Sinks With Style
By Denise Vermeulen
When it comes to kitchen sinks and faucets, consumer preferences
have been anything but fickle, with several kitchen trends that
started in the mid-’90s continuing strong into 2001. In everything
and the kitchen sink, stainless steel remains hot, hot, hot along
with other metallic finishes such as chrome and nickel. A
coordinated, professional look is key to today’s market,
manufacturers agree, and many of the hottest products on the market
today only serve to underscore this.
According to manufacturers recently surveyed by Kitchen &
Bath Design News, the commercial look shows no sign of losing
ground. However, despite the continued strength of stainless steel
in the kitchen, solid surface also remains a strong choice, and
there seems to be a growing interest in cast iron, as well.
Additionally, busy Americans are demanding convenience and
options in their kitchens, and sink and faucet trends illustrate
their desire to customize their kitchens with an eye toward both
beauty and practicality right down to the water accessories and
soap dispensers.
Shining on
Manufacturers agree that the popularity of metallic finishes in
kitchen sinks, faucets and water accessories shows no sign of
waning. “Stainless steel sinks are huge in this industry,” says
Chuck Burhans, president of Blanco America, in Cinnaminson, NJ.
Adding that stainless sinks are selling at a rate six times greater
than colored sinks, Burhans says that the trend has violated logic,
selling almost five million units annually. “The trend,” says
Burhans, “probably started in early ’96 and appears to be losing no
momentum whatsoever!” Burhans is seeing the same trend with regard
to faucets, with sales “dramatically skewed toward stainless
steel.”
Tom Smith, president, Kitchen Systems Division, Franke Consumer
Products, in Hatfield, PA, agrees the professional restaurant-style
stainless look is still very hot. He adds, “The satin finish of the
high-end stainless sink blends well with the trend toward stainless
kitchen appliances.”
Smith also says, “The most popular finishes for kitchen faucets
include satin and satin nickel combinations.” Smith points out that
one main advantage to these finishes is that they are
non-tarnishing. He adds that other non-tarnishing finishes, such as
Franke’s “titanium” finishes, are gaining in popularity because of
that feature.
Kindred Industries’ product development and marketing manager
Rick Brown agrees. “We all recognize that stainless steel is still
very much a hot item in the kitchen,” he says. Brown also notes a
trend toward using a sink in a traditional or country style, but in
a stainless steel finish.
Brown points out that satin nickel is also a very popular
finish. “[Satin Nickel] is a very soft finish, almost burnished,
and [it] has a glow to it, as opposed to the highly reflective look
of stainless steel.” Brown notes that Kindred, which is based in
Midland, Ontario, Canada, is working to develop a soft, brushed
finish on its stainless steel products that will be easy to
maintain but less likely to scratch.
“Chrome, chrome, chrome,” says Patrick McQuillan, product
manager for The Chicago Faucet Co. in Des Plaines, IL, when asked
about the most popular finishes for kitchen faucets. “Chrome,” he
says, “outweighs all others by about three to one.” He notes,
however, that he’s seeing an increase in popularity of the PVD
(Physical Vapor Deposition) quality finish.
Delta Faucet product development manager Angie Coffman agrees,
and notes that the Indianapolis, IN-based company introduced a new
line of finishes in January to meet the growing demand for PVDs.
Delta’s “Brilliance” line includes polished brass, pearl nickel and
stainless steel finishes, each with a lifetime guarantee.
“PVDs are very popular now in the faucet category and rightly
so,” agrees Blanco America’s Burhans. The new technology is
designed to eliminate discoloration and disintegration of the
finish, he explains.
A solid touch
While stainless steel continues to be a major trend, solid surface
sinks remain a popular item, as well. As Mark Webster, president of
Plexicor, manufacturers of Karran sinks in Annapolis, MD, notes,
“stainless steel is strong right now as a fashion trend in
kitchens, but [I believe it] will be a short-lived trend.” Webster
explains that “solid surface sinks are gaining popularity with more
and more competitors in the field, and [the ones that are both
affordable and easy to maintain] will be the sink of choice in the
near future.”
Webster notes, however, “some people are still cautious of solid
surface sinks because of price and some difficulty in keeping the
sink looking like new.”
The most popular colors in the solid surface field today are
whites and shades of white, he maintains. However, he adds that
bisques and bones are “increasing their share of the market
rapidly.”
Patrick Owens, specialty retail marketing manager for DuPont
Corian in Wilmington, DE, agrees that the predominant color choices
for solid surface sinks is white, or shades of white. Owens points
out, too, that consumers are screaming not so much for style but
for functionality. To this end, one major trend he sees is
consumers purchasing sinks without the faucet deck, which reduces
clutter and simplifies cleaning.
Owens contends that one of the major advantages of the solid
surface sink is that it is more hygienic because it lacks seams and
is non-porous.
‘”There’s no way for germs to get into crevices and grow,” he
explains.
DuPont Corian is also seeing demand for deeper between 9″ and
10″ and larger (36″ cabinet bases) sinks. He adds that the single
bowl is selling primarily in the Northeast, the Midwest and the
Pacific Southwest, with the company also receiving more requests
for solid surface secondary sinks. “We’re getting more requests for
sinks in non-traditional places such as the kitchen island and bar
areas,” Owens notes.
But the biggest trend Owens has seen lately sheds light on
today’s consumer. “The biggest change from the past is that instead
of selling, consumers are buying,” says Owens. “Consumers want to
be educated so they can make the decisions,” he adds.
The deep end
The trend toward double bowls in kitchen sinks remains strong,
according to manufacturers, as does the demand for deep sinks,
multiple sinks and undermounts. Likewise, consumers are looking for
sinks that are both easy to clean and durable. Kindred Industries’
Brown makes the point that the dishwasher has become a standard
appliance in most kitchens, leaving the sink for the real dirty
work. Large stockpots, broiler pans and the like are among the
items we find ourselves cleaning in the sink today. So, the trend
toward larger sinks and double bowls makes sense.
“The American consumer is much more interested in larger, deeper
bowls,” says Burhans, referring to the demand he’s seen for 10″
deep sinks.
“Double bowls remain as popular as ever particularly the
large-bowl, small-bowl combination,” according to Plexicor’s
Webster. “The deeper the bowls, the better,” he adds, confirming
the observations of other manufacturers. Webster also mentions,
however, that he has seen an increase in popularity of large single
bowls measuring 33″x22″.
Brown notes that the undermount sink, developed about a decade
ago, works well with the solid surface countertops and has become a
popular item. Webster agrees: “Undermounts are the king.” He adds,
“Everyone wants integral undermounts. Top mounts are always used
for laminates, but if people are doing tile, concrete or solid
surface, they always want the undermount.”
Secondary sinks continue to be a hot item, as well. After all,
comments Brown, the sink is the most functional piece of equipment
in your kitchen. (“Are there any days you don’t at least run the
water?” he asks.)
Smith says, “The secondary sink often island mounted is more
stylish and offers pure water and an additional disposer.”
The “hospitality” or “bar sink” category is one that is also
growing rapidly, according to Burhans. He maintains that the growth
in this area has been dramatic, and consumers are asking for their
secondary sinks to have matching shapes and faucets with the
kitchen sink.
All of the manufacturers surveyed agreed that consumers continue
to be concerned about the durability of products and demand they be
easy to clean. And stainless steel advocates believe that stainless
steel products likely owe much of their popularity to these two
factors.
Other options
Aside from the metallic finishes, manufacturers agree that they are
seeing a variety of new trends with regard to kitchen faucets,
perhaps the biggest of these being the trend toward the
single-lever faucet.
President of KWC Faucets Tim Mullally says, “Our customers
clearly prefer our single-lever faucets over our two-handle
faucets.” He adds, “The convenience, as well as the water and
energy saving aspects of a single-lever faucetare appealing to the
discriminating consumer.” Mullally, whose company is located in
Norcross, GA, sees this trend as dovetailing with the trend toward
adding kitchen accessories to enhance the sink area’s
functionality, noting that, “the single-lever faucet only requires
one hole, freeing up two or three holes for popular
accessories.”
“They are all going with a single-lever [faucet],” agrees
Burhans. “It’s absolutely not a contest.”
Delta’s Coffman concurs: “The majority of our sales about 75% is
single-handle faucets.” She adds that the design and functionality
of the one-handle faucet makes it easier to operate.
According to Franke’s Smith, “In the high-end design community,
the popularity of the single-handle faucet is overwhelming. The
[only] exception,” he adds, “would be with the old world, country
design sinks.”
The Chicago Faucet Company’s McQuillan adds, “Designers are
going for heavy-duty, pre-rinse sprays, kettle fillers and pot
fillers” to enhance the kitchen experience.
Pull-out sprays also remain a popular option, and manufacturers
are paying attention to this product. Delta introduced a product in
this category in early 2000 that proved to be very successful.
Offering two styles, a waterfall style that has a high arc and one
with a more standard arc, Delta also improved the hardware to avoid
leakage, which has been a problem with pull-outs, according to
Coffman. She adds that the improved ergonomics of the design allows
for greater motion and easier spraying, and the high arc comes in
handy with deeper sinks.
Likewise, Blanco America is looking to differentiate its
pull-out sprays from the look-alikes on the market. “Faucets with
pull-out hand sprays are certainly a major segment of our faucet
business,” explains Burhans. He adds that his company will
introduce a new design in the spring.
KWC Faucets has also differentiated its pull-out spray faucet
and experienced strong demand for it. According to Mullally, the
company’s pull-out spray faucet enables the user to clean out
debris and mineral deposits without tools, includes a button on the
spray that allows users to lock the spray for repetitive tasks, and
has a new material on the spray face that resists mineral
deposits.
Accessorizing
Just as sinks and faucets must coordinate with the rest of the
kitchen, Brown of Kindred Industries says that the fastest selling
accessories are stainless steel, to coordinate with the other
kitchen items. The most popular accessories, Brown asserts, are
those that are either protective (i.e. they protect sinks from
scratching) or useful in food preparation.
For instance, Kindred introduced wire bottom grids for the sink
about five years ago and he notes that the company can barely keep
up with the business. The company is also selling a lot of hardwood
cutting boards (a popular choice for those with undermount sinks),
stainless steel colanders that fit in the sink bowl, stainless
steel dish racks and matching lotion and soap dispensers.
Jim Tomafsky, v.p./sales and marketing for Mountain Plumbing
Products of West Deptford, NJ, agrees that consumers are looking to
buy soap and lotion dispensers that are coordinated with the
metallic finishes of the sinks and faucets. “Everything is matching
today,” says Tomafsky. His company even manufactures a disposer
collar and decorative strainer to match the sink and faucet
finishes.
Many consumers are also reconsidering their options when it
comes to drinking water. According to Marisue Eisner, retail
channel manager of Culligan, Consumer Markets Division, “The trends
in filtration mirror major consumer trends in other product
categories.” She explains that Americans are focusing on achieving
a healthy lifestyle, and realize that they need to drink more water
and they want their water to be healthy and convenient.
Eisner says that consumers are looking for water filtration
systems that are “easy to install, with filters that are easy to
change.” To that end, Culligan offers filter monitors that remind
customers when it is time to change the filter. KBDN