I think if you are going for farmhouse/rustic/cottage feel then you don't want to use SS sinks.. use enamel instead.

In any case here are the stainless pics:

Hi hlove,

I think the stainless sink could work nicely in a cottage/country/rustic kitchen. Just make sure that the stainless sink ties into some of the other elements in the kitchen. Two examples:

{{!gwi}}

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You can see mine in some of the photos. I have a french country/traditional/professional style kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: My finished kitchen

Hi hlove,

I think the stainless sink could work nicely in a cottage/country/rustic kitchen. Just make sure that the stainless sink ties into some of the other elements in the kitchen. Two examples:

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Thanks so much for the replies! jgopp, your kitchen is beautiful! Would you believe I have those same exact RH counter stools, even in the same finish?! Small world, huh?

francoise47...thanks for the pics. The 2nd one is more of what I am envisioning, down to the painted cabs. My appliances are white with that glassy finish, though. However, my island is a stainless restaurant-style prep table, so the stainless sink won't be the only stainless element. Both pics have a flat front, as opposed to the curved ones...one of the features I couldn't decide upon.

jmith...Aesthetics-wise, I would much rather have a cast iron farm sink, but I'm always banging or dropping my dishes into my sink while washing, so I know I'd end up with a lot of broken dishes. My current stainless sink works well for that, so I think I need to go for function over looks, unfortunately.

Stainless can look great in that setting, as long as you dont use the bowed front. To me that reads modern.

Thanks, kitschyKitch. That's one of the things I was hung up on...bowed vs. flat. I think I will definitely go flat.

I perosnally don't think stainless apron works in a traditional kitchen... because then you have made it into contemporary kitchen.

A real farm house is about function first, and if there is any style, it's incidental to the function. When planning a kitchen today, we often consider style before function, which leads to the "matching suite" look of a designed and purchased whole. There's nothing wrong with that, but a real farm house would have an evolved over time look, with pieces from many periods. You could have a 1930 wood stove next to a 1950 pink wall oven and a 1970 avacado green refrigerator, with a 2011 stainless farm sink.

A "modern" stainless farm sink is big on function. And it can go perfectly in a farm house kitchen. Add in a few more stainless touches, and keep in touch with the rusticity and functionality at the root of a real farm kitchen like a separate Hoosier cabinet, some painted cabinets, a free standing old butcher block, a "function over form" type of industrial or antique stove----and the list goes on. A true farm house is very much the definition of "eclectic"!

Thanks for your thoughts, GreenDesigns. I guess because I don't suppose my home was ever a real farmhouse, I don't want it to look like I was trying to create some disney version of a farmhouse kitchen. I do want it to be functional and have a quaint charm to it...happy colors and utilitarian workspaces without looking too disjointed.

jmith,
I just purchased the sink you have for my nephew's kitchen. It is very well made and they love it.

@GreenDesigns: Maybe true where you are but not up north here nothing says modern like stainless.

@cabinetsbyalan: thanks but thats just a picture i took at a dealer's showroom :). I was thinking of doing apron in my kitchen but i went with SS non apron sink.

I love farmstyle sinks, too. If you go to this link, you will see a collection of pictures highlighting farm style sinks. I think they're beautiful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Farm Style Sinks

Have you thought of maybe going for a more french country look as opposed to farmhouse? Since you have the same stools as I do then you're already heading down that direction. You can keep the modern elements but warm up the space a lot and tie it together better (I think personally) than by going for farmhouse.

PS hope you love the stools, I got a sliver from one right after they arrived so I had to gently sand down one of the arms a bit.

I'm not sure I'm really going for a "farmhouse" look, necessarily. I'm just trying keep the remodeled kitchen from looking out of place in our 1870s home. We live in a small village outside of a small city in the Northeast. The kitchen was definitely an addition at some point, not sure when. The existing cabs are from the 1950s. The house is very simple...no fancy moldings or baseboards and it was added on to throughout the years. I doubt it was ever a farmhouse...I guess I'm justing trying to go for a simple, country vibe. I'm probably over-thinking the sink thing. I really like the apron front because I think it's more ergonomic and the stainless for ease of use, so as long as they don't push my cabinet budget up, I think I'm going to go for it.

jgopp, The stools were something I just loved, and figure I can take with me. They're definitely not farmhouse. I figure they'll be my "bling" in an otherwise simple kitchen. :) I've had them for 2 years, and even with little girls, they are holding up well....no splinters. I do need to tie in the weathered wood somewhere, so I think I'm going to try to replicate it with the upper shelf I'm planning on one wall.

Thanks for all the comments! I'll likely be posting more questions over the next couple of weeks as I try to pin down choices.