John Swain, product manager for Franke UK looks at the sinks and taps market...

After the cooker, the sink is probably the most important feature of a modern kitchen. It has become a food-preparation area and is no longer designed primarily for washing dishes.

In the 1960s and '70s when kitchens were typically small, most sinks were one-and-a-half bowl models mounted in a standard 600mm base.

While the 600mm unit is still the key to most kitchen sinks, with the current trend for flush horizontal linear surfaces and under-mounted sinks, typically set into surfaces of granite, steel or slate, any size restrictions of the past do not necessarily apply.

Bowls can be larger and deeper - often with 800mm or 900mm wide units mounted flush or just below the surface, which, despite their size, do not interrupt the sweep of the surrounding worktop. Clean lines and easy-to-clean surfaces are what customers now expect and today's sinks, just like the sleek ceramic hobs that grace many modern kitchens, easily fill this requirement.

Some kitchens have separate sinks for washing utensils and preparing food and these are often tailored to their specific function with the addition of special features, such as waste-disposal units and special-purpose taps. Extendable hand-sprays for washing vegetables, three-handle mixers that incorporate a valve for purified drinking water and even taps that dispense boiling water on demand are all becoming familiar features in the kitchen.

Functionality is, of course, just one element of kitchen design. Aesthetics also plays an important role and modern sinks are designed to appeal as much to the eye as to our practical side.

Large 'statement' sinks (most often in stainless steel, still the most popular material) add status to a kitchen and give a professional air to the business of food preparation and cooking.

Modern ductile steels allow manufacturers to produce deep, square-section sinks with corner radii as small as 5mm to blend in with the clean edges and angles of natural stone work surfaces.

Colour is an important design factor. Stainless steel accounts for a good 80% of new sinks and is the ideal complement to dark green or grey granite; white ceramic looks at home alongside the warmth of oak, teak or iroko. Good design is therefore important for everything in it - including the kitchen sink.