As our arms continue to recover from our recent kitchen priming and painting marathon (shared here this morning) we thought we’d take it down a notch or two with a post about sinks. That’s right, it’s like a slow jam following a spirited chicken dance or an energetic Macarena.
One thing’s that been fascinating about owning our second home is comparing its features to our first home and noting pros and cons (especially as we think about what improvements we want to make). There are many things that we prefer over our previous digs – like the larger rooms, opens hallways, en suite master bath, etc. And of course some things that make us miss our old set-up, such as our former more open laundry area, enclosed garage, etc. But when it comes to some things, we’re still unsure if they’re upgrades or downgrades… like our kitchen sink.
It’s a deep single sink (call me Captain Obvious). I like it. No, wait, I love it. I think. Okay, no, it’s probably just a like. Honestly I can’t decide whether or not I prefer it over the double sink that we had in our last kitchen (seen below).
Why do I love the single sink? It fits everything. Okay, not literally – but at least I finally can get my pots and pans (including handles!) fully in the sink to clean them. Seems silly, but the double sink we chose for the last kitchen did get on my nerves sometimes. Pan handles would protrude over the countertop. Water would splash everywhere during half-submerged rinse sessions. Frustrated husbands would curse the act of doing dishes. So this new situation is a welcome relief (the pan shown is 22″ including handles).
Some of the few of you who were reading way-back-then even questioned our double-sink decision. But despite my affection for the our single sink, I don’t completely regret choosing a double. Here’s why:
Now that I’m without a “Washing Side” and a “Drying Side” my pans end up on the counter post-wash. Yes, I realize it looks lame and messy (and that our pans are definitely past-their-prime). I know we could get a drying rack, but (no offense drying rack makers of the world) it’s hard to find something that looks good enough to earn a permanent spot on the already-limited counter space (my crazy pot drying method above only means that the side of the sink is occupied for an hour or two after dinner as opposed to hosting a drying rack 24/7). This is where my parents would probably tell me just to buck up, dry them by hand, and put them away immediately. But yeah, that’s not going to happen.
The other thing that makes us indecisive about this set up is the faucet placement. Usually we’re fans of a centered faucet, but such a square shaped sink must have required it be nudged to one side (it doesn’t look like it would have fit in the center). But in a surprise turn of sink-related events I’ve been enjoying the ability to fill up a pot while it rests on the counter (rather than having to hold it as it grows heavier with water in the sink). Life’s small pleasures, ya know?
In the end, we’re not planning to replace this sink and I’m still not sure which I prefer – though I think I now lean towards the single sink camp. What about you guys. Are you on the fence too? Or do you feel passionately about one set up over the other?
Obsessive Compulsive Daniela says
I live in a condo and have a large single sink. Normally I prefer the double, but given the space restrictions, I’m not about to rip out the sink to install a new one. Instead, I make use of this guy – the BOHOLMEN
Colander from Ikea at http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30145285. It sits on the side of the sink and I place the clean stuff in there.
Lindsey says
I like single because you don’t have to worry about which side you scrape food scraps into for the disposal. I have a separate drying rack on my counter, it’s in a corner of the kitchen kind of hidden out of the way.
Lynds says
We have the single deep sink (which we choose) and we love it! To be fair, before we replaced our kitchen we had a sing shallow sink, so this baby feels like pure luxury! Our faucet placement is the same and we also do the pot fill up with the pot on the counter, it’s fantastic!
We use the old dish towel on the counter to dry the hand-washables. It clutters up the counter for a couple hours but I’ll take that any day over the ugly dish racks.
Stephanie says
I have had a deep 2/3 – 1/3 enameled cast iron sink (previous house), a shallow double sink (hated) and in my renovated kitchen I chose an apron front farmer’s sink – LOVE it (queue in Oprah’s voice! Absolutely no regrets. I am faced with the where to dry pots and those non-dishwasher friendly items. I use an absorbent dish towel then fold it up and stash it away when nothing is drying on it – super easy to toss in the laundry and it’s something I have on hand.
Beth C says
What I didn’t like about having a single sink is that, inevitably, after I filled the sink with water, I’d find a plate or pot with food that needed to go in the garbage disposal.
Our double sink now has one side that’s huge! Everything fits, and I can still get to the garbage disposal. But being able to fill a pot on the side like you can is awesome!
Kristen says
I love our double sink – I think it’s probably like the 70/30 that others mention, but the larger side is definitely deep, and probably just as big as your single sink, judging by the pic. The smaller side is more shallow, and has the garbage disposal – a must because I love being able to fill the large side with soap and water, while I rinse the pots/pans/plates of bits of food.
And our faucet has a built-in sprayer, so we can set a pot on the counter and fill it easily.
Leigh-Ann says
We just recently got a single sink when we redid our kitchen. I LOVE IT!! I’ll never go back to a double if I don’t have to. I always felt like the divider in the double was in the way and the basins weren’t deep enough. So I’m team Single!!
pam says
I love, love my single sink. Nothing about a double sink works for me. My large baking pans & pots fit and so do the grandbabies when they need a quick bath (so much easier on grandma’s back to wash them up in the sink instead of bending over the bathtub!).
Jess says
I love my double sink! My husband and I recently purchased our first home and I swear I bought the house for the sink (shhh, don’t tell my hubby). It’s this IKEA farmhouse sink: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S99822037 .
I endured a single sink for three years in my college apartment. With a single sink, you have to wash veggies, fill pots, etc. over a sink full of accumulating dirty food prep dishes = awkward and probably not too sanitary. There is no place to rince and drain dishes as you wash them, in my case, because of the garbage disposal, certain things could not go down the drain.
No, if I have it my way, I’ll never have a single sink again (and when we move to our 2nd house, I’ll move everything AND my beautiful kitchen sink)!
heather s. says
Someone else mentioned this but I grew up with one side for washing and the other for rinsing. This was when you’d fill the sink with water/soap to wash vs. using a brush with the soap built in like they have today. So when I was house hunting a double sink was a requirement; however, I now use the other side for drying vs. rinsing since I use the brush/soap combo since it is just me and I don’t have many dishes to wash at once.
Sarah B says
Does anyone else feel totally left out on this whole Drying Pad thing?! I had no idea! Do they sell them anywhere other than Bed, Bath & Beyond? I am going to wait for my next coupon and have to try one out – if nothing else they sound great for the large family gatherings.
We have a double sink – love it cause I’m too tired after doing all the dishes to dry AND put them away – ok, maybe lazy is the better word – but we NEVER leave dirty dishes!
Shary says
I saw them at Wal-Mart too. I bought mine at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $5. That was the Walmart price too. A link above showed a larger one than I have and that price was $8.
Jenny says
I like a metal sink with double wells. If you ever have anything really hot (pots or water) you can put them right into the sink – and having two wells provides the room to wash with soap on one side then rinse on the other.
Emily D. says
I skimmed thru the earlier comments so forgive me if I repeat a suggestion, but I think y’all would love the offset double sink. The basins are the same width & depth, but one side (usually left) is a few inches longer (I think about 20″). I typed “offset double sink” into the Home Depot search and up popped several examples if you need a visual. Ours has plenty of room for the pots and pans to be washed and I like that you’re not sacrificing width as in a 70/30 sink.
just another option to throw out there as you consider your sink future!
Emily says
I like the deep, single sink!
Just a side question? I love learning about how you cut down on potential toxins (receipts, paint fumes, etc.), so I am surprised at your use of older, non stick pans? Aren’t you concerned about the release of PFOA (which can cause tumors and developmental problems)?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah those are Greenware pans! We got them a while back (no PFOA at all) and still love them. More on them here: https://www.younghouselove.com/2008/12/feeling-gifted/
xo,
s
Megan says
I’m the girl who uses her dishwasher as a drying rack. It forces you to wash after you use the dishes, and saves you from waiting until the dishwasher is full to run it. Plus, it’s added storage!
That way, the dishes are drying no problem in a place designed to handle water drainage and they aren’t taking up ANY space on my counter during the process!
Jody says
I would take a single sink over the one we have. It is completely uses and non-functional! One side is larger, and the other has the disposal and is teeny tiny, not even 1/3 of the other side. I would go with a huge single sink any day! We have the drying mat too and LOVE it!
Megan Brewer says
I have to admit it, I’m a double sink girl. Just moved from a house with a single sink to a new house with a double and it works for me. The single sink does look cleaner/sleeker though. Oh well. Happy decorating & living-
Megan
http://cottagebluedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/06/kids-and-books.html
Angie says
I always hated double sinks in previous apartments. I cook a ton and love the versatility of a deep single sink. Its great for soaking and for foods that you need to cool down. Then again I rarely wash dishes by hand. But love having a huge sink to put all the dirties while I’m too lazy to fill the dishwasher. When we had a double sink dishes would just form a line across the counter.
Isabel says
Our new house came with a large single-sink as well, and since it’s placed in a corner, a double would probably look odd (and take up too much counter space near the fires, anyway).
But do I miss the double-sink! As someone said before, I used to do all my scrubbing in one side and then place everything in the other, to rinse together or (if it were mostly pans) rinse and then place to dry in the 2nd sink.
The one large single sink has its nice perks, but I’d go back to double in a blink
Katie says
I have to agree with Michelle – a 70/30 sink is the way to go (or maybe even 80/20). Not only do you get the benefit of a large sink for pots and pans, but you have a small side for washing fruits and vegetables. I think it’s perfect and I love ours! We use our dishwasher for most of our dishes and only handwash our pots, pans, knives and wooden utensils so the small side still works as a dishdrainer. I suppose if you handwashed a sinkfull of dishes eash night, it wouldn’t work though.
Hillary says
We have a super deep double sink. I love it for its utilitarian-ness, but I don’t like that it allows me to be lazy and leave a pile of dirty and/or clean dishes in the sink without being able to see them from most of the kitchen. If they took up the whole sink while dirty, I’d probably wash them sooner. If I had to put them on the counter to dry, they’d probably get put away sooner. As it stands, I get away with leaving the dishes til later because I can’t see them which only encourages my procrastination!
Stephanie says
I am a kitchen designer and we see a lot of people going to single sinks now a days. Whether it be the “D” shape as yours is called or a larger single bowl. I think it is convenience and the ability to fit more into the sink. WE are seeing less and less people use the double bowls. On these “D” shaped sinks you have to put the faucet on either the right or left hand side due to it’s depth. It is obviously smaller width wise but this is a very popular sink due to the amount of depth you do get. I think you should enjoy it. Yes you don’t have a “drying spot” but the pros shine through i think.
Love reading all your DIY tricks, you have really helped me branch out and do a lot on my own in our current condo! Thanks.
The Savvy Rat says
I always had double sinks growing up. Even then, I would get annoyed with the lack of space for pots and pans. Then, when I got married and moved out we had a single sink. I really liked it and just thought it looked nicer. Now we’re renting a place with a double sink and I am desperately missing my old single. When the time comes for us to buy our own place, that is definitely going to be on my “do want” list.
So I’m completely jealous of your beautiful single sink. And your future fireplace. Le love!
Amanda says
We have a single sink (large apron front) and I love it! We actually wanted a double one but it was twice the price. Now, I’m so glad we got the single one. It makes doing dishes a lot easier with all the extra room. We have a really cute drying rack (did I just say that?) that we got at Big Lots of all places. Its wood and fits into the style of the kitchen. I have even gotten compliments on it!
anne says
I love my double that is big on one side and small on the other. I don’t dry dishes in the sink (I just dry with a towel), but I keep the small side clear for washing hands and filling things while dishes are allowed to pile up in the big sink. Another great option is a single big sink with a dish pan set inside–like having a double sink some of the time without having a double sink all the time.
Krysta @ Domestic for Dummies says
When we first moved into our house we had a double sink but the one side that had the disposal was very narrow and USELESS. I think I cursed that thing everyday it existed. We have since replaced it with a “normal” double sink and couldn’t be happier. Except we don’t have the undermount thing you got goin’ on. I would love that also!
Mandie says
We just had this same decision to make. I ultimately went with a double deep sink.I went with a 60 /40 so that I can get the whole pan in the sink. I did go back and forth though. I do love to have a drying side, and a dirty side. On a still sink related topic, we bought these inserts for the bottom of the sink- little rubber mats, to help prevent scratches on the new sink :)
annie says
we replaced our double-basin sink a few months ago with a single-basin sink of the same size. we are OBSESSED with it and would never go back to a double-basin. i, too, use a drying mat from BB&B rather than a drying rack.
Morgan says
I didn’t want to have a drying rack on my counter all the time either. I tend to just open the dishwasher and let the dishes drip dry in there for a while and then put them up. I used to put a dish cloth on the counter to dry on that, but it took longer to dry than letting them sit in the dishwasher.
Eileen says
When we replaced our counter tops I switched from double sink (never lived anywhere that didn’t have one) to single deep one. I realized that I left my “drying dishes” too long in the extra side because they weren’t in the way — got to be an eye sore of pet-peeve proportions. Now when I “do dishes” they either go into the dishwasher or they get washed and placed on a fold-able rack (that fits into a number of places in my kitchen, I don’t leave it out).
I’ll definitely check out the drying mat though.
I have not missed the double sink…..at all.
Emily says
I LOVE our single sink. And for doing dishes, I lay out a dish towel on the counter. After drying dishes, it ends up doubling as the counter wiper. Our faucet is one of those all-in-one sprayer/regular things and it can come out, so filling up pots is really easy. Having something so deep is great! Maybe I’m so enamored with it because in our last apartment we had a lame sink situation. The faucet was so low you couldn’t wash anything without getting super frustrated.
Robin @ our semi organic life says
We’re on team ‘the keep the faucet running the whole time while hand washing dishes’. We never fill our sink up the whole way and soak all the dishes like many people do. Thus we probably wouldn’t like 1 big deep sink. Although we mainly use the sink for rinsing dishes before they go in the dishwasher or cleaning little things by hand randomly. I like our double now but who knows what we’ll get after we move soon.
Ellen says
Hmmm. How about an extra-deep sink with a shallower one beside it? A mixed double? Those look like sink perfection to me.
And we have neither dishwasher or dish rack, so when I’m doing a heap of dishes I lay out a dish towel and let them dry in that. It gets tossed in the kitchen laundry when I put away the dishes, and all is clear again!
Amy says
Simplehuman makes REALLY pretty dishracks. Yes, they are expensive, but they feel so posh sitting on the counter.
http://www.simplehuman.com/products/dishracks/
Sarah W. in Oregon says
My mother-in-law has this double sink with a low divider that I envy. I think it’s the perfect sink. http://www.homedepot.com/buy/kitchen/sinks/kohler/langlade-tm-smart-divide-r-undercounter-kitchen-sink-white-31472.html
Elizabeth says
I’m a single sink kinda girl. Probably because that’s what I grew up with. My husband and I usually tag team the washing and drying–we each pick one task–but I’m thinking about giving the drying mat a spin.
Tracey says
I prefer a very wide deep sink that’s big enough to lay a cookie sheet flat inside. Double sinks seem pointless to me.
Tiffany Hall says
I’m a double sinker. I like options of dirty dish placement.
Stephanie B says
I have a double sink and I truly do love it… It has one downfall though that might be the break-er… The left side is slightly smaller and the faucet is geared more towards the right side. As a result the water constantly splashes into behind the sink, all over the windowsill, practically floods the entire area behind the sink when I use it to rinse my dishes! Therefore.. I’m torn as well :/ Good luck!
Kaitlin says
I know lots of people love the drying mats, but we find we need a dish rack… in our small apartment kitchen we love this slim, streamlined rack made by Simple Human (sold at Bed Bath and Beyond).
http://www.simplehuman.com/products/dishracks/slim.html
Josh says
When we had our granite installed, we upgraded to black composite to match the granite. Went with the 60/40 split and have loved it ever since. The large basin is great for big cleaning jobs while the smaller basin is great for rinsing off fruits/veges.
harmony says
IKEA makes a pretty-looking wooden drying rack that’s only $6, so it’s an inexpensive short term solution while you’re making your tough sink decision! We like it anyway:-)
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/36381600
Tamisha says
I have a double stainless sink with a double drainboard. I don’t have an opinion one way or another on the number or size of sinks as I’ve always had doubles, but I am going to say that I LOVE the double integrated drainboards. The ones here at the Domus are original to the 1960s kitchen update and will be integrated into the new kitchen whenever we get one. I hate the drying rack, but as we have no dishwasher, it’s an unfortunate necessity right now.
Kate says
I have this same indecision. I want a apron front farmhouse sink in the future, but I’m not sure how I would handle a single sink. I soak my daughter’s bottles in hot water in one side of the sink almost every night. I wouldn’t know what to do without that extra space.
Aimee says
Double sink all the way – but with one side big enough to hold the big stuff. Our current set-up doesn’t allow the big pieces to soak. Blah.
Kari says
We have a large cast iron single sink and I will never have a double sink again. I like that I can get big deep pots in it easily for filling or cleaning. It also fits our house better–seems more in keeping with the original 1929 cabinetry and woodwork.
Laura@JourneyChic says
We have the best of both worlds – a double sink that’s deep. I like to be able to have all of my son’s bottles soaking in the big left side, while I rinse them out on the right. Having gone from single to double, I definitely prefer double!
Kelly says
I’m not sure if anyone’s mentioned Kohler’s Smart Divide kitchen sinks. We just put one in our kitchen and I love it because I can still get a double sink but my pots with the handles fit flat in the bottom of one side of the sink. It allows me to have a drying rack in the other side so that I don’t waste precious counter space. I’m not sure if they come in stainless steal but I think they make both counter and under counter mounts. Here’s a link to the Smart Divide site: http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/smartdivide.jsp?section=1/nsection=1/nsubsection=3/category=5/nitem=cat5/id=www.smartdivide.com
Kelly
Laura says
we have one of those plastic/rubber? drying tray things that you put under the racks, but we use it on its own. Then when its not in use, it goes under the sink and takes up no space!
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
I choose both — a single sink that acts like a double. We looked at every possible sink option before settling on this Blanco model
last year, and we love it.
Jackie says
I {heart} my single sink! You are right about it being perfect for large pans, cookie sheets, etc. Check it out in action below if you would like….I would love your opinion. Thanks!
http://envyhouse.blogspot.com/2011/05/big-bang-for-buck-kitchen-reveal.html
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh- gorgeous! I’m obsessed.
xo,
s