Kitchen Design Inspo: Faucets and Add-Ons

With the kitchen being the heart of any home, it is often viewed as one of the smartest parts of your house to upgrade. Even a small change like refreshing an old school two handle kitchen faucet to a single handle high arc pull down faucet not only gives you a lot more functionality in the kitchen, but it can brighten up the whole space! Often when people are looking to do a full remodel they will investigate different options for sinks and faucets and not think about other components in your kitchen that not only look sharp, but make your day to day life much easier. I want to cover some basic things to consider if your thinking about getting a new kitchen faucet or kitchen sink as well as some fun stuff to add to your kitchen to help you cook, clean, and entertain.

Kitchen Faucets

If you have a single handle kitchen faucet that does not have an attached sprayer or two handle kitchen faucet, there is a good chance that you can upgrade to a single handle, single hole kitchen faucet. You just need to make sure that your new faucet comes with a cover plate that can cover the holes in the faucet that are already there. This is often referred to as an escutcheon. Most faucets will come with one, but every now and then it is a separate purchase. There are a ton of different types, configurations, and finishes for kitchen faucets. You can find faucets that can be activated with voice commands that can pair with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, like this Delta Essa with VoiceIQ. Delta also makes a faucet that you can turn on or off with a simple touch. For people who spend tons of time cooking this lets you turn the faucet on without having to get a bunch of gunk all over the faucet. The Delta Trinsic is a very stylish, modern faucet with Touch2o technology in Matte Black is an amazing example of how sleek and simple a faucet with some cool tech can be.

Kitchen Sinks

My suggestion with kitchen sinks is to make sure it has all the functionality you need while making sure it works with your countertops and cabinets. Usually, for remodels where the countertop is a laminate material, a drop-in sink will be recommended. If you have granite, quartz, or marble for your countertop, an undermount sink can be installed. Beyond the type of installation, sinks can have a single bowl/basin, double bowl/basin, or even a triple bowl/basin. For materials, stainless steel is always popular, but composite, fireclay, and cast iron are popular options as well. Whatever sink you choose, how you use your kitchen is the biggest factor. Some people do dishes in a double basin sink, one basin for dirty dishes and the other to wash. In Kosher houses, a double basin sink adds in functionality as the one sink can be used for cleaning both meat and dairy dishes. Some people, like me, let their dishwasher do all the hard work and prefer a bigger single basin sink, people who cook and prepare fresh food all the time love a sink that acts as a workstation with cutting boards, colanders, and drying racks.

Garbage disposal

Garbage disposals or waste disposers are amazing kitchen appliances that help minimize clogs in your sink, get rid of food waste, and save you time cleaning. That said, they are not the most exciting things to shop for in the kitchen. I have three easy options for disposals depending on your needs.

Insinkerator Evolution Pro 1100XL – This is one of the best garbage disposals you can get. It has a ton of power with a 1.1 horsepower motor. If you are a chef and are throwing tons of food waste down the drain it will grind through anything you throw at it with no problem, and it will do it quietly. This is the top-of-the-line option while still maintaining a good price point.

Mountain Plumbing Perfect Grind ¾ HP – Best overall disposal. It has a strong ¾ horsepower motor that has high torque, full sound insulation, and a removeable splashguard. Mountain Plumbing also offers a lifetime warranty on this disposal.

InSinkErator Badger 5 Garbage Disposal, 1/2 HP–The Badger 5 is one of the most common disposals out there. It’s basic and gets the job done. While it’s not the quietest disposal on the market, it’s a good value. InSinkErator also makes a 3/4 HP with Cord if you’re looking for something with a little more power.

Air Switches

Air switches can be installed right on the countertop or on the sink(if you have a drop-in sink) and are a convenient alternative to a wall switch.AC power is needed below the sink, but the button uses air to actuate the switch that is plugged in. So, instead of using your wet hands to flip the switch to turn the disposal on, you can press a button on your counter to turn on the garbage disposal. This is both a safer and cleaner way of using a garbage disposal. You can find air switches in a wide variety of finishes and styles as listed below.

Hot Water Dispenser

A faucet with near boiling water on demand can certainly save you time in the kitchen. It’s a great way to make tea, clean cooking utensils, and get a faster start for boiling water or blanching. Filling a kettle or pot that can be thrown on the stove and boiled in no time will save time and energy. Everyone who I’ve installed a hot water dispenser for gets them because they couldn’t imagine losing the convenience of hot water on demand. InSinkErator has some great options and the InSinkErator HC-View Instant Hot Water Dispenser System (44717) comes with everything you need, including a tank and a water dispenser that let you get hot and cool water. The InSinkErator H-HOT100-C (44887) is a classic push button water dispenser and tank. If you want to use a little bit more of a stylized water dispenser, there are several companies that make them to match certain faucet lines they have. If you want to get a Brizo Solna kitchen faucet in matte black, you can find a Brizo Solna Instant Hot Faucet with Arc Spout: Matte Black that will match your kitchen faucet perfectly. You can always get a complete ala carte selection and pick a Mountain Plumbing MT641-3 Heating Tank For Mountain Dispensers and then any Mountain Plumbing dispenser to match the style of your kitchen.

Soap Dispensers

I usually try and match the style of soap dispenser to your faucet, mainly because they’re installed right next to each other. Every now and then it makes sense to just get a soap dispenser that has the same finish but a different look than the faucet.

Last but not least, if you want to finish out your Brizo Solna kitchen here is the matching soap dispenser in Matte Black!

Brizo RP79275BL Solna® Soap/Lotion Dispenser: Matte Black

If you have any questions, please contact us.