Posts Tagged ‘Arcon’

In this episode of DIY House Crashers, Josh Temple ambushes Ann Gregory while she is shopping for glue to reattach the laminate to her cabinets. Taking pity on her, he follows her home to update her kitchen from its long over-due 1940’s style. Reconstructing her kitchen with all new appliances, Josh rewards Ann and her husband with a contemporary stainless steel ARCON super single sink and MERIDIAN faucet that ties in beautifully to their new, classic black and white design. Once the homeowners lay eyes on their new sink and faucet, they are thrilled by the superior SteelArt craftsmanship.

Before the makeover - this sink needs crashing!!

A happily ever "after" with BLANCO's ARCON sink and MERIDIAN faucet.

BLANCO has arrived!

BLANCO's contemporary styling integrates well into this classic redo.

You have until January 10th to visit ElleDecor.com and enter to win an ARCON sink! ARCON’s curvy edges and fashion forward SteelArt design are just the ticket to a New Year’s makeover resolution. So enter today!! To learn more about what makes ARCON so stylish, visit our e-brochure.

“George to the Rescue,” NBC’s newest half-hour home improvement show has tapped BLANCO for their latest rescue operation. BLANCO provided a stunning ARCON super single sink and MERIDIAN faucet with metal side spray to the Martorell family in Brewster, NY. Roseanne Martorell has an incurable form of cancer and the kitchen design was a dream-come-true for her and her family. Click here to check out this heart warming kitchen makeover! Airing on NBC’s owned and operated channels in the top ten markets of the nation, “George to the Rescue” helps deserving individuals improve their households.

The before kitchen!

After the rescue!

ARCON and MERIDIAN look stunning.

BLANCO recently surveyed over 60 designers and showroom managers on the most important features for selecting a kitchen sink. The number one feature is shape, then size, followed by durability and clean-ability. Surprisingly, price is last. Industry research supports this opinion as well. Consumers are looking for the long haul. Elements that are customized for their style (not for resale), that will hold up and be easy to maintain long term. While consumer actions support that price is an important factor, price is not the only feature in consideration. Both consumers and designers will not sacrifice quality for a low price.

The ARCON double bowl is a popular shape among designers.

What shape(s) do designers own?

We then went a step further and asked design professionals what shape sink they have at home. Interestingly, they were a mixed bag between equal doubles, super singles and 1-3/4 bowl designs. A few of the designers actually apologized for having double bowls, blaming it directly on their partner, i.e. “my spouse chose it.” Double bowls are attractive because they are familiar and comfortable. One designer elaborated, “Many of our clients still insist on the double bowls… it’s the mindset that they grew up with something or have always had something a particular way, and they just can’t imagine changing certain ways. ”

What to look for in a double sink?

Designers advised looking for depth in a good double sink. Some use the double sink for prep on one side and cleaning on the other. Or as some designers stated – a dirty dish side and a clean dish side. There were comments however, that led us to believe that doubles – while still strong – may be going out of favor along with disposals. But like upright vacuums and stainless steel kitchen appliances – this trend may hang on for a long time. Most designers use their sinks for cleaning or both cleaning and prep work. So the dirty-side /clean-side concept is one that’s going to be hard to let go of. Shifting to 1-3/4 designs vs. a direct shift to singles is becoming popular as a smaller prep bowl can be used for cleaning while the larger bowl can be used for drying/stacking.

SILGRANIT's clean-ability and durability fit today's design trends.

Pre-Rinsing Before Loading – A No-No but Still Doing it.

When we delved deeper into the double sink story, we learned that while designers understand they shouldn’t pre-rinse dishes before they go into a dishwasher, (because according to Energy Star, pre-rinsing wastes up to 20 gallons of water per load), admittedly, many still rinse first. About half the surveyed group confessed to rinsing first before loading, while only 10 designers firmly stated they scrape and load right into the dishwasher. Reasons for the wasteful rinsing spree ranged from not running the dishwasher daily to once again blaming the spouse, i.e.  “Depends on who is cleaning up?  I am trying to get everyone to put dirty dishes directly into the dishwasher.  Doesn’t always work.”

Two Sinks? Or Marriage Therapy? You Decide.

So the sink – apparently – is a topic for heated household discussion and marital therapy sessions. And why not? It’s the workhorse of the kitchen. A highly functional element that because of its daily use and abuse must not only be attractive, but must fit the user’s personal style. And if the users differ in their style – perhaps we should see a trend toward two sink kitchens. He gets the single, she gets the double. Like a two car garage, everyone’s needs are satisfied and sink bliss will follow.

BLANCO has launched its 2010 advertising campaigns to run in Elle Decor, House Beautiful, Metropolis, Interior Design, Kitchen & Bath Design News and Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications. These three new ad messages capture the essence of what consumers and designers are looking for today in sink designs. 1) Individual style. The ARCON™ sink is at once modern and traditional – a blend of soft arches and sophisticated straight lines that says I’m uniquely different – and I go where I want to go. 2) Individual color. Sinks don’t have to always be stainless. They can be warm, hot or cool too! Create your own look with the palette of six SILGRANIT® II sink colors that coordinate with today’s popular surfaces. 3) Buy more than just a sink. Everyone wants more. More quality. More style. More options. When what you want is more sculpture than a bowl to hold water.  When it takes 48 steps and 30 artisans to create one spectacular sink from a single sheet of stainless. Then that’s more than a sink. That’s a design statement. That’s BLANCO SteelArt®.

BLANCO's stunning ARCON is about individual style as captured in this new ad concept.

2010 SILGRANIT II ad shows off the hot, cool new color: biscotti

This SteelArt ad really plays off of what it means to be more than just a sink. It's a BLANCO.

Exciting news! Want a sneak peak at the new products BLANCO will launch at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show in April?  Then check out our new 2010 BLANCO Showroom, Consumer and SILGRANIT® II literature collection – available right now via true e-brochure format. Click on the links in this article or from the navigation tab above marked e-brochures to view, download, share and enjoy!

The new 2010 Literature Collection:

Showroom Catalog

SHOWROOM CATALOG:  Our new showroom catalog features ARCON™ on the front cover.  It is a truly powerful sink design that works well in any décor including a traditional setting.

Consumer Brochure

CONSUMER BROCHURE:  We are featuring our award-winning new RONIS™ sink on the cover with one of our favorites – Grey Goose.  This picture demonstrates RONIS’ tremendous versatility and its incredible accessories which earned it a 2009 iF Award. The difference between a showroom catalog and a consumer brochure is that the brochure has less of the SKU/spec details. It’s more of an overview to help consumers select the right products for their home and is a perfect mailer or handout. The showroom catalog is an in-store piece that supports showroom and design professional with more detailed information.

SILGRANIT II Brochure

SILGRANIT II BROCHURE:  BISCOTTI is the new SILGRANIT II color! A delicious new neutral – BISCOTTI goes with today’s popular counter top colors. (Shown on both faucets and sinks.) Beyond its ultra durable non porous formulation, BLANCO SILGRANIT II is unarguably the largest and most design-oriented collection of colors and styles for composite sinks on the market today.

Here’s some of the latest news on BLANCO sinks from Interior Design Magazine, Home & Design, Realtor Magazine, KitchenBathIdeas, Supply House Times and Stone World.

FLOW MicroEdge as seen in Interior Design. Best of Year Winner!

BLANCO's Quadris faucet was featured in Home & Design.

Realtor Magazine identifies SILGRANIT II as a Top Hot Home Idea.

KitchenBathIdeas picks BLANCO SILGRANIT II as one of the top products of 2009.

Announcement for Forte Group in Supply House Times.

Announcement for Forte Group in Stone World featuring ARCON sink.

Michelle shows off her favorite Sink - BLANCO ARCON

Dealer Spotlight:

Michelle Henderson

Showroom Manager

Banner Plumbing Supply, Buffalo Grove, IL

This week, we are spotlighting Michelle Henderson and Banner Plumbing Supply – Chicagoland’s largest plumbing supply center. Banner started over 60 years ago on the South side of Chicago – and from those humble beginnings grew to 2 branches, a 15,000 square foot showroom, 20 delivery trucks and over 125,000 square feet of warehouse space. With a wide array of nearly 100 live fixtures, you can turn on 50 showerheads or flush more than 10 working toilets in their stunning new Buffalo Grove showroom. Consumers and design professionals alike rely on highly trained personnel – like Michelle – who can answer just about any decorative plumbing question.

Question: What are the biggest challenges you face daily?

Banner helps customers find the sink or faucet they need.

Michelle: Buyers Beware: Sink Quality Does Matter…
One of the largest challenges we face in helping a client with kitchen sink selection is the influx of imported low quality sinks out in the marketplace. Buyers need to be aware that a free sink is worth just that – and if the countertop is cut out to fit a low-end sink – they may be stuck with it. We find it very rewarding to help a client work through how they use their kitchen sink and faucet to find the product that will best serve their needs.

Question: How do you go about matching a sink or faucet to someone’s needs?

Michelle: Let’s talk faucet!

When helping a client select a kitchen faucet, I begin the process by discussing the function, features and benefits of a single handle, two handle, pull out, pull down and a traditional faucet with a side spray. Once we have landed on our desired function we then talk about finish and design. Some of the key things we talk about in regard to the pull outs and pull downs are the ergonomic feel of the spray toggle, how easily the head retracts to the body and if it stays retracted and the latest technology that is in the marketplace.  In regard to finish and style it is very personal to the client’s taste.

I have been seeing more and more a preference for a softer contemporary or cleaner traditional.  There has been an uptick in more rustic finishes (like oil rubbed bronze) on clean lined product—which is a departure from what the trend has been with the oil rubbed on a more traditional product.  With the green movement taking hold we have seen an increase in the desire for matching point of use filtration dispensers–there are too many water bottles occupying our landfills and clients want to cook with the best water they can for their families.

Michelle: Let’s talk sink!

When we move to the kitchen sink there are many variables that factor into the right selection. One main topic is how they use their current sink. Does everything go into the dishwasher? Do they hand wash larger items? If they use a disposal in which direction do they rinse, scrape and load? It is so important to have this dialogue because if the wrong product is selected it upsets the routine and it is my goal to enhance our customer’s lives, not disrupt it.

BLANCO SILGRANIT II in the popular Cafe Brown hue.

Question: What’s the hottest sink trend out there?

Michelle: GRANITE! COLOR!

With the introduction of BLANCO’s SILGRANIT® II sinks we are now accommodating a whole new range of customers. The beautiful color options now available are very complimentary to the granite tops and glazes on their cabinetry. Having the sink pick up a color that is a small detail elsewhere really lends itself to that complete design look.

Also the new technology of MicroEdge™ has been well received with our clients for many reasons. One of which is the sleek clean look, but the biggest is due to the fact that many clients are not fans of the visible silicone in the reveal of the sink and if the reveal is not present they are not happy with the potential of bacterial build up under the edge of the granite. The FLOW has also been a real eye catcher for clients as well.  I attribute this to the ease of wiping down the drain board area—not to mention the great look.

Question: What’s Your Favorite Sink?

Michelle: BLANCO ARCON™ Super Single.

My favorite is the ARCON series – it has displayed well in our showroom too. Let’s face it…. People want something different or special—that is why they spending the money to remodel their kitchen. With the great curved lines of the ARCON series they can make the sink the focal point of the kitchen.

About Michelle Henderson

Michelle got her start in the industry 15 years ago at a small kitchen and bath dealership before she moved on to work in plumbing supply. Interior Design schooling and project experience helped her land her current position at Banner where she manages their 15,000 square foot showroom.

About Banner Plumbing Supply

Banner was founded in 1947 by Charles Greenspon in the south side of Chicago in a 3 flat where three employees loaded and unloaded pipe out of the basement window.  Today Banner has grown from that small location on the South side to have over 80 employees and a wonderful reputation for excellence in customer service. Their 15,000 square foot showroom is the largest in the Chicago market, but it is also very accessible and interactive.

BLANCO is what’s hot in sinks this year! Please enjoy our latest public relations hits from Better Homes & Gardens, Kansas City Homes & Gardens, The Wholesaler, K+BB, Surroundings and the Retail Observer. FLOW™, MicroEdge™, SILGRANIT® II and ARCON™ continue to grab the spotlight, and the press is interested as well as in BLANCO’s relationships with influencers like Eric Ripert. As KCH&G points out… BLANCO offers “the latest and greatest for the kitchen” this year.

Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen and Bath Ideas invites readers to entertain with SILGRANIT II.

Kansas City Homes & Gardens is "Flush with Excitement" over the new FLOW!

ARCON is a featured product in The Wholesaler.

K+BB notes BLANCO's relationship with Top Chef, Eric Ripert.

BLANCO is featured on Surroundings in the Eric Ripert show kitchen.

Retail Observer notes BLANCO's Professional Builder Top 100 Honor.

BLANCO buzz continued on a hot pace all summer long with hits in major media outlets.  Year-to-date BLANCO has earned over 41 million impressions! Please share the PR results during customer visits. We have a great story to tell and it’s one that is highly relevant to both home editors and consumers.

Below, please enjoy our latest public relations hits from Better Homes & Gardens, K+BB, Retail Observer, Just Luxe and Builder News. ARCON™, FLOW™ and SILGRANIT® are just some of the new products making headlines. Share with your clients and help them display these hot sinks!

Better Homes and Gardens featured ARCON in their Stainless round up.

The editors at K+BB featured SILGRANIT II.

FLOW as featured in Retail Observer.

This trend story has appeared in newspapers and online, including Just Luxe.

ARCON was selected for Builder News.