Showing posts with label kitchen sink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitchen sink. Show all posts

24 March 2016

Installing granite countertops

This photo was taken from Caesarstone Canada official site 

Installing granite countertops isn’t exactly a simple process, but it’s not terribly difficult either. There are a number of basic steps to follow that can all but guarantee you a result you’ll be thrilled with.

It starts with a visit to a counter fabricator’s showroom. Do an internet search for granite fabricators in your area and you’ll find more than a few of them. A granite fabricator has the equipment and the experience to work with not only granite, but other materials such as quartz composites and solid surface materials too.

Once you’re at the fabricator, you’ll see many slabs of the material you can use for granite countertops they have on hand and you’ll notice that their materials when in slab (uncut) form are grouped by color. You’ll find that helpful because the first decision you’ll have to make is the color of your counters. Deciding on the pattern of that color comes second, after you’ve narrowed down your color choices.

At the fabricator too, you’ll see the sink options you have available as well as a selection of faucets. It’s usually less expensive to buy sinks and faucets from a fabricator than it is to buy those same components from a plumbing wholesaler.

If they’re not clearly labeled, ask to see what edge options for your granite countertops you have to choose from as well. 

After you’ve made your selections, ask to set up an appointment for a template.

Custom granite countertops cannot be made ahead of time, they’re always made from a template of the cabinetry where those counters will be installed. It takes a little longer this way, but it’s only then that you can be sure that your new granite counters will fit perfectly.

Your estimate will always include labor. It’s only a qualified installer who knows how to install granite countertops.

Once your new granite countertops are installed, follow the installer’s directions exactly once they leave. In most cases, you won’t be able to use your new counters for a day or so after they’ve been installed. Your fabricator and installer will also have some useful tips and products to help keep your new countertops looking new for a very long time.

Once you’ve gone ahead and had your new granite countertops installed, take a breath and enjoy them. They’re a beautiful addition to any home and not only that, they add real value when it comes time to sell your house.

23 March 2015

Every chef deserves the right kitchen sink



When it comes to food and cooking habits, Australia’s early indigenous history l has a great influence on what people eat every day. An whilst hunter gatherer diets such as bush tucker are now a less common occurrence, being replaced over time by the influence of British colonization, the culture of outdoor barbecue cooking is still a very prominent aspect of Australia’s food culture. However, modernization and multiculturalism have brought Australia a diversity of new cooking habits which have brought people back to the art of indoors kitchen cooking, popularizing the use of pan and oven cooking.

A country rich in fresh produce

With its climate, land and sheer size, Australia is a land where fresh produce is readily available. The coastal areas are rich in fish and other seafood products, and the inland sees the seasonal growing of many vegetables, including cucumber, asparagus, cauliflower, tomato, peas, mushrooms and many more. This diversity has given birth to a culture of stir-frying and steaming lean meats and vegetables. Australia is also known for its fruit growing culture, especially known for being the birthplace of the famous iconic apple: the Granny Smith.

Australian drinking

Whilst beer is often seen as Australian’s drink of choice, the country has a huge wine making culture. This is because the land and the climate allow for the growth of well ripened grapes, producing rich, fruity and often slightly higher in alcohol wines. Red wine varieties such as Shiraz and white wines such as Chardonnays are among the many wines Australia’s land has to offer. And as well as the love for tea drinking, brought along by the British colonization, another very popular drink in Australia is coffee, brought along by the immigration of Italian and Greek population over the past 100 years.

The need for a good kitchen

Just like any other country, Australian homes deserve a good functioning kitchen. This is necessary for the cooking of all the diverse ingredients the country has to offer. There is always room in the garden for a good barbecue but when it comes to food preparation, indoors is where it is at. The Australian climate can be too hot to leave foods outside, so a cool temperature kitchen is essential for the preparation of all those lovely dishes.

Keeping it clean and hygienic

Because of the hot climate, insects and other animals can still make their way into people’s kitchens. This is why hygiene is very important in an Australian kitchen. The sink is the central hub of cleanliness in any kitchen, it is essential to washing our dishes, cleaning our foods, keeping our hands clean and maintaining the hygiene levels to a good standard. The sink is one of those aspects which is worth investing into as it will be a central part of our cooking for the rest of our lives. Looking online, kitchen laundry sinks from abl are some of the best ones to buy in the country, offering a variety of choices, from beautiful designs to practical sizes where all kitchen hygiene needs can be met. After all, a clean kitchen is a good kitchen.

20 February 2015

How much should you spend on redesigning your kitchen?



The past few years have seen the kitchen grow in importance, in comparison with the rest of the house. Today, people eat, gather, and even have parties in the kitchen. Larger kitchens have replaced the small, basic ones with conveniences such as larger sinks, islands, fancy lighting, beautiful refrigerators, cookers, and so on. Most homes have picked up on the cozy, social kitchen trend. But how much should you spend on redesigning your kitchen?

Creating A Budget

After conducting thorough research on the re-designing options for your kitchen, it is time to consider your budget. The following tips will help you estimate more accurately.
When planning, decide what exactly needs to be done. Your decision will place your project in one of two remodeling categories:

Minor Remodels

Minor remodels average at around $17,000 to $25,000. These are usually done when a  kitchen has a good layout, or its plumbing and electrical systems meet the current building standards. However, the finish may be outdated and needs revamping. The design, in this case, will remain identical to the original, and it will mean you change the cabinets, flooring, ceiling colour and worktops.

Major remodels

Major remodels are far more costly. Mid-range projects in this category average at around $50,900 to $59,700 while high-end projects average at around $103,500 to $115,500. Due to poor planning during construction, some kitchens require significant updates or repairs, and expansion in size, hence the sharp difference in cost between the minor and major remodels.

After determining what your kitchen needs, coming up with a budget that will cover your expenses becomes less daunting.

Break down the Costs

Come up with an easily comprehensible way of breaking your budget. On average, you can break down your budget – as a percentage of the total amount – as follows:


  • Cabinets: 35 percent,
  • Appliances: 20 percent,
  • Labour: 20 percent,
  • Windows: 10 percent,
  • Fixtures: 5 percent,
  • Fittings: 3 percent,


Prepare for the Unexpected

Something unexpected always happens during construction – especially in older residences. For example, on ripping out your walls, you may realize that the electrical wiring is outdated, or that your floor has rotted after pulling out your dishwasher. Leaving about 20% of your budget to cover the unexpected is practical.

List what You Consider most Important

List what you feel needs revamping the most. If you feel that new appliances will give your kitchen the most pleasing restoration, ensure that they are at the top of your list. This way, even if the cost supersedes your budget, you will have taken care of what is most important to you.

Acquaint Yourself with the Charges Design Professionals Demand

Design professionals can take your project from conceptualization to selecting the finish materials for your construction.


  • Architects charge, on average, $150 per hour and above, or a flat fee of about $500 to $5,000,
  • Interior designers charge an average of $100 to $150 per hour or a flat fee of $500 to $10,000, and
  • Kitchen designers charge $50 per hour.

Of course you should shop around for this. Some kitchen builders in Melbourne offer free design consultations along with their services.

You should also acquaint yourself with the charges that your local buildings permit office requires for such a demolition. Some areas determine their fees basing on the planned work while others require you to pay a percentage of the total project.

Your kitchen reflects your lifestyle, and spending money on it gives you the chance to get a kitchen you’ll love to be in, whether to cook, socialize or relax. Since a cozy, social kitchen is the new trend, revamping your kitchen should be among your top priorities if you've the budget to spare.

23 September 2013

Lights! Camera! Blanco!

Recently, I had the good fortune to visit my friends and colleagues at Blanco on the set of a photo and video shoot. The folks from Blanco's marketing department is working on the catalog shots and video footage they'll use when they roll out a new campaign in a couple of months.


While I was on set I saw some old favorites and a lot of new stuff I can't talk about. But brace yourselves.

Listen, I get it that many people's eyes glaze over when I start gushing about innovations in sink design. But think about it. What component do you use more than any other in your kitchen? The smart money's on you answering "the sink." So why not spend some time considering this heavily utilized and underappreciated feature in every kitchen?

Blanco does that and more. Every aspect of how people use their products is thought through and and analyzed. Their research informs their finished designs to an alarming, though understated way.

For example, on most flat bottomed stainless sinks the sink walls and the sink floor meet each other at a sharp, 45-degree angle. You know what you can't do with a sharp 45-degree angle at the bottom of a sink? That's right, you can't clean it very easily. On a Blanco flat bottom sink, the joints between the sinks walls, sides and floor meet at a gentle, 10mm radius. You know what the average radius of a human being's index finger is? That's right, 10mm.

Flat bottomed steel sinks such as Blanco Precision™ Sinks are engineered around the dimensions of the human body to make them easier to clean.


Another great example is from my favorite sink in the universe, the Blanco Modex™. The drainboard built into this sink is pitched in two directions (backward and toward the sink) so water can't get anywhere but down the drain. That's more solid thought expended on a sink that makes it easier to use and live with.

While I'm gushing over the Modex, here's a video that 'splains it all:


As cool as the Modex is, just wait'll you see the new stuff Blanco has coming.

My on set visit with Blanco took place at the Shadowlight Group and I was absolutely blown away by their skills and their facility. Have a product you want to have photographed or filmed? Give them a call.

As always, it was great to see my friends from Blanco. I'm fortunate to know first hand that with a company like Blanco, I know that the great products they produce are backed by some of my favorite people in the industry.

13 May 2013

Water for People

It's no great secret that I have some pretty strong relationships with a number of manufacturers. In all of these cases, I get involved with brands that make exceptional products and that are staffed by some truly great people.

One of those great brands is Blanco. I sit on Blanco's Design Council and I count the members of their marketing department and the staff of their advertising agency to be friends as well as colleagues. Blanco makes amazing sinks and faucets and the quality of their products is enough to make me a fan. What cements my affection is Blanco's willingness to take on new initiatives and to support causes that make the world a better place.



One of their newest causes is a foundation called Water for People. Water for People advocates for and provides permanent, sustainable, potable water sources for impoverished people who'd otherwise lack access to clean water and sanitation.

As part of Blanco's ongoing support of Water for People's mission, Blanco is currently running a fundraiser via their new YouTube video, Faucet Innovations.


Each click on that video will earn Water for People a $1 donation to help them fulfill their mission. So click on that video and send the link to your friends.

I consider myself to be pretty water conscious. Yet I can't help but think that I spent the weekend spraying potable water on my newly planted vegetable garden. Gardening for me is a hobby and having so much clean water at my fingertips that I can spray it on my tomatoes with abandon is something I take for granted.

But for most of the world's population, finding clean water is not a given and growing food for a hobby isn't an option. Organizations like Water for People are out to change that. Blanco's ready to help you to make a difference and all you need to do is click on a video. Click it!

14 July 2012

It must be sink week: check out the new Cerana from Blanco

The Cerana from Blanco is their first ceramic sink to be introduced in North America and leave it up to Blanco to come up with something truly innovative to mark this new category's debut.

While the sink may be new on this side of the Atlantic, the material it's made from is not. Fireclay's been around for hundreds of years for very good reason. It's extremely durable and holds up well to everyday wear. Where the innovation comes in is that this apron-front sink is reversible. Yes, reversible.

Both sides of this sink are finished and the drain's in the absolute center. One side has the rounded lines of a traditional apron-front and the opposite side has a more linear, modern appearance. When it comes time to do the installation, pick a side and just go for it.

Modern installation

Traditional installation

It's a terrific idea and this video explains the concept and execution really well.






Good job Blanco! To see the Cerana and the rest of Blanco's collections, poke around on their website.

13 July 2012

Kohler Colors with Jonathan Adler

Kohler's rolling out four, new and vibrant colors with the help of Jonathan Adler. Say what you will about Adler, but I give him all kinds of credit for bringing vibrant color to six, select kitchen and bath sinks from Kohler's existing collections.

Here's the full palette:


In situ, those colors are Greenwich Green,


Piccadilly Yellow,


Annapolis Navy


and Palermo Blue.


These Jonathan Adler colors are only available in enameled iron because the degree of saturation shown in these sinks can only be achieved with enamel. The sinks available in these colors are Tides, Canvas, DemiLav Wading Pool for the bath and Whitehaven, Riverby and Iron/ Tones for the kitchen.

These sinks are cast in the Kohler foundry in Kohler, WI and carry a lifetime warranty.

There was once a time when I lived to take potshots at Adler's work. While it's true that his creations aren't for everybody, what's also true is that he's a fundamentally decent man who understands his audience perfectly. Besides, anyone who'll pose with the likes of these two can't be anything but a good guy. Right Cheryl?


So what do you think? Is there room for this kind of bold color in a sink? Would you ever use color this way in your own home?

13 June 2012

Blanco and Bosch make a great pair




As I mentioned a couple of times last week, Blanco and Bosch flew me and a bunch of great people I know to Costa Mesa two weeks ago. We were there to tour Bosch's new training center and showroom, ask pointed questions to the Bosch industrial designers, shoot hours of video and of course, cook. Bosch's new facility is amazing and every sink and faucet in the place was made by Blanco, hence the joint venture.

It's the perfect marriage of brands. Their design philosophies match the commitments to quality and innovation perfectly.

Lori Dolnick from the Blanco PR team photgraphed the entire event and put everything together in a video.





The people in that video are a who's who of the Kitchen and Bath Industry and I consider them to be not only my peers, but also my friends. It's always an honor to be included with such an august group and I can't thank the marketing teams at Blanco and Bosch enough.

21 November 2011

Reader question: whither goest farm sinks?

Help! I love the look of the farm sinks, but I don't like the look of granite. The salesperson at Home Depot said to have a farm sink, you have to have granite. Is this true, or what other counter top can be used? Thanks.

To quote a young Christina Crawford in Mommie Dearest, "That's a lie." I don't think it's a lie on the part of the sales person who told you that, I think he or she was just parroting back the Home Depot party line. Whatever the source of that bit of misinformation, it's patently untrue and it's pretty illustrative of the reasons not to shop in a home center for anything other than light bulbs and duct tape.

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The Home Depots of the world realized a long time ago that it's too expensive to train their employees adequately or to pay them enough to keep them around for long periods of time. The result of that incredibly short-sighted approach is the exact kind of advice you got about sinks. But hey, what's a little inaccurate information when there are a couple of bucks to be saved. Right?

Stay out of home centers for complicated purchases such as the one you described. There are independent plumbing showrooms everywhere who are anxious to win your business. The people who work there are paid a living wage and are rewarded for knowing what they're talking about. Find one near you and buy your sink there.

Before I get too far into this, the sinks you're referring to are called apron-front sinks by the industry. Referring to a those kinds of sinks as an apron-fronts as opposed to a farm sinks sends the message that you did your homework.

Apron-front sinks don't require that you use any specific kind of counter material, but they do require a specialized sink base cabinet. Retrofitting them into an existing kitchen is nearly impossible, even if you're getting new counters. This is not a weekend DIY project by any means.

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If you want to add an apron-front sink and not tear out your existing kitchen, go talk to an independent kitchen designer. He or she can help you figure out a way to pull it off tastefully and properly. You'll have to buy a new sink base cabinet at a minimum, so talk to a professional about how you can add a new cabinet without it looking like a band aid.

Once you settle on a sink and how to integrate it into your kitchen, go talk to a counter fabricator. Most counter fabricators deal with natural stone, solid surface and quartz composites. Many of them can handle other materials like concrete and wood too, just ask. Explain that you're going to use an apron-front sink and they will explain, clearly and factually, the sorts of things you need to keep in mind as you pursue this project.

You will spend the same money there that you would from a home center. But again, your money will go to a company that pays its employees a living wage, trains them and rewards them for knowing what they're talking about. A salesperson at an independent counter fabricator can answer all of your questions about how to handle an apron-front sink.

Between the plumbing showroom, the kitchen designer and the counter fabricator you'll be all set. You'll have information that's based on facts, you'll get personal attention and you'll spend the same (if not less) money than you would at a home center. Furthermore, you'll be pumping money into your local economy instead of exporting it to Atlanta or Mooresville, NC.

Home centers have their place, but that place is not selling and installing specialty products, as the misinformation you were given illustrates perfectly.

11 November 2011

Undermount sinks with laminate counters? Yes you can.

For as long as I've been part of the Kitchen and Bath Industry, I've believed the maxim that undermounting a sink with a laminate counter was impossible. But then last January I found myself the guest of Blanco at the trade show IMM in Cologne. It was at Blanco's booth that I saw this.


That is a porcelain kitchen sink that's been undermounted to a laminate counter. I'd never seen anything like it and it kind of blew my mind.

Here's a close up of the edge of that sink.


I chalked it up as just one more of those things that would never cross the Atlantic.

Then a couple of months ago at Cersaie in Bologna I saw this vanity by Duravit. Sure enough, that's another undermounted sink with a laminate counter.


Around the corner from that display was a cross section of one of these installations.



Remarkable.

Well yesterday morning I was on Twitter as I'm wont to do and I started having a conversation with the Formica Corporation (@FormicaGroup) and two designers from England, Marion John (@Majjie) and Russ Buckley (@russrb).

The topic turned to undermounting sinks with laminate counters and I showed them those photos of the Duravit displays I'd seen in Italy. Then Formica posted this photo of an undermounted stainless sink in a counter laminated in their Calacatta Marble pattern from their 180fx Series.


After ten minutes of oooohs and ahhhhs and trying to figure out how on earth you could make a waterproof seal in an installation like that, Formica pulled out this video from Karran sinks.



Mystery solved.

Now, this won't work with just any sink and the labor involved will not make this an inexpensive option. However, should you find an installer willing to do this, you can now show him or her a video that explains how to do it. Thanks Formica and thanks Karran for making this information public.

01 April 2011

There's a new color from Blanco


The great folks at Blanco just rolled out their newest color to their line of Silgranit II sinks.


The color is called truffle and it's a grey-brown that will look great in many situations and will help bring out the beauty of stone counters particularly. Silgranit is a manufactured material made from 80% pulverized granite and 20% arcylic. The material that results is stain-, scratch-, acid- and heat-resistant and will outlast the counter it's attached to and still look great. Speaking of looking great, that's Blanco's Kulina faucet int he photo above.

I have to admit that I was a skeptic when these manufactured sinks started to hit the market. I lumped them unfairly with the less-than-ideal solid surface sinks Corian is still trying to pawn off on an unsuspecting public. Silgranit II is in a league all its own however, and these sinks are some of the most resilient and long-lasting on the market.


But Blanco's not stopping with Truffle sinks. Truffle is also available as an accent color on four of their faucets. Those same faucets are available too in Café Brown, Biscotti and Anthracite. Pulling a sink color out of the sink and onto the faucet may be the accent some people are looking for. Color-accented faucets are all the rage from what I saw in Europe earlier this year so it's a look that's bound to catch on here eventually.

You can learn more about the world of Blanco products on their website.

06 March 2011

A Duravit sneak peak

Next week, sink and sanitary ware manufacturer Duravit will debut the Cassia line of kitchen sinks in North America.


Cassia is a product of Phoenix Design and comes in three reversible sizes and five colors and it's made from a new ceramic, DuraCeram.


Aside form all of that, it has all the features I've been whining that sinks sold int he US never have. Note the drain switch, the overflow drain and the integrated drainboard. Keep 'em coming Duravit! You can find more information on the Cassia line and the rest of Duravit's products on their website.

01 February 2011

German sink intelligence from last week

I have thousands of photos from my Germany trip and almost as many pages of notes. Thank you again to Blanco for granting me this chance of a lifetime perspective on design in Europe.

There are a number of innovations I saw in Cologne that will probably never make it across the pond and a few that will. There were a couple of new things (that aren't new in Europe) that have really had me thinking for the week that I've been back.

For starters, nearly all European kitchen sinks have a drain switch, which can be usual for people who are used to more western Kohler sinks.


That's the dial in the front of this sink. That switch works like the pop up drain in a vanity sink. Stopping and unstopping the sink drain doesn't involve reaching into dirty water in the EU. Blanco tried to introduce the idea of a kitchen sink drain switch in the US but the masses rejected it. As shown above too, most European sinks have an integrated drain board.


I saw a lot of sinks that have integrated cutting boards.


This is an idea so brilliant I can't get over why it hasn't been adopted universally. The dial in the foreground of this photo is the mixer, it sets the temperature and turns on and off the faucet.


Blanco's telescoping faucet was at the IMM in Cologne in a big way and my pals at Blanco's US headquarters assure me that this faucet will make a US debut this year.


That's a fitted, removable strainer basket with a lid to the left.

The small compartment to the rear of that sink is a second drain line. Most European sinks have overflow drains. Sometimes, they just act as an overflow drain and sometimes they add some utility as does the one above.


For as long as I've been involved int he kitchen and bath industry, I've been told that it's impossible to undermount a sink in a laminate counter. Well, that's the very thing I'm showing above. That's a Blanco ceramic sink undermounted in a laminate counter.

Blanco got its start as a stainless steel fabricator and it's in steel that they excel as kitchen artisans. This is a stainless steel counter with two integrated drainboards and an integrated, flat bottom sink.


It's a one centimeter, floating counter.


Another cool touch on a lot of Blanco's steel sinks is a drain cover. It serves no purpose other than to disguise a sink drain.


It's an almost inconsequential detail that makes a world of difference. The rectangular shape on the back sink wall is the overflow drain and the man in the background is Tim Maicher, Blanco's VP of marketing in the US and all-around good guy.

Prior to my trip to Germany (and later to Canada) with Blanco, kitchen sinks were never something I spent a whole lot of time thinking about. I knew that a good one was important but I never really grasped what makes a good kitchen sink. I sure know now! A good sink begins and ends with Blanco. Don't ever buy anything less.

01 December 2010

Blanco re-thought the sink drain


So much of what goes into a house goes in there because that's the way things have always been done. No one ever really thinks about the inherent, inherited inefficiencies of things like sink drains.


Well Blanco does think about these things and they just unveiled a new, three-piece sink drain that's pretty clever.


The Blanco 3-in-1 offers a deep strainer basket with engineered holes on the sides and bottom that keeps water flowing while it collects waste. An exaggerated lip makes it easy to pull up and empty without coming in contact with any of the gunk caught in the strainer. It's made from stainless steel and it's dishwasher-safe to boot. The third part of this wonder product is a one-touch, secure lid that will allow you to fill a sink with water and hold it there without having twist or turn a thing. Even better, these strainers will fit any standard new sink or retrofit into an existing sink.


Meeting up with the great minds at Blanco design is but one of the reasons I'm excited to take part in a Blanco-sponsored junket to Germany next month. Thanks Blanco! You can learn more about Blanco sinks and faucets on their website. Blanco products are available worldwide.

09 November 2010

Ich gehe im Januar nach Deutschland

[Now featuring corrected grammar! 11-10-10 PA]


That's right. On the morning of January 19th, 2011 I'm boarding a plane bound for Cologne (that's Köln to those of us who are in the know) where I'll be attending the annual internationale möbelmesse. The internationale möbelmesse is better known as the IMM and it's the world's premier showcase of new furniture and products for the home.


Last year's IMM had 1500 exhibitors and had 100,000 visitors from all points of the globe. This year's expo promises to be even bigger and for the first time in the 62 years of the show's existence, there will be a separate exhibit for the international kitchen and bath industry and they're calling it The Living Kitchen.


The Living Kitchen has its own website and from the looks of things it will surpass the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in the US in size and scale.

Needless to say, I'm beyond excited about this. I'll be blogging and Tweeting from Germany as part of an industry press junket courtesy of Blanco. I cannot thank them enough for this opportunity.


Blanco is a German sink and fixture manufacturer and their products are widely available worldwide. I sit on Blanco's Design Council, an honor I've held for the last year. It's through my involvement with Blanco's Design Council that I'm Cologne bound.

There are five other Design Council members going on this trip. That all six of us know each other already will make this trip even more memorable that it would have been otherwise. My traveling companions to Cologne are Jamie Goldberg, Cheryl Kees-Clendenon, Susan SerraLeslie Clagett and Kevin Henry. Five out of the Cologne Six are are part of the Blogger 19 interestingly enough. What year this has been. Whew!

In addition to experiencing the sights and sounds of Cologne and the IMM, We'll be touring a Blanco factory and meeting with Blanco Germany's industrial designers.

Needless to say, I'm beyond exited. Thank you again and in advance to Blanco and their representation in the US for this honor.

20 August 2010

Blanco Germany takes the idea of an integrated cutting board as far as they can

Check out this sink series from Blanco Germany. Actually, these sinks are available all over Europe and the UK and if the stars align, we'll see them in the rest of the world eventually. These ideas are too good for them not to spread.

First up is the Blancoalaros sink.



The sink itself is made from Silgranit and it has two drain boards to either side of the bowl. Cutting
boards fit into grooves in the sink rim and can slide along the length of the sink.

In the image below, the Blancoalaros sink's been paired with the Blancotelescope retractable faucet. When the faucet's in its down position, the entire space taken up by the sink can be covered with a cutting board. In my tiny kitchen, something like that would be almost three feet of found counter space.


In the sink above, the cutting boards are in Silgranit that matches the sink itself. The metal platform and stunning metal strainer are available as accessories.

Also sold as accessories for the Blancoalaros sinks are the Crystalline series of black and white cutting boards.


In an open, modern space a black sink cover/ cutting board would be the thing that really made the room perfect.

It's this kind of thinking that's made Blanco an industry leader on both sides of the Atlantic and as they increase their presence in the US, look for more innovations such as the ones I'm discussing here. I've seen other integrated cutting boards before, but I've never seen them so intelligently designed. Good job Blanco. See the Blanco products available in Europe here and Blanco's North American offerings here.