The stainless steel faucet utilizes carbon fiber for extra strength and less weight, while staying within the bounds of the design. It also has two spray modes, but technical specs aside, the main draw here is the look. You can't help but stare at it. Details haven't surfaced on pricing or release date, but I'd be willing to wager this thing will cost a pretty penny. [DVICE]

KOHLER LAUNCHES BREAKTHROUGH KARBON ARTICULATING KITCHEN FAUCET

New kitchen faucet marries ultimate kitchen functionality with visually entrancing design

KOHLER, Wis. - April 11, 2008 - What does the ultimate in functionality for a kitchen faucet really mean?
For Kohler Co. - a global leader in kitchen and bath design and technology - ultimate functionality can be defined as a kitchen faucet that possesses the functionality and performance of a pull-down faucet, while also allowing the user to position and leave the sprayhead right where it's needed, thereby freeing up both hands for kitchen prep and clean-up tasks. To develop a kitchen faucet that satisfied this requirement was the tall task presented to the Kohler new product development team.

The result is the new KOHLER Karbon kitchen faucet, a faucet of unexpected and intriguing design that will undoubtedly become the primary focal point of any contemporary kitchen setting.

"This articulating faucet represents a breakthrough in the evolution of the category," commented Les Petch, senior product manager for KOHLER kitchen faucets. "The quest for the ultimate in functionality has not only produced a faucet that outperforms other models but has also yielded an astonishing piece of contemporary design work that represents as much a piece of art as the next generation in faucet technology. It truly is a one-of-a-kind."

The original design impetus of the Karbon kitchen faucet was inspired by lighting and construction equipment with articulating joints. The Kohler design team took this concept and created a product that signals a paradigm shift in the functionality and design of modern kitchen faucets. "Form really does follow function in this case," said Petch. "But that doesn't take away from the fact that the Karbon faucet is an outstanding piece of modern industrial design." The use of a textured carbon fiber composite adds further appeal to a unique visual aesthetic that reinforces the contemporary nature of the design.

Unlike other kitchen faucets, the Karbon faucet will maintain the exact position where a user places it within its allotted reach in or outside the sink, keeping the spray head and water flow exactly where it's desired. Additionally, the faucet offers both spray and aerated water flow options, eliminating the need for a sidespray. An elaborate design detail is featured in the remote joystick valve that consists of two disks of identical size installed flush with the countertop to provide an unusually sleek look and offer easy cleaning.

The actual construction of the faucet is a combination of traditional brass and innovative carbon fiber composite tubing. The logic behind the use of carbon fiber lies in its superior strength and light weight, allowing for tight movement tolerance and the exceptional functional performance of this faucet. The joints connecting the four sections of the faucet employ a novel patented technology that provides exceptional resistance to support the spout while allowing for smooth and effortless handling.

The Karbon kitchen faucet is available in high quality, durable Polished Chrome and Vibrant® Stainless finishes and carries a lifetime limited warranty. Offering easy installation, it relies on flexible connections and installation rings. Installers will want to take note that the joystick valve requires non-standard holes of two inches in diameter.

"When auto-exposure and auto-focus were new features on cameras, there was a lot of skepticism," claims Stråberg. "But, with time, auto-focus has been accepted and today it is a standard feature. For the oven and for the camera, it is all about pushing one button to ensure a professional result."

To cook a joint of meat, you simply select "roast" on the oven's single dial, before indicating whether you want it rare, medium or well-done. The oven, apparently, will tell you whether to put it on its top, middle or bottom shelf—while it is still cold. Then the Inspiro's special maths stuff begins.

It works out the energy consumption and time needed to get the meat to the right temperature of the. That information, alongside its database of professional cooking techniques, calculates what combination of heating modes is required—whether the heat needs to come from the top, bottom, side, whether it needs to use its fan or the grill—to get the dish cooked to perfection.

There's also a manual mode, which means you can ignore the Inspiro's epicurean brain and cook things exactly how you want it. It looks good, too. Here's a video of how it is put together in the Electrolux factory in the German city of Rothenburg.

[Electrolux Inspiro]

With spaces for either Miele gear or seating (I guess it depends just how lazy/minimalist you are) I think that if this concept gets the green light, it may soon be finding its way into many a minuscule NY apartment.

FLOTspotting: James Rennick and Simon Kingston [Core 77 via Born Rich]

* Did you like the gratuitous iPhone mention? Thought not...

Oh, you just can't actually eat off of the dishes yet, unless you want to wash them yourself...lest you add some stale Spaghetti O's to the mix. But the next version is proposed to support cleaning as well.– Mark Wilson

Product Page [via uberreview]