For years, many of our sinks were known by the same kinds of names common throughout manufacturing: model numbers, dimensions, abbreviations, and descriptions.
They were practical. They told us what a product was.
But they never really told the story of what it represented.
Recently, we began giving our sinks new names inspired by historic American cities and places—names like The Nantucket, The Annapolis, and The St. Augustine.
It may seem like a small change, but for our family, it felt like an important one.
These sinks have always been about more than dimensions on a specification sheet. Our designs are rooted in the character of American kitchens, utility rooms, farmhouses, workshops, and homes from generations past. We wanted their names to carry a little of that history with them.
Building New Sinks With an Old Soul
NBI Drainboard Sinks started more than a decade ago when my dad began building the business in our backyard’s shed.
At the time, the idea was fairly simple: there were beautiful old sinks scattered throughout historic homes and salvage yards that people still loved, but finding an original in good condition could be difficult. Even when you found one, decades of wear, damage, unusual plumbing requirements, or restoration work could make actually using it another story.
So we began recreating those designs.
Today, we manufacture vintage-style farmhouse sinks, drainboard sinks, wall-mount sinks, and utility sinks inspired by designs that were common throughout the early and mid-20th century.
Many feature the details that made the originals so recognizable: integrated drainboards, high backsplashes, rolled rims, deep basins, wall-mounted faucets, and proportions that feel very different from the typical modern kitchen sink.
We build them new, but the inspiration behind them is anything but new.
That is ultimately why the old model-number naming system began to feel incomplete.
A sink inspired by nearly a century of American design deserved something more memorable than a string of letters and numbers.
Why Historic American Cities?
When we started discussing new product names, we kept coming back to places that shared the same qualities we wanted our sinks to represent.
History. Permanence. Craftsmanship. Architecture. Character.
Historic American cities seemed like a natural fit.
Think about places such as Nantucket, Annapolis, Savannah, St. Augustine, or Cape May. They are very different places, but they share something that is becoming increasingly difficult to manufacture artificially: a sense of identity.
Their architecture wasn’t designed around whatever happened to be fashionable that year. Much of it has survived precisely because good design tends to age differently than trends do.
That philosophy has always influenced the sinks we make.
A classic double drainboard farmhouse sink does not need to look contemporary to remain useful. A deep wall-mount sink with an integrated backsplash does not need to follow the latest kitchen trend to still make sense 50 years from now.
Sometimes a design lasts because it was already good.
We wanted our product names to reflect that.
From DBDW6625 to The Nantucket
One of the clearest examples is the sink now known as The Nantucket.
Internally, products like this naturally develop model numbers. They are useful for production, inventory, specifications, and shipping.
But nobody dreams about putting a “DBDW6625” in their kitchen.
They might, however, remember The Nantucket.
The name feels more appropriate for a large, traditional double-bowl, double-drainboard sink. It gives the product an identity while still allowing us to clearly describe exactly what it is: a substantial vintage-inspired farmhouse sink designed around the practicality of older American kitchens.
That balance became the goal for the entire collection.
The names provide the personality.
The descriptions provide the information.
So while you may now see The Nantucket at the top of a product page, you’ll still find the important language underneath it: double bowl, double drainboard, farmhouse sink, dimensions, basin depth, backsplash height, faucet configuration, and every other detail needed to determine whether the sink is right for your home.
Preserving the Language of Vintage Kitchens
Interestingly, changing the names has made us think even more about the terminology surrounding these sinks.
Words like drainboard sink, farmhouse sink, wall-mount sink, vintage kitchen sink, and utility sink aren’t just search terms to us.
They describe genuinely different styles of sinks that once served different purposes throughout American homes.
The drainboard sink, for example, was designed during an era when the sink itself played a much larger role in preparing food, washing dishes, and managing the kitchen workspace. Integrated drainboards gave dishes and cookware a dedicated place to dry while directing water back toward the basin.
High-back and wall-mounted sinks helped protect walls from water while simplifying the work area around the sink.
Deep utility-style basins could handle everything from laundry and gardening to workshop cleanup.
Those practical ideas are a major reason these old designs are finding their way back into modern homes.
People may initially discover us while searching for a vintage farmhouse sink or a kitchen sink with drainboards, but what they often fall in love with is the practicality behind the design.
The old kitchens got a lot of things right.
A Name Should Add to the Story, Not Replace It
One thing we were careful about during the renaming process was not allowing the new names to erase what the sinks actually are.
We’re proud of names like The Annapolis and The St. Augustine, but the name is only one part of the product.
These are still reproductions of historic sink styles built for people who appreciate traditional design.
Someone restoring a 1920s bungalow may be looking for a wall-hung sink with a backsplash. Someone renovating a farmhouse may want a large double drainboard sink. Someone building a new kitchen may simply prefer the usefulness and character of an old-fashioned drainboard sink over a conventional modern basin.
Those descriptions matter.
The new names simply give each design a personality worthy of the product.
Our Own History Is Becoming Part of It
There is also something personal about making this change now.
When my dad started NBI, there wasn’t a collection of historically named sinks or a polished catalog of designs. There was a small family business trying to make a product that was becoming increasingly hard to find.
Over the years, we’ve added new molds, improved designs, listened to customers, and created new versions based on the things people repeatedly asked us for.
Some customers want a sink without a backsplash so it can work in an island. Others want a single drainboard instead of two. Some are restoring historic homes and want something that looks as though it could have always been there.
Those conversations continue to shape what we build.
As the collection grows, we want every new design to feel like part of the same family.
The historic city names help us do that.
Instead of a collection of model numbers, we’re gradually building a collection of sinks with individual identities—each connected by the same appreciation for American design, craftsmanship, and the kitchens that inspired us in the first place.
Looking Forward Without Leaving the Past Behind
We spend a lot of time thinking about new products at NBI.
But “new” doesn’t necessarily mean modern.
Sometimes it means taking an idea that worked beautifully 80 or 100 years ago and giving people a practical way to use it today.
That is what we have always tried to do with our vintage-style drainboard sinks and farmhouse sinks.
And now, their names finally feel like they belong to the same story.
The next time you see The Nantucket, The Annapolis, The St. Augustine, or another historically inspired name in our collection, there is a reason behind it.
We aren’t trying to make our sinks feel old.
We’re recognizing that the designs already have a history worth carrying forward.
Explore our collection of vintage farmhouse sinks, drainboard sinks, wall-mount sinks, and utility sinks, and find the design that feels like it has always belonged in your home.