By Christina B. Farnsworth. The company exhibited for the first time ever at the International Builders’ Show last January. But click on its Web site at www.julien.ca for yourself to see what the master of stainless has sculpted for the home market.
Highly sculptured stainless sinks seem to shout urban living. The sinks are wonderfully contemporary in style with luxury touches: drawers, bowed sink fronts, fully integrated cabinetry, and islands in one-piece, drop-in, and pedestal designs.
For 50 years the Quebec-based company has served the commercial stainless market. Founded in 1946 by Leo T. Julien under the name Accessoires de cuisine ltée, the company began by selling kitchen accessories to restaurant owners. Noting his customers’ needs for custom equipment, Julien opened a factory and ran it until his death in 1973. The company’s commercial division specializes in the design, manufacture, installation, and startup of complete, custom kitchen equipment for restaurants and other commercial cooking ventures. The best comparison might be the era in which restaurant range companies like Garland realized there was a residential market for its equipment.
The products on display at the Builders’ Show definitely are geared for home use but show their restaurant and commercial antecedents. The launch bodes well for the company’s future in residential construction.
