POP-UP SOCKETS AND S-BOXES

Whenever I hear the words “got the power” I remember this clip from Bruce Almighty. It has very little indeed to do with granite and quartz worktops, and even less with electrical sockets. I include it purely for shallow entertainment value as it always brings me immature joy.

But the issue of power in the kitchen is a serious one. Even thirty and more years ago there were plenty of appliances that needed sockets in our kitchens, from toasters to kettles to liquidisers. But with the advent of the internet age, and the way that kitchens have become more and more the all-purpose hub of the house, the number of devices asking for electricity has gone through the roof. Do you have the power?

Goldfinch’s stand at the Design Show

The other trend that has made power more of a challenge has been the growth of the island – both in popularity and in size. Worktops against walls have been replaced by tall cupboards and the preparatyion/working space has shifted to the island. With that shift comes a problem: the wall provided easy access to power, with as many sockets as you like. An island can have power sockets built into its ends (as you can just see in the picture here) but that means that any electrical appliance on the island top will have a lead running over the end. Dangerous in any circumstances, though I really wince when I think about what that scenario might mean with a toddler in the house.

Eight years ago we wrote a blog about power sockets on islands. And more recently we have written about cut-outs on islands – should you have a sink or hob on an island? – and even more on overall island size.

The design of islands and the provision of power to the island took a step forward with the invention of the Chameleon Pop-Up socket. Whereas most pop-up sockets require a stainless steel cover over the socket tower – very visible, even in the retracted position – the chameleon design has a cover made out of the same material as the quartz or granite worktop itself. This is the S-Box design, pioneered by Peter Brook, and it really is a breakthrough at all sorts of levels.

I wrote at fair length about Peter and his S-Box products when I met him at the KBB show at the NEC in March. This month, though, we have the Chameleon Power Supply on special offer! For full info on the S-Box please take a look at the company website, and for details of the particular S-Box that we have in the offer, please jump to our Special Offer page.