RSS
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Share this
Where’s The Hole?
Do sinks really need a paradigm shift in design? Designer Maja Ganszyniec seems to think so. Check out this Plugless Sink. From the name you should be able to figure out what’s different about it. There’s a reason behind this altruistic design though. Since you have to manually pour the water out into a spillway, you’re consciously aware of how much water you’re using. Great, I’m a total water hog so this sink would definitely make me think twice about leaving the faucet running.
Designer: Maja Ganszyniec
If you liked this design, you would also be interested in:
- Transform and Clock Out
- How Many Noodles Can I Eat?
- A Black Hole For All Your Crap
- Where’s the extra seating when we need it?
- Born to be Mild!
Keep up with the latest designs by subscribing to our RSS or Newsletter.
45 Comments »
So says
The awareness seems well thought but what I worry is, is the spillage and maybe the pressure to pour out the water
Emmanuel says
In my grand father’s house, I always use a identical product who is, now, something like 100 years old… Ok, the designe it’s not the same, but the idea yes…
Willzville says
Like 99% of designs, this one is straight up STUPID. This design is actually a few steps BACKWARDS by forcing us to manually do something (pour out our freakin dirty water). Also, the effort to lift (or even tilt) the sink would be a nightmare, especially after you’ve just woken up!
Maja Ganszyniec should consider going back to elementary school, I’ve heard that over there teachers believe that there is no such thing as a stupid question, or idea.
Long Tran says
I think that was the designer’s intention; by reversing what should be a simple task into manual labor, you’re inherently more aware of how much water you’re using.
So basically, if you don’t want to lift a heavy bowl, use less water.
So says
There is no need for abusive comments
marcin says
u mean where?
Willzville says
I forgot to add that the addition of a sink with this concept would undoubtably devalue a home.
lovejoy says
Not a fan of adding useless steps to already simple things. If i want to rinse my hands, i gotta dump it out. If i brush my teeth, i gotta dump it out. I spit mouthwash in there? Gotta dump it out. I want to clean it, you get the idea.
Okay thought but deserves A LOT of refinement. A LOT.
lovejoy says
maybe if it was robotic it would be worth something.
Turna Gones says
that is too useless sink i hate useless grrrrrrrr
igreenspot says
so impractical, I prefer a design that warns us of water waste without giving me some heavy lifting
enoo says
Ahah, that’s the kind of thing that is to be broken in just a week.
Especially when I’m not really awake in the morning, I tend to let things fall off my hands. And if I don’t break it, my cat will, he loves jumping on sinks. And if not my cat, then someone else in the family would break it.
People really interested in knowing how many water they use could just close the plug/hole at the bottom of the sink, it’ll be even more evironment-friendly, as there’s no need to buy a useless product just for that.
Heather says
I think I may have to agree somewhat with the problem of functioning well enough early in the morning or late at night to pour this out in a non-haphazard fashion, lol. I think even if there was a button or a lever to pull that would tilt the bowl, that would be even a little better. I appreciate the out of the box thinking though, and especially the awareness of how much water is being used. Thanks for the post!
http://www.ethos3.com
Tanko says
I think it is a brave and imagine full of enviromental-proctect concepts, but like some friends above saying, it is too nasty to save the dirty water and to lift the sinks by ourselves, this product get the forms but not the functions.
Migo says
Just bouncing off ideas here, but a compromise can be made between those saying that it’s “too much work” (I’m trying to imagine what your waistlines are like, you lazy people), and those who think that this can get broken easily.
Basically, if the bottom of this sink were connected by a track so that it functioned like a lever when raised, it would dump the water out accurately every time, without spilling. It would also keep it from tipping over if, say, a cat jumped on the sink. The lever action can also ease the weight of the water in the sink.
This will make it more feasible as a product because the negative aspects of inconvenience are removed while the main concept of water waste awareness is still intact.
Lim says
I agree…. Can see many comments were getting out of points slowly…
But for people for love convinience and be convince, picture this, a normal basin that have a faucet with an infrared sensor, where it gives out the water automatically when your hands gets near it, at the same time, the top of the faucet comes with a small display that indicating how much money you have spend for it….
Anyway, this is not a new idea but suits the much demanding consumers….
Jason says
My problem with it is beyond the lifting or sliding or whatever of the bowl. Now I have twice as much stuff to clean and it looks like there would be a germ farm on the front side of the trough with the drain. I wouldn’t put a product in that requires more effort both to use and maintain.
jason says
If the bowl was hinged and weighted so lifting it would be as effortless as filling it then it would be nice. It would also change your habits. One previous comment was saying about how you would need to change the water after ever single use. That probably wouldn’t be necessary, you might wash first, then shave, brush your teeth, whatever, but an appropriate order would come out of it and all the while you would probably turn the water off saving water and enhancing your awareness. I love the design of the sink counter, the bowl could use some work.
zippyflounder says
lol, that slot that you pour your used water into…wonderful place for all sorts of trash to end up..combs, contact lens cases, pill vials, etc….great design.
Air2air says
The “water conservation” movement is one of my favorite lefty religions.
Water doesn’t vanish out into space. A process called evaporation separates pure water from dirty. Then an even more amazing technology sends it back down to us, called rain.
I love how people won’t water their lawns to “save water” when they live a few miles from the ocean, happily evaporating trillions of gallons all day.
Migo says
What makes water precious is that it isn’t just any water that you use coming out of your faucet. Entire systems of filtrations, networks of piping and a large investment in setting up facilities goes into purifying the water that we use from the tap. THAT is what is important.
People can live a few miles from the ocean and still die from thirst or economic disasters brought about by drought, as seen in some African countries.
Your understanding of the “water conservation” movement is quite flawed. The key word that is missing there is *drinkable* water. Less than 1% of water on earth is fresh water. You were ridiculing those people who won’t water their lawns with drinkable water… the average amount wasted is enough to last you several days worth of drinking water and even some showers.
Air2air says
This device is just playing on guilt in an attempt to make the buyer feel good in some way. The same buyer will purchase carbon credits for the same reason; to participate in a ritual of self-cleansing.
The “water conservation” movement is simply another environmental agenda looking for a problem to solve. I agree that filtration, processing and transport are required. But last I heard these systems are running just fine. If they are not, the market will create opportunities for further advancements in the marvelous system we have developed over thousands of years.
I agree that in Africa there is plenty of dying and drought. But not because I water my lawn, or that I drive an SUV, or that I mat use an extra gallon brushing my teeth. We know why people die in Africa and it is not because of the type of sinks we use.
Sam, Wisconsin says
3rd world sink?
craig says
Wow. My sink is broken. I have to do the same thing, except instead of lifting the entire sink, I just use a plastic bowl and dump it out in my tub.
It’s engineered to be annoying!
Lan says
Lets just be thankfull he dident reinvent the toilet bowl.
Lan
184865 says
OR a scheme to create an argument besides the old ‘you left the toilet seat up’ … now it will be either ‘you left the toilet seat up’ or ‘you didn’t lift up the sink’
Athena P. says
She is brilliant! I was so inspired by her design that I designed a sink myself. It’s called the Bōl, and it takes her design two steps further, by removing the drain and the faucet. I’m a genius!
Nightscream says
So, basically, the designer created a basic salad bowl, called it a sink and now they are brilliant. I’m in the wrong business
jimoity says
@commentators
Oh, look at me. I am too lazy to tilt a round bowl. My arms are so feeble I can’t possibly lift it. I don;t care to be inconvenienced by having to DO something.
get a grip people.
1859 says
You said it, Jimoity: Hooray for inconvenience!!!
Let’s bring back outhouses! What, are your legs so feeble that you can’t possibly drag your lazy ass out of bed at 3 AM just to walk across your backyard in pitch darkness and take a dump in a foul-smelling old-fashioned port-o-potty? Of course not! Just remember to take a flashlight with you…
and don’t forget the toilet paper!
Robyn says
This would be impractical for a household with small children or one in which small children visit. While the concept is nice,I think there’s already a solution - those school faucets that you hit once and get a pre-set amount of water. You have to press the handle to get another shot of water, but you’d be less inclined to use a lot of water since it would involve extra work in a way that seems less problematic.
Flash says
It’s not a sink. It’s what us commoners call a “bowl”.
Brook says
Wow. I would have never been able to brush my teeth or wash my hands after I had my shoulder surgery, because I couldn’t have emptied the sink. Nor could my sis with MS, or my friend with JRA, or…
Well, you get the idea.
I appreciate the thought behind this, but for those with any kind of physical limitation this would be not only impractical but nightmarish.
Woke says
Innovative?
Nonsense. This ‘manual labour’ is already practised in many countries like India where water is kept in pots.
watsap says
Sometimes ppl need to regress to realise that there are bigger problems than our laziness. Stupid comments like some that i´ve seen, should be silenced. The water problem is very importante in the days that go by. I know that 100 years ago, we had buckets and they did the same thing, but it wasn´t to make ppl to think about water problems. Design is supose to help, but it can be indirectly, like in this case. you get tired of lifting lhe boul, but you start spending less water, that is way much more importante, individually and collectively!!!
Congratulations.
Jeremy G says
A design similar to this has been used on Naval vessels for almost a century. The sink folds down out of the wall, where the drain is also located. When you are done using the sink, fold it back into the wall and the basin drains. It’s simple, effective, and saves space.
Trackbacks