In general, I recommend single bowls for sinks less than 33" wide and whatever you like for the larger sink bases (I admit I do like double-bowl sinks...but only in larger sink bases). In addition, I recommend 70/30 sinks (or at least 60/40 if you can't find a 70/30)...where the the large bowl is 70% of the size and the small bowl is 30%. That's what you see in the pic I posted above. This gives you "the best of both worlds". The large bowl is usually big enough for standard cookie sheets, casserole dishes, pots & pans including handles, refrigerator bins & shelves, etc. The small bowl is small enough for small jobs like soaking utensils or prepping (if needed for that) but big enough to fill an 8qt stock pot. (I haven't tried my 12 qt yet, I'll have to check tonight!) We had a 36" double-bowl sink in our old kitchen with equal sized bowls (50/50). I think the bowls were around 16" or 17" wide each. I did not like it. The bowls were too big for the small tasks and too small for the large (we couldn't even fit our 9"x13" glass casserole dish in it b/c of the "handles", nor would the refrigerator shelves & bins fit.) If you have only one sink in your kitchen, I strongly recommend at least a 33" sink base and a double-bowl sink (36" is even better!) If you have a separate prep sink, then consider a single bowl if your sink base is 30" or less. If you just cannot fit a larger sink base b/c your kitchen is so small (I don't know if it is) and you only have one sink, I would still consider a single-bowl. But that's a tougher decision! Ultimately, of course, it's up to you...get what works for you!

I would hesitate to get a black faucet or even an ORB. Every once in a while we get comments/complaints about finish problems with an ORB faucet, black hardware, etc. If I were you, I think I would stick with Nickel, SS, or chrome in a brushed/satin finish. One thing since you have a double bowl sink...make sure the "reach" of the faucet is long enough that it will reach into both bowls by at least several inches. [Faucet reach is the distance b/w the center of the faucet stem and the center of the faucet head.] In my case, my faucet has a 9-1/2" reach. It reaches just past the center of the drain in the small bowl and just short of the drain in the large bowl. I have a Kohler Vinnata in brushed nickel. Which Ticor sink did you get? I have the S405D. Here is a link that might be useful: Kohler Vinnata® kitchen sink faucet - K-690

I was just about to post a thread asking about Ticor vs. Franke. I am glad you asked about the sound deadening because I wasn't even worried about it. I looked on galaxytoolsupply for the Ticor S405D sink I am interested in and I think it has the same little square of vinyl. I have looked at those photos a hundred times and never noticed it. It seems like all of the Ticor owners are extremely happy and the prices are so good. Does the finish affect your opinion of the various manufacturers? My husband was dead set against any stainless sink until he saw the Franke Orca. I could be kidding myself about the finish difference between the Ticor and Franke but the Franke sure is "purdy". But I don't know if it is worth the $$$ difference especially when you consider the accessories are all sold separately on the Franke. I thought I would end up with Silgranit because they have so many configuration options and it seems indestructible. I was surprised that I did not end up liking it when I saw it in person but many people here love their Silgranite sinks.

I'll rewrite this: "In some cases the "minimum" cabinet size reflects what is considered by some as the sink cabinet being wasted space and not saying that the cabinet may need to be amended to affect a fit" in another way: = = Usually, the size declared as "minimum" cabinet size is the safest size to give to the public because it involves no amending to make a fit. In reality, it wastes a fair amount of space when one adopts a strict optimizer point of view. -- Yes, in frameless boxes a 33 inch cabinet leaves 31.5 inches in the interior; and from a 36 inch cabinet leaves 34.5 inches. The amount of space available inside is 1.5" less than the width of the exterior. -- If your sink is greater than these dimensions (31.5" or 34.5") by an inch or a bit more, you MAY have to do some work cutting some of the chipboard out, to allow the sink rim to rest directly on the chipboard sides and also not be too high. OR' you could do no cutting, and instead add a strip of metal filler on top of the chipboard sides everywhere, to raise the level of the counter. I did this and I screwed the metal strips to the chipboard sides, thereby making a solid frame of all the cabinet boxes all screwed together, and also giving the counter a base to rest on that was better than resting it on the chipboard sides. Ta da!