Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 558 Comments

Is A Single Sink Better Than A Double Sink?

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.

Sink New Single 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).

Sink Hole Beauty Full

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).

Sink Full Pan In Sink

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:

Sink Pan Drying 2

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.

Sink Off Center Faucet

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?

Sink Filling Pot

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?

Comments

  1. Jessica says

    I am the same issue about limited counter space and not wanting to store a drying rack. My husband found these microfiber cloths at Crate and Barrel, which work great if you need to give something a quick towel off. We stopped buying papertowels and use four of these, plus a stack of flour sack cloths to clean the counter/do all the other odd jobs we were using papertowels for.

    http://www.crateandbarrel.com/kitchen-and-food/dishtowels/set-of-2-microfiber-dishtowels/s453781

    Reply

  2. Tara P says

    I have the exact same feeling…..only opposite. =) We moved from a single to a double & there’re things that I like about both. The drying thing is not really an issue. After living without a dishwasher for years, I now have an obsession with getting EVERYTHING in. Even if that means waiting until the next load. I know. crazy. But I refuse to have a drying rack, so in extreme circumstances (like house guests I’m trying to impress), I’ll just hand dry & put away. I do love the second sink to have one places to soak messier items & one place to rinse. But I HATE having one sink where there is no disposal, so stuff inevitably gets stuck in the drain. The one thing that probably pushes me over the edge in the favor of the single is that I washed my baby in our single sink for over a year. I was able to get a good sized bath sling in there for the first few months & then a nice sized baby in there once he sat up. And I saved my back in the process.

    Reply

  3. Jessica D. says

    I have a double sink similar to your old one in my kitchen, but I’m lucky enough to have a HUGE single sink in my laundry/mud room. Since that room is the hardest working room in my house (it is our main entry as well as area for laundry as well as houses a second refrigerator/freezer) that sink gets used for everything from soaking big pots and pans to handwashing delicate items to rinsing off shoes that have a little too much mud (or various other things) on them. It also makes a great place to fill up my 2 gallon watering can. I really think I would be lost without it… I would definitely have to replace the kitchen sink with something deeper if I didn’t have the super sink in the laundry room :)

    Reply

  4. Emily says

    It depends how much space you have for the sink. If you can fit a double sink with at least one side large enough for a pan + handle, then I think that’s the best. But we didn’t have that much space, so we went with a larger single sink instead of a double sink with two sad, frustrating little sections. I really, really wish we had space for a big-enough double sink, since a single sink means the dirty dishes get piled next to the sink, similar to your drying pots, except it’s 24-7.

    As far as your faucet position – could you mount it on the wall instead of the countertop? That way you could still have it centered.

    Finally – I dry my pots and pans by sitting them on the stovetop.

    Reply

  5. Sari says

    Our new house as a single sink. I hate it because we don’t have a dirty dishes/clean dishes area. Either its all dirty or all clean. Sometimes I am lazy and don’t wash the pots and pans (handwash only) for a few days. But if I need to fill a pot with water or drain spaghetti, I have to clean the dishes first!

    Anyway, to save counter space for drying, we got an absorbent drying mat at BBB: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17316192. It dries pots quickly and when you’re done, you neatly store the mat under the sink.

    Reply

  7. Mandi says

    I’m on the drying mat/pad boat. We have two from BB&B for those days when we’re extra “dishy”… They work great, are easy to store, and mashine washable- can’t beat that! :)

    P.S. I hate my double sink… My husband likes to fill up one half with his dirty dishes. With a single sink, he’d be forced to rinse and put them in the dishwasher (that’s what I like to tell myself, at least).

    Reply

  8. laxsupermom says

    I absolutely despise a traditional double sink. Neither side is big enough to hold big things which always meant getting water everywhere when washing them. I much prefer either a large single or one of those doubles that has the one large side plus a smaller side(which is the one we put in when we remodeled the kitchen. The big side can fit all our pans with handles, big roasting pans, cookie sheets, etc. and the small side is great for washing veg when there are icky dirty dishes in the main sink. It basically acts as a prep sink, except it’s attached to the main one.

    I agree with everyone above that a drying mat is what you’re looking for. I love ours from BB&B.

    Reply

  9. lizzy says

    ahhhh! we were just having this same discussion this morning!
    our new house has a double sink and i HATE it! we plan on replacing it with a large, single basin sink when we do our kitchen over. for now, i am envisioning a white farmhouse or maybe a stainless sink. either way, it will be a single basin!
    :)
    p.s. LOVE how bright and happy your kitchen now looks!

    Reply

  12. Carolyn says

    We are about to embark on a DIY kitchen remodel, so I just have to weigh in on the sink topic. We are going to install a 60/40 stainless sink, simply because it is an expensive sink that comes free with our countertop installation. But if I had the money to do a bigger remodel job, I would definitely be installing a farmhouse sink. I know nothing of their functionality, I just think they’re gorgeous!

    And apparently after skimming the comments, I’m going to have to get a drying pad from Bed, Bath and Beyond! :)

    Reply

  15. Amy says

    I know you’ve heard it tons of times before, but go with the drying mat! :) I love mine…all we do is throw it in the wash every once in a while, and keep it stored with our kitchen towels in a drawer. I paid $4.99 for it and it was worth every penny.

    Reply

  16. Kristy says

    Hi John and Sherry, first post here!
    I think your single sink looks great, there’s something very antique-y about it, however at the end of the day I think double sinks are a little more practical. Now if they made two sinks as deep as your single sink, that would solve all problems! P.S. My fiance and I just got possession of our FIRST HOME yesterday :)
    P.P.S. You guys are amazing, and so are Clara and Burger!

    Reply

  17. RC says

    I hear you on the drying racks – they are so ugly! I need more support (sides) than a drying mat so I need a drying rack. But ugh – I hate how it looks. I wish these could be practical and attractive.

    We have a 25 in wide single sink (we had to fit our sink in a 30 inch cabinet) that’s extra deep (9 or 10 inches instead of the usually 7.5/8). We love it! We also went for a thicker steel so it’s not as ping-y/noisy as some of the cheaper/thinner sinks.

    Some of my friends prefer white sinks (porcelain-coated cast iron) or soapstone sinks, I have always loved stainless steel sinks – they just feel easier to clean and I’m not worried about staining or nicking the surface.

    Reply

    • Tyleet says

      I agree on the stainless stell. Our 70/30 is white soapstone (I think) and it stains terribly!

  18. Sue says

    I just recently bought an older condo and it has a single large sink. I love it! I am in the process of getting new countertops and have purchased another large sink to replace the current one!

    Single sink is my vote!

    Reply

  21. Kelly says

    My parents just got a large, deep, single sink. My mom has a drying rack that she keeps in the cupboard then takes out when she uses it/puts away when she’s done. Voila, only cluttered while the dishes are drying. I think I recall you mentioning the other day that you aren’t lacking for cupboard space so this might be a solution for you! :)

    Reply

  22. Lark says

    In my old place we put in a Franke single sink that was 27″ wide and 10-12″ deep with the drain off to the side. That was the most convenient sink I have ever had. It was the best! We moved to a different house 2 years ago with an original 1960 kitchen complete with a shallow, single sink that barely fits anything. The Franke sink was a bit expensive, but the one splurge item that was worth every penny.

    Reply

  23. Tyleet says

    When we bought this house in the fall, it was a first for me to have a 70/30 sink. I absolutely loved it to begin with, but my love has turned into more of a like-like. I do still love the 70 side of it, but I no longer love the fact that the 30 side is shallower. I use that side to rinse (I am pro double sink for rinsing), but I am ALWAYS splashing water up onto the counters because the sink is so shallow. I don’t like the mess it creates. I would definitely recommend the style otherwise.

    Reply

  24. Lori B. says

    We have a very nice, deep undermount single sink in our kitchen. I don’t like it at all! I miss having a double sink and will definetly change over to a double when the time comes!

    Reply

  25. Lark says

    Btw, we could fit a dishwasher and a half worth of dishes in that sink and wouldn’t have a single dish on the counter!

    Reply

  27. Jaime says

    Double sinks are the spawn of the devil!! Ok, maybe thats a bit dramamtic, but it expresses my feelings towards them to a T. I am sure there are super fancy double sinks that have one side larger and deeper than the other that are the best of both worlds, but for the majority of us stuck with cookie cutter sinks, one big deep single tub is the way to go! :) I curse everytime I try to wash a cookie sheet, cutting board or my large skillet and water goes EVERYWHERE. Grr!! I am actually looking into getting mine switched I cant stand it so much! haha!

    Reply

  28. jen(melty) says

    I’m torn, like you. But I LOVE your new faucet because half the time I have too much dirty stuff in my sink to put a pot at the bottom of it! We went from a huge deep single sink to a double, and I like the double a lot. I like that I can have a clean/dirty side, and all the dirty stuff goes in one side, leaving me with a clean sink to work with. But it’s also 2 sinks to clean hehe. I have the same problem as you, I don’t want an ugly drying rack taking up space and looking ugly on my counter, so I just put the wet dishes on the counter and then scrape all the water back into the sink hehe. I will have to look into a drying mat! Our dishwasher sucks, so sometimes I open the drawers and use the dishwasher as a giant draining rack. oops.. :) In my next luxury life I’d love a pot filler right on the stove.

    Reply

  29. Ashley says

    I have that same problem with ours. It is a deep sink with a skinny part on one side – kind of useless space. We have to have a drying rack on the counter and it drives me NUTS! I can’t stand the space it takes up or the looks, plus they don’t look very clean for long. We have been debating about a new sink for awhile now – still no conclusion.

    Reply

  30. Lucie says

    In spain they have a dry rack above the sink, hidden behind doors (in a cabine?). I thought that was very smart. The negative about that is that, if you are tall, that you can hit your head against it while doing the dishes :)

    Reply

  31. Libby says

    i am 100% double sink! big double sinks that is. i def dry things in there/place my blender upside down after i use it to dry out for the day etc, and with a single sink i couldnt do it! i also love how your faucet is placed, the people i babysit for have the same thing and it seriously makes a difference when filling heavy pans!

    Reply

  33. Sharon says

    In our case – bah bye ole sink. It was tiny, shallow in a tiny galley kitchen. Our “new” house as of 3 yrs ago is sporting a HUGE double sink made by “Blanco”. It’s truly a double-wide and super deep. Ahhhh, yes, the simple pleasures.
    I LOVE it!! THNX for sharing!!

    Do you any preference over your old marble counters vs. the new granite ones??

    Sharon

    Reply

  34. Courtney says

    We recently had the same dilemna – we chose a farmhouse sink and couldn’t decide on single or double. Finally, my mother-in-law gave me some great advice: get a sink you can wash a dog and a baby in. :) We opted for a 33″ single bowl. We’ve only just installed it and haven’t moved in yet…so we don’t know for sure if we love it, but I think we will! I’ll let you know!

    Reply

  35. Caitlin says

    I love my double sink (one side is deeper and big enough to fit large pots), but I wanted to suggest getting a drying rack and not leaving it out all the time. I have a dishwasher for most of my dishes, but for pots and pans I bought a cheap drying rack that I store under the sink except when I have dishes to dry that I needed to hand wash. I do like how the faucet is to one side of your sink though.

    Reply

  36. Ann says

    Oddly enough we moved into our 2nd home about the same time as you, as have done a lot of comparing along the way too – and the sink was something I was unsure of when we moved. It’s not really a 70/30, but like others described has a really big basin and then a smaller/shallower one next to it. Six months later I can confidently say I LOVE it. All the huge dishes fit in, and I still have a basin if one half is soaking something or pasta is draining or whatever. We’re done having babies, but it would make a fabulous baby bath too.

    Reply

  37. Alison says

    I may have a solution for you! aka – best of both worlds :)

    At my parents house, they actually have a double sink but it’s not symmetric – one side is larger – like you’re new-house square sink – and is great for washing (I too hate the great-now-I’ve-flooded-the-kitchen overspray). The other side is smaller, similar to one of the halves of your old-house sink – this is the side they put their garbage disposal on (which is handy because the smaller width makes it easier to balance a cutting board there!) – all in all? It’s AMAZING and my mom loves it… And frankly, I wish I had one… siiiigh….

    Anyway – it does take up a little more counter space than a regular sink but it is SO worth it. (I WISH I had a photo for you.. alas…) But the faucet is aligned with the split of the two basins so it’s slightly off to the side – depending on the style you get, it might still reach the counter on the skinny side. Or Mom and Dad just have one that is a sprayer nozzle (know what I mean? the faucet itself pulls out) so they usually just set the pot on the counter and bring the faucet to IT!

    Hope this helps! Happy sink shopping! :)

    Reply

  38. Jen says

    Our water is so hard where we live that I lovingly call the dishwasher the “dish dirtier”. We basically use it as a ig ‘ol drying rack as well. (But we do have actually have a double sink and I am a baker, so I hate that I can’t fit a cookie sheet or giant industrial sized cupcake pan in the sink to wash it.

    When/if you do get around to replacing your countertops there is a great green product called Paperstone which is made from post consumer recycled paper. I have seen people do really cool sink surrounds with integrated drying “racks” like in the picture here: http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/tile-stone-countertops/paperstone-recycled-countertops-028371

    Reply

  39. Brooke says

    Single sinks are better in my opinion! :) I also get annoyed when I can’t fit an entire pot or pan in one of the sides of the sink. My next kitchen will have a big open farmhouse sink!

    Reply

  40. Katie @ Domestiphobia.net says

    We got this Kohler Smart Divide sink when we remodeled our kitchen, and I love it because it’s pretty much the best of both worlds:

    1) It’s split in half, which allows for the drying rack to still sit down inside the sink leaving the other half for washing.

    2) The fact that the divider only goes partway up allows me to fit even my gigantic grill pan inside for easy, splashless cleaning!

    3) The short divider is still useful because I can defrost things like tilapia fillets by only filling the bottom portion of one half of the sink and not wasting so much water.

    4) Combined with a pullout faucet, (the kind where the nozzle itself pulls down from the faucet), I can still fill pots easily on the counter and the faucet head can also reach into all nooks and crannies of the sink itself.

    I’ll admit that my husband isn’t crazy about it because dirty water splashes onto the dishes in the drying rack when he’s cleaning on one side, but all he has to do is remove the drying rack from the sink while he cleans and then stick it back in when he’s done. Viola! I really love this sink and wouldn’t hesitate to get it again (assuming my sister is dating another guy who works for a plumbing supply store when we buy our next house).

    Reply

  41. Corinne says

    I am crazy for farmhouse sinks – CRAZY. I do also love the high faucet, but we have one of those sprayers on ours. I think I’d take a sprayer over a high faucet!

    Reply

  43. Katie says

    We love our single sink, too! We just have a dish rack that pops out for drying sessions and then pops back down into the cabinet under the sink when we’re done with the dishes!

    Reply

  44. Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co says

    I LOVE having a double sink for washing purposes (one side for drying- just like you said), but I wouldn’t mind a large single vessel, farmhouse sink either! :) Being able to avoid the awkward rinsing issues with a too-small double sink would be great!

    Reply

  45. Melinda says

    I have a sink with a huge side, and a smaller medium side. Love it, best of both worlds. Plus I have a prep sink in the island, I wasn’t sold on it at first as it takes up room, but it is my favorite for cooking and prepping the veggies and it would be hard for me to go back to just the bigger sinks. We have a second kitchen downstairs, and it has a small sink (like 8″)and a big sink together, and it isn’t as useful, I don’t like that one. If you can’t put dishes it the small sink, not as useful. I’d have a terrible time going back to just one sink.

    Reply

  46. Laura says

    When we redid our kitchen 6 years ago I went with a large single bowl sink. I love it! It fits everything even my cookie sheets. I cannot imagine going back to a double. We have Corian in our small kitchen so the integrated sink is also amazing. No more grout or icky stuff on the sides. Next time I would definitely get a large farm style sink, but that will be awhile. With 2 in college, we aren’t going anywhere anytime soon!

    Love your new paint, so cheerful and fun.

    Reply

  48. Erin J says

    BEST SOLUTION!!! I too have a extra large single sink and I’m so glad I do, for the same reasons you listed! It is also a great size for baby-bathing! What you need is one of these: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/184-9100177-2641909?asin=B000I9N4JC&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000I9N4JC It’s the Polder Expandable Stainless Steel In-Sink Dish Rack from Target (or from Bed Bath & Beyond). The one I have is slightly different and I picked it up at Saver’s Thrift Store for $1.99, but they work the same. I set it along the edge of the sink and it doesn’t take up washing space because anything too large to fit next to it, still sits below it. The one I have is only about 7″ wide so I still have plenty of space to wash. I think you would love this solution. I do!

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *