We very often recommend taps by Perrin & Rowe for our kitchen projects, so we were pleased to view the new Armstrong kitchen tap collection, which has a very strong hint of ‘Industrial Luxe’. Duncan Yardley, R&D Director at Perrin & Rowe explained how the range was inspired by the Armstrong brothers, Joseph and George, engineers who designed locomotives for the Great Western Railway. We love a bit of history, and learned that the new Armstrong collection transforms an industrial aesthetic into a timeless, elegant design. And of course, the connection is that each tap is manufactured at the Perrin & Rowe plant in Wolverhampton, near to the old GWR works. Jonathan Britton, Brand Manager for Kitchens at Perrin & Rowe explained the thinking behind the new designs. ‘Our aim is to establish our take on the industrial design trend. The Armstrong range is beautifully proportioned with restrained detailing which will suit a variety of kitchen styles. There are eight finishes, and each item is handmade in Britain’.

Franke showed some great new ideas, including the Mythos MYX stainless steel model, which is a Flushmount installation, but it looks as neat and gorgeous as an undermount. It has a tiny 6mm rim visible on the work surface, which adds a very nice and precise design detail. They have also increased the depth of the bowl to 200mm, improving the radii of the inner corners and providing a circular smooth flush fitting waste with brushed finish. We also admired the Box Center sink range, which added three new models and a wider choice of sizes and accessories. The star of that particular show was the single compartment bowl which can be inset, under or flush mounted and which houses the accessory pack. The accessory set includes a knife set, strainer bowl, food prep platter, chopping board, and wire rack. All of which can be stored away inside the bowl. This is an excellent choice as for a prep sink on an island – perhaps in addition to the main washing up sink. We will definitely be showing this idea to new clients! 

We love a boiling/steaming hot water tap, and the new InSinkErator FHC3020 model was previewed, along with the 3010. Available in two shapes and six finishes, including Brushed Bronze and Velvet Black. The FHC3020 provides steaming hot water and ambient cold filtered water … these taps are intended as an addition to your general sink area, perhaps on the prep sink or near to a Breakfast cupboard, to provide instant hot water for tea/coffee making and filtered cold water for cold drinks. There was also news of the NeoTank, which is a new tank that sits under the sink, with a digital touch-screen control panel that allows the water temperature to be adjusted between 88 Deg C and 99 Deg C – for those coffee and tea experts!

It was interesting to see the new concept from Quooker. It’s the new CUBE accessory which can be added to any existing (or new, of course!) Quooker boiling tap, and it will provide sparkling filtered water. Which, of course, saves buying bottled water at all. The CUBE is installed in the cabinet next to the Quooker tank, and includes two filters, it’s attached to the small CO2 cylinder and provides 60 litres of sparkling water. Replacement cylinders are available via the website. Shown here, the new Flex with pull-out spray in Black, the PRO3 tank, and the CUBE cylinder and filter set.