We have a stainless apron front sink: as long as I have breath in my body I shall not have a fireclay sink. (About this my husband is just as vehement as I.) In our previous house we had one and HATED it. The scratches and marks -- what a pain. For us, it's stainless or nothing (okay, so I exaggerate, because of course we'd rather have a sink than nothing!). For myriad reasons I wanted an apron front, the most important reason being I like its back comfort (because the front of the sink isn't separated by countertop, so not as much leaning over and in). I also like the way it looks (an apron front sink of any material). Unlike bluekitobsessed, to me apron front stainless sinks don't look as if they're trying to be cottage-y -- I think they look modern. When I think of the stainless apron front sinks I've seen posted here to a one they appear sleek and modern to me, which is what I like! Our kitchen is a v. "classic" white kitchen (painted white cabs, white marble countertops), and I love the pop of the more modern stainless to remind us we're in the twenty-first century That being said, maybe fireclay would be best for your kitchen if what you're after is a cottage look .... Your choices sound lovely and I look forward to watching your progress!

good luck Missi. I would address the spots quickly. I see that the new ones that appear come off rather easily with a lemon and baking soda followed by a microfiber cloth. I went back over the heavier marks with barkeepers friend and microfiber and many of them came up... I'd be careful with barkeepers friend, though, as it did remove my finish on a few spots -- I may have wet the cloth too much with it. But I would also try the cleaner vinmark suggested. I feel a lot better knowing I can change that sink out if I find the right person to do it so I'm not as upset as I was before. I had a Franke, Dawn and Kohler -- this is all new to me. Never again with Amazon or overstock for me on anything I need to last. My lesson learned.

I only want to say you should try to have the apron not very curved - some of the apron sinks have curved fronts that protrude more than others. I am saying this because apron front sinks have the ergonomic advantage of having your body be right up against the sink instead of having to lean slightly over several inches of countertop the way you would with an undermount sink. But by adding a big curve, you are foregoing that advantage. You can find very nice stainless steel apron front sinks for not that much money. Don't be taken in by brand names. Most of the big brands like Franke and Blanco source their stainless steel sinks from China, just like the lower-end names do, so you are pay more for a brand name made of the same material as the non-brand name. Look for 16-gauge stainless, not 18-gauge (16-gauge is thicker). All stainless steel sinks will scratch, regardless of manufacturer. So look for a sink that comes with a grid that will help protect against scratches. Flat-front apron front stainless steel sink 30 inches Selection of curved and flat apron front stainless steel sinks at Overstock

In my business, the cabinet installer sets the farm sink or apron front sink. Then the quartz or granite (or whatever) tops are templated with the sink in place by the countertop fabrication company. Two weeks later, they set the tops....then I send out the plumber for the hookup.