I like a double sink, even-sized bowls so I can rinse separately from my dishwater. I'm not sure if I'd like the large/small bowls together. If I had a single sink, I'd probably use a dishpan and that would kinda make having a single sink pointless.

Look at the kind and size dishes you use on a regular basis. I see a lot of for cooks who do a lot of baking. Use what works for you, not necessarily what you see most often.

Definitely one large sink. I think double sinks look very dated. They were for a time when people washed dishes by hand and put them on a rack to dry. No one lives like that anymore with dishwashers. With one large sink you can rinse your big pots and pans, etc.

See what I mean? You do you!

Double. One side larger. Most of my daily dish washing is by hand, so to say “people don’t live like that anymore" is absurd. I only run my dishwasher about once a week.

There are so many threads about this over in Kitchens.

I prefer one as-large-as-I-could-fit single sink (mine is 28"). I hand wash then rinse under the running water, so I don't need a dishpan or another basin for rinsing. I don't fill the basin to wash, because I wash the hand washables (generally knives and pots/pans) as I go (or only let a few items accumulate.) If a pan needs to soak, it gets filled with water/detergent -- not the entire sink. I have an over-the-sink colander from Ikea which I use as a drying rack as well as colander -- I have seen drying racks that fit into the basin as well.

I don't have room in my kitchen to have a practical size of double sink. My single basin is large enough to lay cookie sheets flat, and to wash the components of the refridgerator. I couldn't do that with any double without sacrificing counter space, which I need every inch of.

just replace a double with a large, deep single....never looked back!

So even with a dishwasher I tend to hand wash a number of items, like wooden cutting board, cutting knives ( which get dulled if put in dishwasher), Teflon pans, microwave egg poacher ( which I use every morning), a microwave dish I use regularly, etc.

As a single person, I only fill up the dishwasher and turn it on maybe every 4-5 days. So I do have dishes every day, if not every meal, to hand wash and dry.

I like the look of a large contemporary single sink, and as Michelle and cpaul1 have pointed out, it is more practical for large items like baking sheets. However, then I am draining dishes using an old fashioned dish rack on the counter... so much more visible than if drying in the second sink.

And the sink will be in the peninsula in an open concept kitchen - so right beside the dining table.

Any creative solutions to this?

This has been asked and answered multiple times over the years. A quick search turned up several threads on the subject. You can do additional searches if the following search results aren't enough to help you decide. = )

[Sink question - single sink? Double?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/sink-question-single-sink-double-dsvw-vd~2518637?n=34)

[Double bowl versus single?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/double-bowl-versus-single-dsvw-vd~2405266?n=6)

[Strategies for washing dishes in a large single sink vs double sink[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/strategies-for-washing-dishes-in-a-large-single-sink-vs-double-sink-dsvw-vd~2952455?n=98)

[Single vs double sink[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/single-vs-double-sink-dsvw-vd~2698378?n=13)

[POLL: Who has gone from large single sink BACK to double sink?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/poll-who-has-gone-from-large-single-sink-back-to-double-sink-dsvw-vd~3621970?n=54)

[Please make my decision for me... single or double sink[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/please-make-my-decision-for-me-single-or-double-sink-dsvw-vd~2425900?n=40)

[Double sink vs single sink which do you prefer[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/double-sink-vs-single-sink-which-do-you-prefer-dsvw-vd~2673237?n=40)

[Kitchen sink double or single?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/kitchen-sink-double-or-single-dsvw-vd~5073150?n=69)

[single or double sink?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/single-or-double-sink-dsvw-vd~4265448?n=37)

For the record, I went from a double to a single and I'd *never* go back to a double sink again.

How big is you sink? If I had a teeny little sink,,,yes, of course a single. But with a 36" sink I did not need a swimming pool so I went with the 60/40 low divide....

If you don't want to use something that goes over the sink, or sets inside the sink, there are some attractive dish drainer racks for the counter out there -- I've seen them made of metal, wood, bamboo, & plastic.

Or could you move the sink to another spot? I wouldn't want the sink right next to the dining table at all!

If you have the room, and can sacrifice the counter space, then go ahead and get a 60/40 or 70/30 since that seems to relieve a major concern for your design.

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts. Unfortunately, I cannot move the sink across to the back wall, since I will be in a condo with cement floors, and so cannot do totally new plumbing. And, raee_gw, I do have enough counter space to do a 60/40 or 70/30.

Alternatively, I am wondering if there is a dish rack that straddles part of the sink, but drops lower into the sink - so less obvious.

Thanks, Lisa-a, for your suggestion to check existing discussions using search... and for the links you sent. I will definitely have a look.

Yes, just google "over sink dish rack" --- you will see quite a few.

There are also some brands/models of single basin sink that are designed to accept, and come with, accessories such a drain baskets, colanders and cutting boards.

Carolyn, you could buy a small dish drying rack that sits inside on the bottom of a large single bowl sink that wouldn't show. Like Michelle, we don't fill the sink to wash. We have a single bowl with grids on the bottom, and just use that for a drying rack. Plus, I have a small microfiber drying mat on the counter next to the sink for small things that might fall through the grids.

I ave a small rack in the sink. It is from SimpleHuman. I find that I am using it less and less and since my sink is large, and I now have the grills for the bottom, that I may soon take out the inside the sink dish rack and just set pans on the grill on the far side from the drain - my drain is offset to the right. I do have a pretty wood rack which I use because dishes in the in-sink rack can get sprayed a bit. I use the in-sink rack for pans (before I set them on the range to finish drying) and rinsed recyclables. A drying pad set next to the sink can work the same as a pretty rack, but would be less visible. Because my kitchen has a vintage style, the wood rack blends in fine.

If my dishwasher was on the left instead of the right, I would have gotten the same sink, but in the uneven low divide. Then I would have bought the grills and used the smaller section to drain dishes.

I cook a lot and use the heck out of my kitchen. Bothers me not a whit that I have a dish drainer in plain sight...The only time I have ever moved one out is sight is when the house is being shown for sale. Luckily those days are over!

Carolyn:

I need to update these, but the single bowl trend is getting even more strong.

As others have posted, you can buy a sink with a ledge and the accessories fit into the ledge so they are more flush with the counter and more stable.

I am buying a sink with this kind of construction and have purchased a grid that will straddle the sink - it can be used to dry dishes; keep veggies when prepping and when not in use can go in the sink bottom to protect the bottom of the sink from heavy cookware.

I am also getting a sponge caddy which will hold wet stuff to the side and cutting boards that will also fit in the ledge - poly for meat to go in the DW and wood for everything else.

Many brands have this kind of configuration so it should be relatively easy to find if you are replacing your sink. And you can always put a small bowl in the bottom if you need a basin for some reason. The point being that it is easier to multipurpose one large sink basin than deal with issues from having two smaller bowls.

Suggest you consider a "low divide" sink; it gives you some of the functionality of each.

Had both, went back to double, with deep bowls and exact same size. Will never have a single again.

My Mom doesn't use enough dishes to run the DW often. The DW is right next to the sink and her counter space is limited, so she uses the DW as a drying rack.

sunnydrew:

I just replaced two kitchen sinks in homes less than two years old. It's never too late.