The idea of a double sink, I think, is that each side can be used for different tasks. Wash dishes in one, wash veggies in the other. Defrost meat in one, soak pots in the other. Etc. However, for me this is like saying two hands are better than one, because you can use one hand to rub your belly and the other to pat your head. It just isn't a common ''use case'', you see. In my so-called-life, a double sink always gets used as follows. Dirty dishes are piled in one side, and everything else gets done in the other. So, at the end of the day, it's like having a single sink plus a pile of dirty dishes. Now, dirty dishes are a fact of life, so maybe it's not the worst thing for them to have a snug, welcoming home. But I find that extending hospitality to detritus comes at a price, which is that the side of the sink that actually gets used is Just Too Small. Which is, too small to soak the half sheet pan that got black goober scorched all over it. Too small to wash two stockpots at once. Too small to bathe the new puppy. I would far prefer one Great Big Sink. You can always put a square plastic tub in it, should you ever really need a multi-chambered vessel. Better yet, a Great Big Sink and a Useful Little Sink somewhere else. Even better, my fantasy of a stainless steel darkroom sink, six feet long and two feet wide and only six inches deep, an endless counter that can be flooded with water and hosed down as needed. Add a deep end and a diving board, and Olympic Barbie has her swimming pool. On a perhaps more practical note, my friend has a sink I covet. It is a slab-built slate farmhouse sink extending all the way to the wall, with wall-mount faucet. Without taking up much counter width, it can swallow a half sheet pan with room to spare. Compared to a ''standard'' sink, she loses only the ledge of counter between sink and backsplash, which has to be the least useful part of a kitchen counter.

Thank you for your advice! I was worried about it being dated too soon, and I got voted down by hubby. Oh well, the plain ones are nice too! More versitile, since I don't know any other details yet. (It's new build, and haven't had design apt. yet, just trying to figure out things I like and don't). I do know I am not going with the standard undermount ss double bowl. I like single bowl, and not ss. I have ss and it is a pain. I really like some of the white kitchens I have seen on here, but worried that would be dated soon also. Most likely would go with a med-dark cabinets, maybe creamy gold brown granite, and maybe dark wood floors, but who knows. It all depends on the 'standard' and upgraded options etc. At least granite and 42 inch cabs w/crown and wood floors are standard. Thanks again!

nancy_east -- thanks for your nice words! How exciting about your kitchen -- this will be fun to watch develop! The widest walkway we have is 36 1/2" (countertop to countertop), with it going down to 34 1/2" where our apron front sink "jumps" out. From our cooktop to the widest point of the bowed island countertop is 35 3/4". The only times (or rather, areas) our aisles feel tight are when the dishwasher door is open and there's only 12" of clearance (between the open door and the island cabinetry). But so far, no barked shins! We're careful and aware. The other area is our refrigerator (which is 30" wide, all refrigerator so it's a wide door): when it's open the only one who can sidle by (and then it's just barely) is our two year-old. But neither of those conditions are permanent (meaning, the dishwasher is mostly closed and the refrigerator door is mostly closed as well). While 36" for an aisle isn't "ideal," for us it's working out fine. Our only alternative would've been to give up the island and that wasn't an option! We need the storage space. Your aisles will work out fine; if it there's an impediment in the 36" aisle (like a dishwasher), then you all will learn the same careful two-step we and many others have as well! Good luck with your kitchen-in-progress! (and whole house, too!)

A couple people have commented on the horizontal outlets. An idea I'm sure I got from GW along the way. It seems like a pretty simple idea but can take some active coordinating on your part if you want it done right. Have that tile picked out and a sample on hand so everyone can see what you're talking about. I believe the electrician should wait until the counters are in before he puts in the "boxes"(don't remember official word). The wires were all there of course though. Then I showed him the tile and told him I wanted the outlets to sit in the second row of tile. I did not bother with making him place the boxes so that the entire outlet would reside within one single tile. That would have required the tile guy to come in and map out his plan way ahead of time. A couple outlets actually did end up begin w/in one tile but to me that wasn't such a big deal. The tile guys seemed to have more trouble with the whole thing. I guess not many people do this. There was a lot of back and forth about how to cut the tile around the outlets, but eventually he figured it out and it looks good. My outlet covers are 2.75'' high and my tile is 3'' so they sit w/in the grout lines. I asked for paintable outlet covers and then took a sample of my tile to Lowe's to have a small tin of color matched paint made. It actually worked!