I have seen them installed with two faucets and think that looks feasible. I have two sinks and don't actually find it a terribly important part of my kitchen design- I went along with the trend because I have a huge island. In my other house, I removed the second sink because the kitchen is much smaller and frankly I don't miss it. So if the second sink is all about allowing a child to wash her hands or grab a glass of water- or even have two people wash vegetables at the same time- yes- I think one big sink with two faucets could do the job nicely.

If you need that second sink as a place to allow dishes to pile up, then probably not.

Thanks Rita! The thought behind two sinks for us is that one would be used for the person prepping/chopping etc and the other for the person washing dishes (usually pots/pans while the cook is finishing up the meal). I was thinking of doing a ledge sink so I could have a cutting board on one side and my helper could be either rinsing/prepping, maybe draining pasta, or washing up on the other side. We do fine now with one but it would be a luxury to perform two tasks without bumping into each other! The kids wash their hands in the powder room only ;) although I do like the idea of possibly doing two faucets so we can really each have one side of the sink... I'm starting to realize my kitchen isn't big enough for two separate sink locations.

I love having a ledge sink. Mine is not as big as you are envisioning. I have a 36" workstation sink. With the added width you surely could have two people working together.

We have 2 sinks and I never use the smaller "prep" sink on the island. DH does use it for washing hands when I'm using the main sink. We have also filled with ice during parties. We would survive just fine if we only had one!

I am planning 3 sinks all in a row. 2 faucets. Prep on one side, cleanup in the other. Soapy water resides in the middle.

I could ave executed the same thing with one long sink / 2 faucets, but the 3 sink scale was better for my island - but I think one sink / 2 faucets can function like 2 sinks as long as you don't try to cross those zones.

Part 3 of scrappy25's kitchen describes how she uses her work station sink with two faucets (three if you count the filtered water faucet.)

scrappy 25 kitchen cockpit

IMO, the answer depends on the layout of the Kitchen as a whole.

• What is your layout?
• Where are your appliances in relation to the sink?
• What is the traffic through the Kitchen and where the sink is?

I am sure the right sink could be superior to a main sink + prep sink.

I am also sure that the right kitchen layout eliminates the "need" for a prep sink.

For me, having a second sink is largely about the things that I use near the sink. My coffee maker is the single most important appliance in my kitchen - and it needs to be near the sink (daily refilling). My DW also needs to be near the sink, and I prefer my trash/recycling/compost near the sink as well. And my blender for smoothies.

So basically I wanted to separate prep/beverage activities from cleaning activities - and having 2 sinks makes it happen. I was sick of have trash, coffee, and clean dishes all competing for the same space near my old single sink. It's a huge extra benefit (but not the main reason for me) that multiple people can now easily work together in the kitchen.

I have two sinks -- one next to the DW in the Cleanup Zone and one across the aisle (6' aisle) in the Prep Zone. They both get used all the time -- I use the Prep Sink almost exclusively for prepping and washing hands (I do the cooking). My DH does most of the cleanup and uses the cleanup sink most of the time.

My Kitchen works wonderfully for us -- it did when everyone was still home and now when we're mostly empty nesters (kids away at college). HOWEVER, if we had only one sink, even a ledge sink or a stages sink, it would not work. The cooktop, MW, and warming drawer are on one side of the Kitchen and the DW and dish storage are across the 6' aisle. If I had to run b/w them, it would not work.

So, in my case, the prep sink makes my layout work. And it works as a one-person Kitchen and as a 12-person Kitchen! (12 girl scouts earned their Cooking Badge in my Kitchen -- all at the same time!)

This is one example of how the layout depends on whether one or two sinks will work and whether a very large single sink (ledge or stages) will work.

No one should be saying categorically "one sink" or "two sinks" -- the real answer is "it depends on the Kitchen" (layout, workflow, etc.).

Oh, and unless the prep sink is at least 15" x 15" interior dimensions, it probably won't work as a prep sink. Those smaller sinks are really "bar sinks" -- for filling a pitcher or glass with water, emptying glasses, washing hands, etc. A bar sink is not big enough for washing/rinsing fruits & veggies, etc.

Good morning Kim K ! Where space allowed a number of kitchen designers have been using two dedicated sinks in their layouts. A prep sink like a Kohler in the island and my Reality Sink as the "clean up" sink along the wall.

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If at all possible, two sinks. A kitchen with a preparation area gets a dedicated preparation sink. To split it from the rest is significantly advantageous, particularly with more than one person working in the space.