BLANCO has launched a new how-to video section on their website designed to assist consumers with the most frequently asked questions about sinks and faucets including 1) How to clean a SILGRANIT II sink 2) How to change a ceramic disk cartridge and 3) How to select a stainless steel sink. These short how-to videos offer expert tips and advice from purchasing a sink or faucet to maintaining one for the long term. Look for more videos (on topics such as how to buy a faucet or how to green your kitchen) as BLANCO plans to update this help channel with new videos ongoing.

Any Lucky Day is giving away a BLANCO SILGRANIT® II Diamond™ Double Sink and you can win! Visit http://anyluckyday.com/promo/82/blanco-america to enter. Contest ends September 2nd. Any Lucky Day conducted some pretty tough scratch and dent tests on the Diamond sink to demonstrate SILGRANIT II’s incredible resistance to stains, scratches and chips. Watch the demo and enter to win! To learn more about the durability and lasting beauty of SILGRANIT II sinks, visit www.blancoamerica.com.

BLANCO MicroEdge™ (FLOW™) won Interior Design’s prestigious Best of Year Award in the competitive Kitchen Fixture Category. Winners were announced live on December 3, 2009 during a magnificent celebration at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. This is the 4th annual Best of Year Awards, the industry’s preeminent design competition recognizing superior projects and products in 65 categories. MicroEdge also won Professional Builder’s Top 100 Best New Products Award earlier this year and FLOW won an international red dot award.

The magazine received over 1,200 entries and the online voting system garnered nearly 30,000 votes, narrowing down the category finalists. A subsequent judging by panel occurred the week following to determine the 2009 Best of Year winners. Judges included Lauren Rottet of Rottet Studio; Ali Tayar of Parallel Design; John Bricker of Gensler; Rick Focke of HOK; Mark Zeff of Zeff Design; Todd DeGarmo of Studios Architecture; and Interior Design editor in chief Cindy Allen, who selected winners from a total of 247 finalists in 64 categories.

“This is a proud moment for all of BLANCO,” states Tim Maicher, Director of Marketing for BLANCO.  “Interior designers participated in voting for the finalists which means our product, our brand was recognized by the design community with their highest compliment. Our win is especially sweet given the other nominees in the category namely Philippe Starck (Duravit), Jamie Drake (Elkay) and Kohler’s Chef Inspired Collection. Considering the competitive field, BLANCO stood tall because designers immediately recognized the innovation and craftsmanship surrounding the MicroEdge FLOW concept. What a stunning launch and validation for the STEELART® brand going forward!”

MicroEdge™ FLOW™ won Interior Design's highest honor - A Best of Year Award. (photo courtesy of Interior Design)

Over 750 attendees crowded the Guggenheim Museum for the Best of Year Award Ceremonies. (photo courtesy of Interior Design)

We want to share some exciting preparations for this year’s K/BIS in Atlanta next week. BLANCO is introducing an unprecedented 69 new products (30 STEELART® sinks and 39 BLANCO sinks – including 19 new forms and 20 SILGRANIT® II SKUs). The new booth will be simply stunning, with a fully functional SILGRANIT II test area – challenging designers to scratch the sink. This lively hands-on demonstration area will undoubtedly become the highlight of this year’s exhibition hall. Running water kitchen vignettes and gorgeous product showcases for STEELART and MicroEdge™ will be sure to draw designer, dealer and media attention.

STEELART is being relaunched as a true brand – moving us from a product to portfolio, from a shape to true design, from renown status to INDUSTRY LEADER, from friend of the designer to a designer resource.

STEELART is a powerful leading brand... a true design resource for customers and designers alike!!!

Prior to the show, we mailed a Scratch-Test Challenge Kit to designers to drive further traffic to K/BIS and to the BLANCO booth. The ingenious kit offers designers their own test fork and is a strong visual/physical tool that reinforces SILGRANIT II’s strengths while inviting them to participate at the BLANCO booth.

Scratch-Test Challenge Kit mailed to designers.

While at the show, we are leveraging the booth to its full advantage by hosting a Satellite Media Tour. Janice Costa, editor for Kitchen and Bath Design News, will broadcast live via satellite to over 200 TV and Radio morning shows (including THE DAILY BUZZ). Janice will be featuring some of the hottest new products at K/BIS and the first product on her hit parade will be BLANCO’s SILGRANIT II. We will be receiving a podcast of the show following K/BIS and we’ll share it here with you.

A booth tour video will be available after K/BIS for you to present to customers.

If that wasn’t exciting enough, we are also filming a K/BIS booth tour with Janice after her live broadcasts are completed. The booth tour will be available to you to present to clients who were unable to go to K/BIS this year. If they didn’t go to the show, we’ll bring the show to them! Your clients will be able to witness all of the new product buzz and experience the hands-on test area.

Buzz is the word for K/BIS. While some may be intent to focus on the anticipated lower attendance – we’ve choosen to fully leverage this opportunity to shine and position BLANCO for the future. Whether our customers (or consumers) are at the show or not – we’re tapping into the power of video to share the experience with them. In addition, we have over 40 media outlets touring the booth and the reach of those potential press hits will drive sales long after K/BIS is over. Importantly, we’ve choosen to set our sights on asking for the order. For those who have committed to their business and are going to K/BIS – we will be there to ask for the sale and to support their needs. Just as you are opening doors in your own markets.

Here’s the latest buzz – from the latest BLANCO designs featured in leading magazines. BLANCO sinks and faucets are an essential ingredient for a well-designed kitchen.

A BLANCO prep sink is a highlight of this showcase kitchen as seen in Kitchen & Bath Design News.

Designers are in love with SILGRANIT®, according to Stone Business.

Appeared in Kitchen Trends.

BLANCO faucets are the highlight of this Woman's Day Kitchen & Bath Story.

As seen in Home & Design.