Here Comes Normandy Double Bowl Sink

A traditional French farmhouse ceramic sink comes to us in the form of The Normandy double bowl sink, the second most popular of all sinks. One reason that continues to keep it popular is its size, that’s the largest available double sink with double bowl.

There are quite many double bowl sinks available in the market, but what sets apart the Normandy is its two equal sized bowls designed to conveniently accommodate large oven trays, especially of the kind that one finds in Aga. Truly speaking it’s the only double bowl that is designed to fully immerse an Aga tray in water. It’s quite frustrating to have a good looking farmhouse sink that is not able to accommodate large pots, pans and trays conveniently. There is none denying the convenience of having a large sink for washing of oversized items. The design of the Normandy French farmhouse sink takes care of this convenience and is considered its most practical feature by Aga owners and others using large oven trays or unusually large cooking pots and pans.

The Normandy Double Bowl Sink derives its exceptional durability as it’s made from fireclay ceramic, and not from the normally used and accepted ball clay. Use of fireclay certainly makes the sink extremely hard wearing provided the user looks after it with a bit of care and attention.

The design of this traditional French farmhouse sink is widely accepted these days. The main reason for that is because it fits in well with any kitchen scheme. It looks great with both traditional natural wood kitchens as well the most modern kitchens, as the smooth ceramic lines of the sink complement the sleek looks of kitchen units. The Normandy Double Bowl Sink, apart from being found appropriate for different kitchen designs, comes with a highly practical design that facilitates washing of pots and pans of varying sizes. Moreover, its design is ideal for washing of vegetables and even allows defrosting of bulky pieces of meat. Because of its large size you can easily defrost a large leg of lamb therein.

French farmhouse sinks appeared on scene soon after the ceramic Belfast and Butler sinks were manufactured towards the end of the 19th century. In the north of France, two brothers named Emile and Andre Porcher established a factory and used the local clay for producing ceramic sinks. The local clay proved to be far superior to the rough red Staffordshire clay that was popularly used by most other potteries, and thus enabled the French manufacturer to offer a very refined product. You should find it interesting to know that some of the designs being produced even today were first introduced towards the end of the nineteenth century when the manufacturers first set up their manufacturing unit. That surely goes to prove that good designs don’t go out of fashion. The name Porcher, still continues to date at its factory in the Loire area, and enjoys the reputation of being the oldest and a highly respected brand of fireclay sink manufacturers.

The Normandy Double Bowl Sinks come embossed with the logo of the manufacturer on the side wall of the sink to give it a truly vintage look. The French farmhouse sink is designed to contain 60mm basket strainer wastes with a non-tarnish brass or satin chrome finish. Or you could opt to have a plug and chain, but in such an eventuality the chain stay will have to be drilled into the work surface.

Though fireclay sinks are easily maintained, following a few simple guidelines helps making them look good even after many years of use. Regular cleaning of sinks using a non-abrasive cleaner like a washing up liquid prevents formation of stains of coffee or wines. Tougher stains of the kind caused by using aluminum saucepans are best removed by using special cleaning product, with the manufacturers recommending Astonish that comes with especial formulation for fireclay ceramic sinks. Don’t use a plastic washing up bowl in the sink as it leads to accumulation of dust and dirt at the base, which ultimately causes scratches to appear on the surface of the ceramic sink.