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?
Lita says
We’re going to be getting a new countertop in the next 6 months or so–we currently have one of the Formica ones (know what I mean?). Our sink currently is the stainless variety with the lip that “folds over” on top the the countertop. How do you like the undermount sinks you’ve had? Is it challenging to clean the top part of the sink? I don’t want any gross gack in that crevice…
YoungHouseLove says
I love undermount sinks! I don’t think I’d ever go back!
xo,
s
gia says
I’m loving my big single sink, similar to yours! It fits everything and I also enjoy being able to fill up pots with the side faucet.
When we moved into our house and re-did our kitchen, there were many concerned parents that we didn’t want a drying rack. I hate them as well! I think they look cluttered and messy. In fact, I had to tell both my mother and mil to not buy one for us as that is the first thing they both said we needed when they saw the kitchen. No thanks! We’re happy with our drying mat from bed, bath and beyond and the dishes get put away every night. I’m with you on that one!
Deb says
Call the granite counter people and ask them to come out and make 5 grooves that slant down into the sink to drain! I think it cost me a couple of hundred dollars. Worth every penny. This is what I have and I don’t need a pad or strainer. It is still flat and useable as flat counter space for when you aren’t letting things dry, though you couldn’t knead bread there or anything.
Best money I ever spent. No more dish drainer.
erica says
We have a double sink – but both sides are pretty deep and wide. Problem is – Im short like you Sherry! Over time I found that my shirts started getting worn looking riiiiight where I was always leaning into the counter edge to reach the bottom of the sink. So you might want to invest in an apron to do the dishes! hahahaaha but other than that Im a HUGE fan of the double sink – and def deep on both sides to hide what I dont feel like washing quite yet! :)
Amy Rode says
I just left a house with a single sink and now I have a double (of sorts). I have one big deep sink, then a smaller, shallower side with a garbage disposal. I sure miss having the one sink. We’ve lived in our brand new house less than 2 months, and the sink without a disposal is already getting a little slower. Likely due to the two of us being used to washing any dish we like due to our one sink habits (which included a disposal).
When I wash pots/pans by hand – I set them on the stove top to dry!
Kristina says
We have a double sink with granite and my husband still has the need to have a drying rack on the counter. I hate it. I’m with you that it’s just not good enough to earn a permanent spot on the counter where our space is limited. This weekend I vow to make a change :)
Just found your blog after it being recommended to me (a newlywed designer/artist from Rhode Island) twice in one day. Can’t wait to see more!
Erika says
Our kitchen is in desperate need of a makeover and the sink is something I would like to replace. I have been considering the big single because I have a couple of friends that swear by them.
On another note, I do the same thing with my pots and pans and I have a double sink. I just lay down a drying cloth, you know the kind you are supposed to use when you immediately dry the pots and put them away. ;o) Then I let everything sit on the cloth until it’s dry- usually things get put away the next morning.
Cristina says
I have a double sink, but one is big (like your single sink) the other one is small.
^^
Tiffany Nevil says
I’m a single sink fan. I can’t stand that blasted ridge in the middle of my double sink. I get splashed and squirted with water ALL the time and it makes me looney!
Jenn says
My mother is completely on your side in the single sink camp, after a brief but ultimately unsatisfying fling with life as a double sinker. When she and my dad built their current house, she selected a double sink after hearing many raves about them. Fast forward three years later, and she personally supervised my dad’s DIY sink replacement to regain her single sinker status.
wendy h says
never had anything but a double, and I don’t think I’d do well with anything else because I am incredibly lazy and like to throw stuff in there to drip dry. I hate to dry dishes.
That said, the great big farm sinks are so cool looking, and I’ve often wished for faucet oriented like yours so filling big pots of water was easier.
Hanna says
I have a deep love for the deep sinks, since growing up my mom always washed us babies in the kitchen sink. It’s kind of become a family tradition in the summer that the older kids jump in the outdoor shower and the babies get dumped in the sink after beach time. :)
We lived on a farm and had the deep old farm sink. When we moved it became more perilous because my parents had a shallow sink at the new place, but they upgraded to a deep version again when the grandkids started coming along, so there was less danger of babies escaping across the counter and through the window. And we have a couple of very slippery escape artists!
I guess nowadays washing your kids in the kitchen sink might be considered gross, but back then it was preferable to the hose (brrrrr).
Amanda says
My parents had one when I was growing up, and now that I’m married we have one too, so I’ve can’t compare them objectively. As far as drying goes, I’m far too lazy after all the washing to do all the drying too. I stick with a drying mat (Bed Bath & Beyond), and it’s not tacky. Plus when you have company over it rolls (or folds) right up to be stashed somewhere easily. Really, they’re fabulous. They do the job, and they look great. Have you considered one?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes- so many folks have recommended them we’ll definitely have to check ’em out!
xo,
s
Rosanne says
I think the drying mat is the greatest invention ever. My mother-in-law gave me one for Christmas, and when I opened it, I was like “?”. But I love it. And I actually pulled a “mother-in-law” (that’s what we call it in our family) Saw them on clearance at Target and bought them for all my friends!
Myrna says
Whew!! I have been trying to figure out when (or if) you had time to cook or eat, especially with the “panel-ganza”. Thanks so much for showing the pots and pans on this posting. Please tell me it wasn’t just staging. You DO cook and eat! Now I just have to figure out when you have time to sleep.
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, we eat! Usually three meals a day (and sometimes four- haha). All that painting (and sweating) can make ya hungry!
xo,
s
Nora says
Single sink all the way
e.p. says
I’ve always wanted a double sink, but as for a drying mat you should try out “the original drying mat” from bed, bath, and beyond that is basically a giant shamwow. It is great and blends in well on the side of the sink. I love it, and there’s no ugly water drip pan that gets moldy and gross after awhile.
jess says
looks like a couple of people have suggested dish mats… here’s a little project you could try if you’re itching to give ‘oh brother’ another go…
http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Dish_Mat_Tutorial.pdf
YoungHouseLove says
Love those!
xo,
s
Jessi says
I too despise drying racks and end up doing the pot pile-up to the side of the sink but to make it seem more like the drying area when pots are there and eliminate puddles of water, I lay down a cute towel underneath. Then when the dishes are put away, I hang up the towel in a bar just inside one of our cabinets to dry as well. It is wonderful and still stays pretty!
kory says
I love chatting about the little things that make me happy in our new apartment :) and a single sink is one of them (small kitchen, very little space), but the dishwasher takes the prize! Is there a particularly good reason for you not to have one? I can’t imagine what that would be :D
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes- thank goodness for our dishwasher! We just don’t use it to wash our pots (they’re Greenware, so it’s recommended that we do that stuff by hand).
xo,
s
Summer says
In our home (with 5 kids) the pot and pan drying got old really quickly. I too, hated the look of drying racks so I hung a pot rack over the sink and just let them drip dry. It makes life so easy AND we gained an extra cabinet for more storage.
Sheena says
We’re opposed to a 24/7 drying rack too so we just plop our clean dishes right next door into the dishwasher where we leave the door cracked a teensy bit to allow the dishes in there to dry! :) Works like a charm!
Rae says
I can see how everyone likes a single bowl because it’s so accommodating to large items, but I am totally in the double sink camp. I grew up creating dishwater on one side and rinsing on the other. Our current sink (a large single bowl) fills up with water before I’m done washing and rinsing. My mom finally got me a dish pan that sits nicely inside the sink. I fill the dish pan with soapy water, then I rinse on the other side. Just curious, how are all of your single bowl sink lovers doing it? I would love some feedback on a better technique.
YoungHouseLove says
I think we might not soak in soapy water (we just grab a soapy sponge and wipe things down and rinse them in the same bowl one at a time- then we set them to the side to dry). It’s definitely one of those whatever-works-for-you things though!
xo,
s
Megan says
To GK…I also have a white enamel sink by Kohler and before I installed it I was very nervous about it getting scratched and looking crappy. If you start to get the grey marks from pans and untensils, use the Bar Keeper’s Friend powder, you can get it from Walmart. It takes Scratches out better than Comet. If there is still some brownish staining from food and stuff, just pour a little undiluted bleach over those areas in the sink and it will whiten like magic. It amazed me the first time…good luck!
Nerd Girl says
How dense am I? I don’t even understand the concept of a single sink.
I wash on one side, rinse on the other, and then put my dishes in a rack to dry.
How/where do you rinse the dishes when you have a single sink?
YoungHouseLove says
You rinse them and lay them on the side (see all those post on the side of the sink in that pic?). Hence our dilemma. Although so many folks have recommended a drying mat (that you store when it’s not in use) so that might be the ticket.
xo
s
Brooke says
Of all the other issues with my house, this post made me realize how lucky I am to have a double which is also deep! Pretty much a necessity for us though, since we don’t have a dish washer (half is always full of drying dishes).
Nancy says
My sink is divided but not 50-50. The side with the disposal is much smaller which means the larger size fits large pans. It also means there’s very little drying room as you would use the smaller sink. I wouldn’t do it again, though, because I want a farmhouse sink as I have forever (even before I was talked into this one!)
Katie says
I love this from BB&B for dish drying. I use it on the kitchen counter in place of a drying rack. The best part about it is that you can store it away easily and it is machine washable!
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17287109
Rachel says
I have a single bowl sink that’s the size of a double sink. I got it on Overstock, and I love it. It’s massive! It fits everything in there, including massive 9×13 casserole dishes. Highly recommended.
monika says
ONE, single, HUGE sink. I replaced a doulble because getting a cookie sheet washed guaranteed a deluge. The single one is enormous and I love the fact that
Hollie @ I'm Busy Procrastinating says
We have a large, deep, rectangular single sink. I am in love with it. We can fit ANY pan or cutting board flat in there, which is great for soaking. We use our dishwasher for 95% of things, but when we do need to hand-wash, we just put a towel on the counter beside the sink and let things air-dry there for a few hours.
Alllison says
It is looking so fabulous already! Your hard priming work definitely paid off. Can’t wait to see the rest of the changes implemented!
Kim says
Not that I don’t appreciate a good discussion about kitchen sink pros and cons, but I have to admit seeing this post just about gave me a panic attack. I have the Cuisinart Green Gourmet pots and pans (looove them- bought ’em after reading your blog a few months ago) and when I saw your picture all I could think was AHHH GET THAT METAL UTENSIL OUT OF THAT PAN!! I can’t help it- I practically attack my boyfriend if he even looks at a metal utensil while using the nonstick pans!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes, Sometimes we let ourselves go a bit. Hah.
xo,
s
Katie K says
I think I would prefer the one deep sink… and that side faucet is amazing! Who would have thought! I’m with you on the whole drying rack thing…. they take up way too much space. You guys should look into The Original Dish Drying Mats from BedBath&Beyond! We have two and we love them!! We just lay them on the counters, pile all the wet stuff on them to dry, and then fold them up and store them under the sink. They don’t take up very much room.
Becky says
I love my double sink…with one large side and one smaller side. (the smaller size is probably about half the size of my old sink…so big enough to wash on and let dishes dry in the huge side) The larger side will hold entire pots and pans with nothing showing. I chose one that is oversize and extra deep. (No dirty dishes showing in the livingroom!)
brittney says
This is probably really weird, but I use my dishwasher as a drying rack when I hand wash stuff haha… oh the irony. I just stick them on the racks and leave the door open, or close it if we have company.
Hand washing rarely happens though because I LOVE my dishwasher. I even passed on getting anodized steel pots/pans because I didn’t want to hand wash all the time. I just got one big Calphalon skillet and use it for nonstick needs.
Kimberly says
Have you considered a raised metal rack that would sit in the bottom of the sink? It would out of view, it wouldn’t inhibit washing, rinsing, storing of pot and pans and they would just dry down in the sink as opposed to beside of it. Mayhaps something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Medium-Stainless-Steel-Sink-Protector/dp/B0000DDVO3.
YoungHouseLove says
We had one of those in our last house but with a single sink we worry they’ll never dry if they’re in the sink (since we use it to wash our hands and pour water out, etc). The sink just is used too frequently to be the drying rack itself I think. Thanks for the suggestion though.
xo,
s
Megan says
Do you two have a dishwasher? I always put my dishes in there to dry!!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah but we only like to run it when it’s really full (maybe 2x a week) so it’s not normally empty enough for them to hang out in there with the rest of our stuff. Haha.
xo,
s
Kay says
Single vs. double. You’ll hear a solid, definitive “well, it depends….” from me. First choice – a deep (9-10 inches) offset double sink. Offset means that one bowl is much, much larger than the other – often as large as a big single bowl sink. Large enough to swallow cookie sheets and baking pans. Whole. The smaller side is about the same size as the bowl on a standard double sink. The faucet is positioned behind the smaller bowl. Clean side/dirty side. Wet side/dry side. Perfect. Second choice: a roomy single bowl sink. Not a dainty little hole in the granite barely large enough to hold a cereal bowl, but a real workhorse of a sink. There’s nothing dainty or pretty about a crusty lasagne pan and you have to be prepared to fight back.
Amanda says
I’m squarely in the double sink camp for one major reason – we don’t have a dishwasher, so I have to wash everything in the sink. which means that I need a washing side and a drying side (and a drying rack). My compromise is that I keep the drying rack in the cabinet below the sink so I don’t have to look at it when it’s not in use. I am also the type who will not dry dishes immediately after washing. I think a single sink would be ok for us if we had a dishwasher, but for now I’m loving the double!
Felicity @ Our Little Beehive says
I’ve had both an prefer double, deep. Definitely needs to be deep.
Try “Bar Keeper’s Friend” on the not-non-stick sides and bottoms of your pans to keep them looking new and so fresh-fresh.
Andi says
We put a huge single sink in our last kitchen and it was everything I had imagined…I LOVED IT! When we ordered it we had the option to order a basin that goes in it that makes it into a double sink. I was SO over the double sink thing, so we didn’t get it and I never regretted it.
We’ve been in our new house for a few weeks now and I am impatiently waiting for “new sink” to reach the top of our to-do list!
Sarah says
They sell a double sink that is “pot handle friendly”. It has a lower divider. I think they are called low divide or half divide.
Jessica says
I’m starting to think I’m the only person (besides my parents) who uses a double sink to wash on one side, rinse on the other, and put the dishes in a drying rack on the counter (which is stored under the sink when not in use). My mind is blown! That aside, I would like one of those double sinks with a low middle divider, I think that would be great!
Oona says
I definitely prefer a double sink. The kitchen at my last house was half the size of my current kitchen, but it had an antique double porcelain sink with drain-boards. It’s was massive and fabulous. I loved it. This kitchen has a single sink, which is plenty deep, but I have limited counterspace and was forced to finally buy a drying rack. I complained about it for 7 weeks before finally just buying a “black chrome” one from Target. I just couldn’t handle my stuff lying willy-nilly on the counter, plus nothing ever dried and I ended up hand drying stuff anyway.
Teri says
We had the same debate when we redid our kitchen at our old house. I would always tell my hubs that I wish that we did a single instead of the double. Now that we are at our new house, they put in a double with same size bowls and I am so wishing I could do single. That wasnt an option with the builder, but I may be making that a long weekend project.
mkegirl says
i, too, hate drying racks and have a single sink! we use a dish drying mat, sort of like this one (though we don’t use the dish holder thingee shown in the photo):
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=17316192
it’s great! the pots and pans dry very quickly and then you can fold it up and put it away! and the counters don’t get wet/dirty. i have two so that i always have one handy if the other is in the laundry.
Suzanne says
I have a double sink and hate it. I’ve had the very large, very deep double sized sink w/ no separation and LOVED it. My main selfish reason was being able to bath my child standing up for the first 5+ months! (told you, it was completely selfish).
You could always get a drying rack and then hide it in the cabinet when done. We also do this now even though we have a double sink.
Trude says
I’m a big fan of the huge deep sink with no divider, not only for the ease of washing giant pots but also because it makes it a super easy way to wash my dog. We call it the Doggie Spa. :) Of course, he’s a 15-pound Italian Greyhound so it works better than if he was a lab or something!
susan says
If you’re ever bored enough and looking for a project, you can easily use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to clean up the bottoms and sides of your pots and pans and baking dishes. During a couple day obsession over the power of these sponges, I used one to work magic on all of my pots and pans that had that weird hard grease stain look on them in spots. I couldn’t believe the difference!
P.S. I have a double sink with one large basin and a smaller basin. Makes large dish work easy, and also allows for separating things :O) My garbage disposal is in the smaller sink side.
YoungHouseLove says
Another great tip!
xo,
s