Hi I may be misunderstanding your question but...If you want the sink flush with the counter, you just mount it further back. It is up to the individual homeowner how far out to mount the sink. Some people go out up to 4 inches, others mount it flush. I chose for my farm sink to be flush with the doors in the cabinet below so it protrudes one inch. For a contemporary look, I would suggest a square corner instead of a radius corner. I also think the stainless farm sink would be great for your application. One other thing, I have found splashing to be more prevalent with a farm sink vs an undermount. If the sink is really flush with the cabinets, water may end up going inside the doors. I have to wipe down my cabinets often because the water splashes down the front of the sink. Just something to keep in mind.

Our fireclay apron sink has been indestructible, and we do a lot of clumsy swinging of cast-iron skillets. Others, however, have not been so fortunate with their fireclay, so perhaps it's a model/brand/size issue (I've got the 30" Whitehaus model). Copper's great but it will speckle and patina over time and some folks strongly dislike that aspect of it. Porcelain over cast-iron is wonderful, but it can chip. Silgranite seems pretty durable but being a rather new material, the word is not yet in on how stain-resistant it is over the years, and some object to its plasticky feel. Stainless steel is probably as indestructible as it comes.

i have the rohl 30" and love it. the drain is off to the right on ours. hth

Here are my existing photos of the Whitehaven 24," color is sea salt and this is the "tall apron" version. I can take others if you want. The sink in the background is the 33" version. FYI if you want anything other than straight white in 24" its a custom order and takes like 2-3 months. Fortunately my contractor and cabinet people were so slow it was a non-issue... hahaha. It's great size for a prep sink, but would be small for a main sink... maybe could see it like in a small apartment with significant space constraints.