This is a poor idea to have a 50/50 bowl in a 30" width. Neither bowl will be big enough to easily wash pots and pans. I suggest you go with your husband to a place that has a 30" 50/50 bowl on display. Bring with you a favorite pot or pan, and see how it fits. Your husband's eyes will be opened, I promise. If you can't find one on display (though I think Home Depot and Lowe's should have them), make a cardboard cutout in the 30" size, and draw the divider on it to get a visual. I think your husband needs some kind of visual to see how impractical a 50/50 sink is in this size. This is such a permanent thing - it would not be easy to switch out if you don't like it, so don't be rash.

You should reconsider anything but a single basin in a 30" base. If your husband is the dishwasher and hand washes everything, I might get him a 50/50. If youre the primary dish manager-- no way.

You don't say what the sink is used for -- mostly prep, rinsing, and hand-washing a few dishes -or- do you wash all your dishes by hand?

Who uses it the most -- you or your DH?

Is it your only sink? If not and you use the other sink while your DH uses this sink, then get him what he wants. However, if it is your only sink and it needs to be used by you for prepping and your DH for cleaning up (or some combination), then I think more discussion is needed with your DH.

Most people use their sinks for the former (prep, rinsing, hand-washing a few dishes).

Double-bowl sinks in a cabinet less than 33" wide results in bowls too small for most work. Even with a wider sink base, it can be an issue if you go with equal-sized bowls. We had equal-size bowls in a 36" sink base and the bowls were too small to clean much and too big for small tasks such as soaking silverware. I hated that sink!

If you must have a double-sink, then I strongly recommend you go with a double-bowl sink with unequal sizes. In our new Kitchen, we have a 36" wide sink base with 70/30 bowls: 21"W large bowl, 10"W small bowl. They're perfect!

My DH does most of the cleanup and he uses the small bowl to soak silverware and prep/cooking utensils while he does a quick rinse of the other dishes b/f putting them in the DW in the large bowl. He also hand-washes the few dishes we don't put in the DW (e.g., knives and larger pots/pans).

The small side is also useful for prepping & cooking.

If you are stuck with a 30" sink base, then I strongly recommend going with a single-bowl sink. You can always use a basin for smaller items when needed. Normally, I'm in the 2-bowl camp, but only if the sink base is wide enough.

BTW...most men respond better to "technical" reasons for something, so maybe if you can explain why a single bowl is better in technical terms, he may understand and agree to something different.

E.g., specific interior sizes of the bowls, how the size of the bowls relate to what fits/doesn't fit in a bowl, amount of water usage, etc.

AnnKH...I looked at that sink and it requires a 33" wide cabinet. Did you "hack" your 30" cabinet to make the sink fit?

From the link:

"The overall dimensions of the 503L are 32" x 20 3/4" x 9 1/4" and a 33" minimum cabinet size is required."

Annaliese...have you posted your layout here for review? Perhaps we can help you come up with more counterspace, etc. (I couldn't find a thread of your layout.)

If you'd like help with your layout... you can use the snipping tool on a PC or command-shift-4 on a mac to capture the 2d layout from the Ikea planner to post here.

In addition, from the kitchen planner go to "file" and "email" to send yourself a link to your kitchen plan. Cut and paste that link into a comment here and we'll be able to access it for 5 days. Personally, I LOVE helping folks with their Ikea plans and would enjoy the challenge.

I found one: Ticor S3520

http://www.ticorsinks.com/php/details.php?model=S3520

Dimension Exterior: 29" x 20"
Dimension Interior: 12-7/8"x 18" (L and R)
Basin Depth: 10"
Bowl Ratio:
Drain Opening: 3-1/2"
Material: Stainless Steel
Sink Gauge: 16-gauge
Finish: Brushed Bowl and Polished Rim
Minimum Sink Base Cabinet Required: 30"

But, notice how tiny the bowls are! They're even smaller than my prep sink! My prep sink is 15.75" wide and I find it too small on occasion for prepping; I can't imagine trying to do dishes in it!

I suggest getting a pan/dish or dish basin (Rubbermaid or similar) with the same dimensions and try working in it for a week or two. Actually, have your DH work in it for a couple of weeks!

.

A better idea, IMO, is to see what we can do with your layout!

A single bowl is so much more versatile. Here's a sink that has a removable utility bowl. There are many ledge sinks on the market that you could do the same thing with. At the very least, I would consider a sink that has an offset bowl on one side. The Kohler Executive Chef or the Franke Largo are two that come to mind.

ukinox-d810-undermount-sink-8-deep

No hack, Buehl. They were built by a local cabinet maker, who had the sink on hand before he started "slicing and dicing"; the bowl fits within the cabinet. I was not there the day of installation; presumably the flanges sit on top of the walls. The sink cab has an interior width of 28".

Ah!

Annaliese...I would look into doing something similar to what AnnKH's cabinetmaker did. It will probably mean hacking an IKEA base, but I think it's feasible, assuming the installer is an experienced carpenter/installer or has good DIY skills (if you're doing it).

I still think it would be a good idea to post your layout here to see if we can get you a better layout -- assuming it's not too late, that is!