When I lived in New York—lifetimes ago it would seem, when dinosaurs roamed the earth—my apartment had a kitchen the size of a matchbox. I used this as an excuse not to cook, and to this day I can make nothing worth eating. An Italian friend of mine insisted on making a healthy meal whenever she would visit and order to concoct such a dinner, she would cover one side of the kitchen sink with a wooden cupboard and use it to chop and dice various green objects she insisted were known as vegetables.

Novus Series Sink. Manufactured by Houzer.

Had the Novus Sink been around at the time, this culinary production might have gone a bit smoother. In Latin, “novus” means new or novel, as in unusual or extraordinary. The “Novus Sink” from Houzer fulfills this definition. Novus “combines a chic tight-radius design with an ingenious interchangeable dual platform system.” What the sink does, to put it simply, is add counter space. Slide a flat stainless steel panel over the sink and you’ve got additional workspace—it would have come in handy back when I was living on donuts and pizza (e.g. The Manhattan Diet).

Contempo Series Zero Radius Sink. Manufactured by Houzer.

The look of the Novus Series is clean and unobtrusive, since the sliding panels fit so neatly into the simple undermounted sink. For another contemporary and inconspicuous undermounted Houzer sink, see the Contempo Series Zero Radius is a functional, shallow alternative to bulky basins for small spaces. Designed to suit “today’s ultramodern designer kitchens,” Novus looks cosmopolitan—a good accompaniment to an Italian kitchen—but it’s made in the United States. In New Jersey. Houzer, the New Brunswick company that’s been building sinks for over 30 years, is dedicated to improving kitchens here and abroad “one sink at a time.” With a lifetime warranty, high-grade stainless steel, and MegaShield insulation, Novus is as reliable as it is clever. This sink is especially good for small spaces. People with a shortage of square feet should take note: Novus can improve the work flow in your kitchen (and in turn, perhaps your cooking).