I've been doing a lot of consulting on kitchen design lately...helping clients navigate choices in countertops, cabinet colors, sinks, and appliances. Everything comes in a color! Flooring, walls, plumbing fixtures, hardware...all of those choices need to be made with an eye to balanced, harmonious color. Some of you are starting from scratch, working with a blank slate. Others may be updating an existing kitchen, and how you combine the old and the new can make all the difference.
Anyone who's ever chatted color with me for more than a few minutes knows that I am a big believer in function. "Beauty without function is not beautiful!" So, in addition to helping clients navigate their color and finish selections, I also speak often and enthusiastically about why things work and what happens when they don't.
So, how is your sink like your mattress? You know how they say you spend one-third of your life in bed, so you'd better invest in a good mattress? Well, the same is true of your sink and especially your faucet. Appliances are the Big Investment Pieces and oftentimes, the sink and faucet come last, almost as an afterthought.
But, think for a minute about how many time a day you go to the sink -- to wash a piece of fruit, rinse your hands, get a glass of water, soak a dish -- not to mention full-on cooking and all it entails. So, the case I am making here is that you spend one-third of your life in bed and one-third of your kitchen time interacting with the sink.
Rather than ending your kitchen design process with the sink, let's bump it up in the queue....give it the attention it deserves, and YES even spend up a bit on a sink that functions and a faucet that really REALLY functions. This means a faucet that feels good in the hand, that operates smoothly, that pulls out easily and maybe even turns on with just a touch. It may also mean paying for a better design that stays cleaner by not having those nooks and crannies that attract gook. And getting a more durable finish that looks good longer.
I'd love to see you spend a few hundred less on your oven and divert that money to a much better faucet. The difference between a $1000 oven and a $1300 oven will hardly be noticed in the long run. But, jumping from a $200 faucet to a $500 faucet will improve your life in the kitchen at least a dozen times a day. I am not asking you to buy any particular brand or style....just asking you to think about the faucet/sink combo in a new way, giving that decision good thought, enough research and careful attention. I bet you'll thank me.
When you think of your sink, remember your mattress!
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