Flex your digital design muscles by entering our AILA Sink Augmented Reality (AR) Challenge! One finalist will be selected to win a $1,000 USD travel voucher that you could use for your next trade show hotel. The winning submission will be posted to our feed and sent in a newsletter with a link to your website and social media feed.

Enter NOW through 11:59pm on Friday, April 5th for your chance to take home the grand prize. All participants will also receive 10% off their purchase of the AILA sink within the next year.

Here’s how to enter…

1) Click the link in our bio to access the AR version of AILA from your smartphone or tablet.
2) Click “VIEW IN YOUR SPACE” to place AILA in your home, business, or outdoor area. The more creative you are with your design the better!
3) Take a screenshot or screen recording of your design by clicking or holding down the white button on your screen.
4) Post your design on Instagram as a story, grid post, or reel and tag @thompsontraders and @lesliecarothers. Make sure to include the hashtag #AILAChallenge as well.
5) Share it to your stories using the hashtag #AILAChallenge and tag @thompsontraders

The winner will be announced on Monday April 8th, 2024. Good luck!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
• All eligible entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges, including AILA designer, Leslie Carothers, CEO of Savour Partnerships, a digital marketing agency, and a digital influencer herself
• Any post that tags @thompsontraders or uses the hashtag #AILACompetition may be shared or reposted on the Thompson Instagram account
• Total value of this giveaway is $1,000.00 USD and must be claimed by April 8, 2025.
• Each participant can receive 10% off their purchase of the AILA sink through April 8, 2025. DM Thompson via IG to receive your discount.
• This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram.
• Winner will be contacted through the Thompson Instagram account only.
• Only eligible for US and Canadian residents over the age of 18.
• Employees and immediate family members of Thompson Traders, Inc. employees are not eligible.
• Any taxes associates with the giveaway are the responsibility of the winner.
• Thompson Traders, Inc. is not responsible or liable for any lost, late, incomplete, or misdirected entries, or any technical or human error that may occur in the administration of the giveaway.
• Thompson Traders, Inc. reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the giveaway for any reason, including if fraud or technical failures compromise the integrity of the giveaway.

Design Hounds Awards

Thompson was honored to receive four Designhounds “Top 5” Awards at KBIS 2024 in Las Vegas. These coveted awards were presented by interior designers and members of the official Designhounds Tour based on their favorite design debuts at the show. Winning Thompson products included:

• Everyday Heirlooms Collection – Alyce Lopez (The True House)
• AILA Vessel Sink – Juliana Ewer (J Squared Home Design)
• Seda Range Hood – Jana Donohue (Jana Donohue Designs)
• Winter Blue Molten Vessel Sink – Julie Anne Baur (Winding Lane Interiors)

About Designhounds
The official design influencer partner of KBIS, Designhounds was created by Veronika Miller-Eagleson and launched at the London Design Festival in 2016. It has since built a global following with over 200K+ online mentions of the #designhounds hashtag. Today, Designhounds is a close-knit network of over 600+ interior, kitchen, and bath design professionals. Their combined reach totals over five million design-savvy audience members.

Gold Award Photos
Thompson’s Permanente Tub—part of the recently unveiled Permanente Collection—received a coveted Designers Today “Gold Award” at KBIS 2024 in Las Vegas. Executive Editor Andrea Lillo hand-selected the new tub as one of her five winners at the show, remarking on its compact size and beautiful aged finish. Click here to see the full list of winners, including products from Viking and Qoldfusion.

About the Permanente Collection
Inspired by nature, traditional clay ovens, and the shapes left behind from Wyoming snowstorms, our new Permanente Collection is defined by soft curves and organic forms. True to its name, it also imparts a feeling of solidity, security, and permanence. This collection is deceptively simple—accomplishing the perfection of each curve is a complicated process that takes our artisans many hours to achieve.

We are thrilled to announce that Thompson will return to the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) this year to showcase our latest collections and products. Join us in Booth N1677 from February 27th to 29th to experience the pinnacle of artisanal craftsmanship and kitchen and bath design innovation.

The Thompson family will also host three events, including the global unveiling of AILA—the first AI-designed sink brought to market—during the first two days of the show. See below for a full list of new collections, products, and events…

Permanente Collection
Inspired by nature, traditional clay ovens, and the shapes left behind from Wyoming snowstorms, our new Permanente Collection is defined by soft curves and organic forms. True to its name, it also imparts a feeling of solidity, security, and permanence. This collection is unlike anything you’ve seen from Thompson, and includes a range hood, kitchen sink, vessel sink, vanity, and tub.

AILA Vessel Sink
Meet the future of the kitchen and bath industry. Conceptualized in the imagination of Leslie Carothers and communicated via her text prompt to Midjourney’s AI bot, AILA is the world’s first AI designed sink brought to market. The bespoke vessel design is handmade from solid copper by Thompson’s artisans in Santa del Cobre, Mexico using techniques and tools passed down to them since the 16th century.

Additional New Collections, Programs & Products on Display
• Design Flex™ Range Hood (New for 2024
• Seda Range Hood (New for 2024)
• Black Pearl Vessel Sink (New for 2024)
• Tortuga Range Hood (New Size)
• Tortuga Kitchen Sink (New Size)
• Two Tortuga Bar Prep Sinks (New Sizes)
• Molten Vessel Collection with Swan Valley Copper (New for 2024)
• Red Egg Vanity (Part of the Permanente Collection)
• Christopher Grubb Laguna TecStone Tile Collection (New for 2024)
• Everyday Heirlooms Collection with Pappy & Company (Trade Show Debut)
• Full Quintana Collection (Updated for 2024)
• Thompson Showroom Display (New for 2024)

Special Events
• AILA Global Unveiling: Tuesday, February 27th at 9:30am
• Christopher Grubb Laguna TecStone Tile Collaboration Sneak Peek: Tuesday, February 27th at 2:30pm
• “Meet the Designer” Quintana Collection with Kara Cox: Wednesday, February 28th at 11am

Thompson is proud to launch two new sinks for the kitchen and home bar. The Quiroga Smooth Brass Kitchen Sink and Rivera Smooth Brass Bar/Prep Sink were created in response to emerging industry trends and designer requests. Each product is handcrafted by our talented artisans and finished in Thompson’s signature semi-satin brass.

THE STORY
As more designers seek creative ways to bring metals and other natural materials into the home, Thompson is responding with new and elevated designs that meet their needs and the needs of their clients. One of the biggest industry trends over the past two years has been the continued rise of brass, more specifically sinks, range hoods, and accessories for the home that feature a smooth, luxurious brass finish.

“Our team began noticing this increase back in 2021,” said Alejandra Thompson de Jordan, VP of Marketing & Sales. “Demand for custom sinks with smooth brass exterior and interior finishes continued to grow in 2022 and 2023 and we decided to address this shift by offering two of our standard products—Quiroga and Rivera—in smooth brass,” she added.

The resulting designs maintain the beauty and handcrafted mastery of the original models, yet are more accessible for a variety of homes and design aesthetics. And each sink’s living finish will allow it to beautifully patina over time. Alternatively, homeowners can keep these sinks polished to highlight the striking gold tones.

AVAILABILITY
The Rivera Smooth Brass Bar/Prep Sink is in stock and ready to ship. The Quiroga Smooth Brass Kitchen Sink will be stock in beginning in December, 2023.

Thompson celebrated several milestones with an exclusive Designer Dinner Party in Los Angeles on Thursday, September 21st. The event was co-hosted by our friend and collaborator Jeanne Chung (Cozy•Stylish•Chic) and held at Chung’s Pasadena showroom and co-working space.

More than 30 interior designers and industry professionals gathered to learn more about the Thompson brand, experience our new showroom display, see our new Luxe Sample Chips, and be among the first to see Everyday Heirlooms—our new collection of luxury barware with Pappy & Company. Chung’s showroom also features several Thompson products, including a custom Quintana Range Hood and Quintana Farmhouse Sink, which were introduced by Kara Cox (the designer behind our Quintana Collection). The event also brought our year of “20th Anniversary” celebrations to a close.

Our LA Designer Dinner Party would not have been possible without our friends from Replacements Ltd. We have turned to their incredible experts time and time again to create unique place settings for gatherings large and small. Designer Julie helped us select the perfect combination for this multi-course dinner and no detail was left unexplored and curated.

Please see below for an exclusive look at the event…

 

 

 

Our new line of luxury barware was the topic of conversation in the latest episode of “Inside Design with Kandrac & Kole“. Clifford Thompson and Alejandra Thompson de Jordan recently sat down with Joann Kandrac & Kelly Kole to talk all things “Everyday Heirlooms.” The collection, created in collaboration with Pappy & Company, made its official debut online earlier this month and features eight handcrafted designs. From the signature “Pappy Punch Bowl” to the “Julian Jigger,” these beautiful copper and brass are inspired by family heirlooms and celebrate the art of hospitality.

Learn more about the story behind the collection and listen to the full podcast episode here.

 

Family Photo

Thompson and Pappy & Company will soon launch Everyday Heirlooms, a new line of luxury barware inspired by family, legacy, and the art of hospitality. Available for pre-order on Pappy & Company’s website on September 12th, the collection features eight unique designs—all hand-crafted by Thompson’s skilled artisans.

From “The Pappy Punchbowl” to “The Julian Jigger,” each product is modeled after essential bar pieces from the Van Winkle family’s personal collection and is steeped in the rich history of Kentucky bourbon country. And while these beautiful products are inspired by heirloom pieces from throughout the past century, the modern interpretations are meant to be enjoyed often and used daily.

Family group shot

The Story Behind the Collection

It’s no surprise that as Thompson and Pappy & Company worked to bring the Everyday Heirlooms collection to life, they found deep rooted similarities between the families behind our businesses. After all, each brand is helmed by strong, creative, passionate women.

Thompson’s founder Alejandra Ochoa de Thompson grew up in a charming colonial town in the foothills of Mexico, immersed in natural beauty and the heritage of celebration. It was a place where every generation of her family embraced their entrepreneurial and creative spirit and worked for themselves. When she emigrated to the United States, she brought that inspiration with her.

 After quickly making a name for herself in the design world, Alejandra felt a calling that was deeply connected to her homeland and ancestral tradition of craftsmanship. So she founded Thompson Traders (now known as Thompson). Joined by her daughters, Samantha and Alejandra, and sons Clifford and JJ, Thompson has continued to evolve while remaining a family run business dedicated to their original inspiration.

Thompson and Van Winkle families

In a similar fashion, Pappy & Company was founded by triplet sisters, Carrie, Louise, and Chenault Van Winkle, as a way to carry on their unique family legacy. Their grandfather, Pappy Van Winkle, is one of most famous names in the Kentucky bourbon world after all. And as female founders running a small business, they have leaned heavily on the grounding principles of the women in their lives, relying on their collective wisdom, strength, dedication and creative passion to create a new generation of success that honors the past.

These grounding principles are what bind the Thompsons and Van Winkles. They see their passion not just as work, but as an extension of themselves, their families and their legacies. Putting their name on something means they have put their whole selves into it…and the generations before them.

The Everyday Heirloom collection is itself a reflection of the shared qualities that brought our two families together. And we can’t wait to share it with the world on September, 12th.

JOIN THE WAIT LIST TO BE AMONG THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE EVERYDAY HEIRLOOMS

Family Photo

Thank you to our friends at the Triad Business Journal for sharing the story behind our upcoming Everyday Heirlooms Collection with Pappy & Company! Only a few weeks remain until our luxury barware collaboration makes its official debut.

Click here to learn more and join the wait list.

Our friends at Designers Today recently shared the story behind “AILA.” Our AI-generated sink, designed in partnership with Leslie Carothers, is currently being manufactured through our Tailor-Made Custom Design Program and will make its grand debut at KBIS 2024 in Las Vegas. February 27th can’t come soon enough!

Click here to learn more and read the full story.