As our arms recover from the recent kitchen priming and painting marathon (shared here this morning), we thought we’d slow things down with a post about sinks. Think of it as a mellow song after an energetic dance number.
One interesting part of owning our second home has been comparing its features to our first house and weighing the pros and cons as we plan future improvements. We prefer many things about the new place — larger rooms, open hallways, an en suite master bath — while other aspects make us miss the old house, like the more open laundry area and an enclosed garage. Then there are features that leave us undecided: the kitchen sink is one of those.
Our sink is a deep single-basin model. I like it. Maybe I love it. Well, I probably just really like it. I’m still torn about whether it’s better than the double sink we had in our previous kitchen (pictured below).
Why do I appreciate the single sink? It holds everything. Not literally everything, but it finally lets me fit pots and pans, including their handles, fully into the basin for washing. The double sink in our last kitchen often annoyed me: pan handles stuck out over the counter, water splashed everywhere during partial rinses, and doing dishes could be a frustrating chore. So this deep single sink feels like a relief (the pan shown is 22″ including handles).
Some readers from back then even questioned our decision to go with a double sink. Despite my growing fondness for our current single basin, I don’t completely regret the double. Here’s why:
Without distinct “washing” and “drying” sides, clean pans often end up on the counter after rinsing. I know it looks messy — and our pans are certainly well-used — and we could use a drying rack. But it’s hard to find one that looks good enough to live permanently on our limited counter space. My current approach, stacking pans temporarily on the side of the sink, at least keeps the counter clear most of the time; that spot is occupied for an hour or two after dinner rather than 24/7 by a rack. My parents would tell me to just dry and put everything away right away, but that’s not realistic for me.
Another small downside is the faucet placement. We usually prefer a centered faucet, but the square-shaped sink apparently required the faucet to be offset; it doesn’t look like it would have fit in the center. On the bright side, the side-mounted faucet has an unexpected perk: I can fill a pot while it sits on the counter, instead of holding it in the sink as it gets heavier. Small conveniences like that add up.
Ultimately, we won’t be replacing this sink, and I’m still undecided, though I’m leaning toward single-basin sinks these days. What about you — do you have a strong preference for single or double sinks, or are you still on the fence?