Hi Missmuffet-
I had issues that left me with a 30" sink base as well. I ended up buying the Blanco 441024. It's a stainless, undermount sink that is 28" wide and 9" deep....not exactly the Silgranit sink that I wanted but bigger than the 24" one I thought I was stuck with. It's not installed yet but looks bigger than expected...definitely big enough to bath babies!

I got it at HomePerfect.com for $200.
HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: Blanco 441024

I'm assuming this will be an undermounted sink...

Depending on the thickness of your cabinet walls, you should be able to fit a sink w/an exterior width of 27.5" to 28" without having to modify the sink base. Some people have been able to use wider sinks by scooping out the sides of their sink base. Note, though, that not only will this void the warranty for that cabinet, but it might also compromise the integrity of the cabinet if the "scooped out" area is too big.

I, for example, was able to fit a 35-1/8" wide sink (exterior width) in my 36" wide sink base w/o making any modifications to my sink base. My cabinets have 1/2" walls...this means the opening in my sink base is 35" wide (36" - 1/2" - 1/2" = 35").

I just put a 46.5 inch sink into a 48" base and it just fit. I would try to go bigger if at all possible. 24" sounds tiny to me, but not everyone needs the "monster size" I just installed!

A "monster size" would be nice, but unfortunately, the house gave me the limitation of this column - ugh.

The cabinets that I'm getting will have 3/4 plywood walls, so if I read Buehl's calculations then the 30 inch base would only be able to have a 28 1/2 inch sink(30-3/4-3/4). Maybe njmamma's Blanco sink would work. . .

Today the KD told me that a 27 inch base would fit the 24 inch sink (that's another 3 inches I could keep in a different cabinet). I'm just not sure if a 24 inch sink is big enough to work comfortably. Anyone out there have one???

missmuffet:
When I was undecided about which size sink I wanted I used different color tape to tape out the various sizes...sort of helped me judge. I also ended up with the Blanco 441-024 for a 33" sink base. It was delivered yesterday and it looks HUGE!!! Any bigger would have been too much for my small kitchen but I was nervous about getting smaller too.
BTW, after njmamma posted about HomePerfect (the day after I ordered mine, of course) I contacted OverstockDeals.com which 'advertises' price-match but they're really giving me a hard time...saying that they no longer match and they'll be taking that off their website. Huh? If it's on there shouldn't it be honored? But that's another thread...sorry!

I am happy with my 25x19 inch sink. We are a family of 4 and dh is a chef, it has worked out perfectly. But I have nothing to compare it to. I have never had the huge sink.
The quality of the sink has been wonderful. It is made by Kindred. I searched high and low for one that would fit a 27 inch cabinet and give us the most space. I think they usually come 23x17, but I found this one that is 25x19. I did purchase the sink grid and love, love love it!
It wasn't cheap. I found it on Faucet direct and they gave it to me for $280. Now on most websites it is listed around $380! And that doesn't include the grid. I think I haggled with them to get the price down!

It is 18 gauge, 9 inches deep, and the drain is a little toward the back which I love. Radiant/silk finish.

If you want some pictures to get the idea of size let me know. My backsplash was just grouted today( a year and a half after the kitchen was done!), so I have to clean up a bit!

Good luck

Oh thank you all so much! Yes, huge to large makes very good sense (I think that's what I'm shooting for with my diet). It will make such a large difference in the room if I can shave a few inches off the island, but not loose the cabinets that I had planned. - For a bit I thought I had to remove the trash bins and I really wanted them.