| In today's fast-paced world, driven by technological | | | | Sinks can be shaped into nearly anything desired. The |
| advances where smaller is better, faster is too slow | | | | traditional oval, round or square shapes have |
| and yesterday's software is obsolete by tomorrow, | | | | expanded to shapes like seashells and lotus flowers. |
| we have become so forward-thinking that it is easy to | | | | And in the kitchen, sink options are as varied as are its |
| forget some of the oldest yet most precious inventions | | | | uses. For instance, there may be one extra-large sink, |
| of our time. Inventions that, if taken away, would leave | | | | big enough to bathe a toddler, or two sinks, one larger |
| us lost. Like the sink. A simple enough idea when | | | | than the other for various washing tasks; or three |
| compared to a microprocessor or a Space Shuttle, but | | | | sinks, the middle one long and narrow, suitable for |
| one that has been around for hundreds of thousands | | | | silverware. Sinks can stand alone, be placed in a |
| of years, and is shared by every culture, country and | | | | corner or inset anywhere within the counter. |
| continent. | | | | Naturally, with any sink there are faucets. Today's |
| The sink, it seems, started as a simple depression in a | | | | faucets are beautifully crafted to compliment any sink. |
| large rock, created over time through erosion. Some | | | | Single control faucets are wildly popular, as are the |
| 600,000 years ago, Neanderthals used these rain-filled | | | | pull-out style. As with sinks, faucets come in every |
| "bowls" as sinks. Fast-forward a few thousand | | | | imaginable color and finish, and coordinating the two |
| centuries, and this crude rock-hewn bowl has evolved | | | | has become an artistic endeavor. |
| into one of the most important components of the | | | | It is difficult to fail to appreciate the progress of the |
| kitchen and bathroom. | | | | sink. Scooping rain water from a chiseled rock seems |
| Today's sinks are made from many different materials, | | | | an impossible concept when gazing at the glistening, |
| including stainless steel, porcelain, acrylic, natural stone, | | | | vibrant sinks of today. They have taken a prominent |
| vitreous china, copper and more. Color options are just | | | | place in our homes, serving us in more ways than we |
| as varied, limited only by one's imagination. Truly, the | | | | realize. And although they're not as complex as a |
| sink has achieved such stunning beauty that it has | | | | computer chip, or as entertaining as a new Nintendo |
| become the focal point around which many a room | | | | game, we can be sure that tomorrow our sink won't |
| has been designed. | | | | be outdated, full of glitches or obsolete. |
| Sizes and shapes of the sink have added to its appeal. | | | | |