After noticing the differences between how sinks are shaped, Sink.com sat down with Mark Hird, a product manager and sink guru with Elkay USA, to talk about whether the shape of the walls and bottom of a sink make a difference.
Elkay Bowl
Sink.com: Does the shape of a sink’s walls, curves and bottom really affect a person’s everyday experience?
Mark: Actually, yes. The shape of your sink is extremely important and impacts how you use your sink every day. Often, people don’t even realize this is something to consider—but the right sink can help you find the extra space to air dry dishes or the capacity to soak oversized cookie sheets. Just as important are the shape of the sides and bottom. For example, if the bottom is relatively flat, you can stand things like wine glasses in the sink without worrying about them breaking.
Competitor Bowl
Sink.com: But aren’t all sides and bottoms the same?
Mark: You’d be surprised how many sinks have walls that slope in, or the corners have really easy curves, and that makes your sink space a lot smaller. Two sinks that fit the same opening can have very different capacities. Straight side walls, flat bottoms and tight corners have been Elkay staples since the 1960s. Other companies’ sinks may have one or two of these features, but rarely all three. You’ll often see tapered side walls and large corners in lower-grade sinks, where compromises are made to hit price targets.
Sink.com: What made Elkay incorporate this distinct geometry into their sinks?
Mark: We spend a lot of time observing how consumers use their kitchen sinks and asking what changes might make their kitchen more efficient. Once we identify an unmet need, we start looking for a solution. We typically don’t introduce a new single sink to fill a need. Instead, we’ll create a full product line with multiple sizes, depths, drain locations, and so on, to meet consumers’ needs across the United States.
In addition to consumer input, I have personally lived with many of our sinks over the years, as do many Elkay employees. Not only do I incorporate my own experiences into our sinks, faucets and accessories, but I also consider comments and suggestions from my coworkers.
Sink.com: Do you ever hear from actual homeowners or consumers who have your sinks?
Mark: We do. We’re constantly receiving positive feedback from consumers and designers, too. Of course, we also hear what they want to change or modify. We keep track of all of it—from our sales force’s daily calls, online surveys, consumer observations, blogs, comments on our website…you name it.
