting, which includes its translucent Illuminations series. I spotted it last summer at the Southeast Builders' Conference.


SEAMLESS SMARTS

Affluence solved one of those gunky kitchen problems we didn't know could be solved. And they won a Best of KBIS product award for it, too! You know that ring around your kitchen sink drain that catches everything that goes into the sink and is a pain to clean? Some clever designer at this Ohio manufacturer figured out a solution for the problem... A seamless sink with no drain ring at all! Smart -- and stylish, too. (Sorry, flowers not included!)





TAKE IT OUTSIDE

If you've always wanted an outdoor kitchen, look no further than your closest Atlantis dealer. I first spotted this line in 2007 at the International Builders' Show. It's still the best outdoor cabinetry line in the industry, in my opinion. It's also the judges' opinion: Atlantis won a silver Best of KBIS 2009 kitchen award. Not surprising, since its parent company is top-notch custom cabinet maker, CWP. This year, Atlantis showed off its new bamboo series for those seeking a contemporary, eco-friendly option. (Call me old-fashioned, but my favorite Atlantis doors are still the teak series.)