Few products in their production life reach the thirty-year milestone. One of these is the Armonia sink, a true design icon designed by the BCF design studio way back in 1992 and put into production in 1993. With millions of pieces produced, Armonia is a true best seller on the market, still representing a reference product in the Franke catalogue, a leading company in the production of kitchen sinks.
The sink launch advertisement in 1993, a prophecy fulfilled
The advertising campaign for the launch of the Armonia sink read:
“This photo will be taken in 30 years. The girl in the photo is your granddaughter. Sink and fires are your Frankes of today“.
I think it’s the first time that an advertising message has kept the promise formulated in such a distant time, thus confirming the proverbial sturdiness and reliability of Franke products.
The winning design of Armonia
When it came out on the market, the Armonia sink represented a real revolution in the design of steel sinks, in fact featuring a horizontal tap counter that covers the entire width of the sink and a drainer inserted underneath. The faucet counter was also customized with three bands that recalled the three squares of the Franke brand. The details of the sink are very accurate, making it rich and elegant at the same time, and still represent its distinctive character today.
The Armonia project in the 90s becomes a system
The Armonia Sink project was an immediate success and Franke proposed a coordinated system of matching appliances to the sink such as the built-in oven and hob.
It was one of the first integrated systems in the appliance market with the design of the sink, the oven and the hob were both the result of BCF design.
The legacy of the Armonia sink
The Armonia sink bears witness, in the large production of steel sinks, to the entry onto the scene of design in a sector that was previously the prerogative of a purely technical approach, introducing what BCF has called “emotional design”. In fact, in this product the steel not only appears cold and functional, but through the design it expresses elegance and functionality, an aspect supported by the choice of millions of users, mostly female, who have found the same values in it.
Over the years the BCF studio has designed over a dozen series of sinks for Franke maintaining the same philosophy relating to steel, capable of expressing emotion and elegance, thus contributing to the affirmation of an internationally known brand.
Franke’s point of view
Looking at Franke’s journey from the launch of the Armonia sink to today, the common thread represented by the system offer is recognizable, consisting of sinks, mixers, hobs, ovens, hoods, dishwashers and refrigerators. Over the years, Franke has been able to grasp and interpret the most relevant style trends from the world of the kitchen, launching coordinated products in families with a recognizable commonality of design elements, color and functionality. As well as for Armonia, which many customers still identify as the sink Franke, thanks to its still current design, the common factors of all Franke products remain the attention to design and the guarantee of excellent quality.
Alessandro Cagliari
Head Global CM Sinks & Accessories
Franke Home Solutions
