Semi-professional kitchens are ever more popular as home cooks try to keep up with cooking shows and culinary trends, but they present some real challenges for designers. How does one balance functionality and aesthetics? High-performance sinks may be a boon in terms of utility, but they still have to look nice enough to have people gather around them and make them a cherished centerpiece of the home.
The new Pescara collection of faucets and sinks from Franke combines a refined, sleek look with high quality materials and thoughtful accessories to create a semi-professional setup that looks at home in domestic kitchens.
A faucet from the Pescara collection by Franke
The collection is inspired by the beauty and style of Pescara, Italy, and emulates Italian, country-style design. Beyond aesthetics, the quality of the products is more than surface-deep. “The products are all machined, so there is no casting of the product,” said Lars Christensen, VP Product Development & Innovation at Franke. “All products are chrome-plated or stainless steel and developed with high-quality brass pipes, and the sinks are laser cut and laser welded.” This careful crafting ensures that the products will function beautifully for years.
The design, developed in collaboration with NOA design group, saw some of the shortcomings of existing semi-professional kitchens and sought to improve upon them. “We wanted to develop a faucet that would be semi-professional, but not too big,” said Christensen, noting that some larger models can’t fit inside tight urban apartments. “The faucet should have a dual spray, multi-functional spring and a magnetic holder for the spray arm,” Christensen said, and the latter is one area where the team made some of its biggest leaps forward.
A Pescara by Franke sink and faucet
Franke’s award-winning Pescara faucets have architecturally precise lines and are sold in a variety of styles. Pescara’s semi-professional faucets — available in three sizes — feature 360-degree spout swivel ranges and intuitive switches that allow users to easily toggle between full and needle spray.
The FFPD4300 spray head from the collection includes a magnetic rear-docking feature. “This model was made exclusively for Franke, and is unique to our brand – so it took a lot of development to get it just right,” Christensen said. “There are similar models on the market that have magnets that are not strong enough — and the spray head falls down. That said, determining the strength of the magnetic dock and spring of the arm took a while to perfect.” The result is a faucet that easily switches between a spray arm and conventional faucet with the flip of a switch and is ready for everyday use.
Pescara by Franke faucet
A dual-function hose means that water flows out of the spout when the faucet is in the magnetic docking station, but when it’s removed, the hose transforms into a spray hose with extended reach to cover the entire sink. When the hose is returned to the dock and the diverter button is released, the faucet switches back to the original flow path. “This unique feature doubles the spray reach and minimizes the hose length,” said Christensen.
Pescara by Franke faucets
Often semi-professional faucets are sold as stand-alone items, but the Pescara collection includes a full assortment of faucets — including a 360 faucet, a prep faucet and pot fillers — and accompanying sinks. The pull-down faucet is available in two sizes, with a smaller option that can fit in tight spaces. The FFPD4350 and FFPD4450 faucets are also offered in a solid stainless steel version.
Sink accessories for a Pescara sink by Franke
A wide range of accessories makes the Pescara collection more functional than other options. Franke’s signature square drain cover makes the bottom of the sink flat so that stemware and other dishes don’t tip. The stainless steel bottom grid protects the sink surface from scratching and allows dishes to dry without sitting in any moisture. The tempered glass cutting board can be used over the sink for meal prep or as a serving tray, and the dual purpose shelf grid rests on the integrated ledge to make it easier to rinse vegetables or dishes.
The future will bring new finishes, bowl configurations and faucets for the Pescara line, making it fit even more tastes and demands. In 2018, for example, Franke is launching Pescara point-of-use faucets for even more options in the kitchen. With each new product, this Italian-inspired line elevates semi-professional sinks to a new level.
Franke 
