Thank you for all of your thoughts. We are basically doing a kitchen facelift. My kitchen has perfectly nice maple cabinets which happen to have an orange hue. All of the counter tops are black galaxy and I've found it oppressive since we moved in. It's funny, but men generally love this kitchen and can't understand why I would want changes; but I do, I have and I've lived with it for 12 years and I'm ready to make changes. Most of the appliances are near the end of their useful life. So we're painting the cabinets and replacing some with glass and gorgeous mullions in 2 of the doors (another budget buster!), new sink, new appliances, my high microwave will be replaced with the Sharpe drawer model. I'm going to try to do something with my soffits, but we won't know exactly what until we get in there. I'm changing the granite on my island and also the shape of it. We may add a banquette if it makes sense space wise. We also will be re configuring some of the other cabinets and adding embellishments such as moldings and new hardware.I'm getting rid of my Black Galaxy bs and have found gorgeous options for the bs, yet another budget buster...... I also have to change all of the carpet in the house, redo all the bathroom cabinets. Since I'll have a lot of my huge slab left over I want to use it in the upstairs bathrooms. We are also painting the entire house, adding some crown moldings, changing out armoires made for old tv's to be refitted for the new slim ones. etc. etc. So it's a big project with lots of parts. I just got stuck on the sink! I also discovered Edgar Birabi hardware. Need to stop looking at this stuff! Green Designs, I love both of those sinks but they're only 21 inches and I need a bigger sink. The one I want is 33 and it would fit perfectly in the granite without having to change it. This will save some money since I won't have to replace the existing slab. Sorry I may have forgotten to mention that I have to keep the perimeter BG since there's so much of it and it would cost way too much to replace all of it.We won't be overspending at all for the neighborhood even if we doubled the budget! Shannon and Remodel, I'm putting new appliances back into existing cabinetry so there's no changing it without a significant amount of money being spent on the cabinets. I really like the look of "disappearing" appliances so it's important to me as well. I did hit a bright spot today when I found the EXACT double convection wall ovens I want for a $1,000 savings at Fegusons clearance room!!!! I could not find any of the other appliances for any less and I called and went everywhere. I'm in South Orange County, California. I have to run out now but will try to post my rudimentary plan when I get back. I also have an old post that shows my kitchen currently somewhere so I'll try to revive that thread.

It occurs to me, re household help, potential future babies, and a kitchen you have to baby, that given your parameters you really don't want to deal with the clay sink. The marble only needs to be babied if you hate patina. When I had marble (cheap beige in an apartment abroad) I promise I didn't baby it. It was fine. Yes, you can get scratches and pits, and if something colorful soaks in it's a pain to get it out (though sealer probably helps a heck of a lot with that), but, as the guy from The Petch House famously said here on GW, "It's ROCK!". Fireclay is more durable than vitreous china (what normal bathroom fixtures are made out of), but it's not iron. It's fine for the woman who doesn't cook, but all the ifs of who else might be dropping a heavy hot pan or banging into it on his bicycle make me think it might be a problem in the long run. Kohler's current surface is fired at extremely high temperatures which is what they say makes it so very hard to chip. If a greige (thanks, again, Casey!) chip in your dark blue won't bother you, you won't mind redoing that part of the kitchen if it has a problem, or if you're willing to chance that yours is going to be one of the ones that never gets damaged (because plenty don't), then go with the fireclay if you think it's prettiest. And in a very blue moon a Kohler gets damaged too (though I think there's a warranty). But I have a whole list of things that my housekeeper, who's very careful and conscientious, but not emotionally attached to my stuff the way I am, has nicked, misused or broken. And she's a treasure! I was mightily tempted by a V&B fireclay sink, but life's too short to worry about it.

rosaserai - I do love it. It takes another minute to clean due to the ledges. Totally worth it. Hasn't scratched. I use the grates daily for drying. I use the strainer weekly. I use the cutting board mostly when we have company to cut sliced fruit for drinks - it is small and we have a large butcher block for other items. The basin is great for washing fruit - double up the strainer and then drain. Could the angle be a tiny tad more for better draining - maybe. I do have to chase some chunks to get them down the disposal. Could the white on the accessories not stain as much - yes. But a scrub with steel wool has removed all discoloration. Could the cutting board be bigger - yep. But would I get the sink again - ABSOLUTELY. I've had it 4 years and will put the same one in the next house.

@Pi_pumkin_sol3 It looks like I may not have gotten to you in time for your decision phase, but I'll reply to previous questions and comments anyway in bullet form, as follows: ". . . I realized I would probably find all of the extra accessories involved in a workstation sink to be cumbersome and annoying to clean." Not if you have a megasink. I would have put a 7-foot sink in my kitchen renovation if space had allowed, and when you have that much width, you'll end up using most of your accessories in the sink full-time. My small kitchen only allowed for a 42" width with 2 faucets. I do leave my 18" wide strainer in the sink and use the strainer constantly for draining dishes. This has resolved my pre-reno problem of moisture on the countertop from draining hand-washed items, my primary goal to resolve in sink selection, so the new sink has been a success in that respect. I have not used the cutting board in the sink as much as I thought I would, as it is easy enough to chop on a countertop cutting board. If I had a wider sink, I would use the sink cutting board more. Putting a cutting board next to my strainer essentially blocks off all of my sink space and makes faucet use tricky, so that is why I prefer to leave the sink open next to my strainer. You'll need preferably a 5-foot-wide workstation sink to comfortably use multiple accessories, but if you have room for a 7-foot-wide, go for it! You'll love it! "I'm already planning 2 separate sinks for my new home." This opens up possibilities for you to use a workstation sink as a serving area. Cleanup sinks are generally dirty places, so the idea of serving food from them with in-sink serving tray accessories becomes less viable. If you have a separate cleanup sink, then you could put a "clean-tasks," large workstation sink elsewhere, like on an island, and use it for clean food prep and serving. The workstation sink idea is here to stay. I just saw a 7-foot workstation sink in a multi-million dollar California mansion real estate listing. My opinion is that workstation sinks are poised to become popular additions to luxury homes. "Should I still bother going with Havens if I'm no longer doing the workstation sink?" If you are not planning to use a workstation sink, then I would recommend finding a sink from any high-quality brand that is designed more like a bowl with a fully rounded interior and a floor that slopes significantly toward the drain. The reason for this is that you will be able to clean the sink by simply spraying it down. On the contrary, with workstation sinks, all brands I have seen are shaped more like boxes with sharply angled corners and minimal floor slope which makes them more difficult to clean merely by spraying, though you can still clear most of the debris by spray. That is just how workstation sinks are. In terms of quality in a non-workstation sink, you'll find higher quality of metal and construction from some brands more than others. My best suggestion is to read as many reviews as you can of various brands, and Houzz is a good place to start your search. Look for comments on how well the sinks drain, how the metal has held up over time, and how the materials for the sinks are sourced (e.g. recycled metal or not; unrecycled is better, and if a company uses unrecycled metal, they'll typically advertise so). This is the one element of the kitchen where you shouldn't make your decision based on price. Once a sink is undermounted, you will not be able to replace it without significant cost to your countertop or cabinetry, so get a quality sink. You will probably be looking in the USD thousands for cost rather than the hundreds for a good-quality sink in the USA. Yes, 316 stainless steel is one of the features better sink manufacturers provide for increased corrosion resistance. Julien is the only brand I can 100% say rivals the quality of Havens and Rachiele, at least at the time of my research several years ago, but please always seek out the most current reviews you can in case things have recently changed. "I've taken note that you wish you had seamlessness in your sink . . . ." All metal sinks start their lives as a flat sheet of metal and are cut and seamed in some way or another. The problem with Havens, at least at the time I purchased my sink, was that they were not doing the greatest job microwelding the corner seams, meaning that material builds up in those corners and requires cotton swabs and on occasion a fold of sandpaper to clean the corners. Rachiele and many other workstation sink brands do a much better job of microwelding and smoothing the corners so that this is not an issue. However, Rachiele's prices have skyrocketed since the pandemic, so Havens is still a better value, even more so than it was at the time I ordered. Havens does custom work, so if you're interested in Havens, talk to them about the corners and see what can be done to smooth them. I am hoping @Havens Luxury Metals will see posts like this and take note for future manufacturing. "Another question for you would be about Apron vs undermount. I've found undermount to fit my aesthetic better, however, I've taken note of your comment regarding back issues and finding relief when using an Apron." It's generally true that we become accustomed to liking what we see most frequently, and undermounted sinks dominate kitchen design literature and film programs, so it is what the average consumer tends to expect in a renovation. As an exception, the Fixer Upper TV show popularized fireclay apron-fronts which they called farmhouse sinks, but if you'll read reviews of fireclay sinks, they tend to crack and craze, making installation and the risk for replacement a nightmare. Fireclay sinks have never really caught on in the larger market despite their promotion on Fixer Upper, most likely due to longevity issues. Metal apron-front sinks are few and far between. Most sink manufacturers don't even offer them except perhaps via a custom order. If you are interested in a metal apron-front, Havens and Rachiele are your two top contenders for standard apron-front offerings. The Galley offers an apron, but only at an upcharge. Installation for a non-apron-front can greatly influence the final effect, as some countertop manufacturers will create a huge front lip to help prevent cracking of the countertop material, while others are more sensitive to placing the sink as far forward as possible for ergonomics. If you cook a lot, I would recommend focusing your search on apron-front sinks simply for relief of back strain when working at the sink, as you will be able to stand closer to what you are doing. If you use the kitchen infrequently, a non-apron-front sink should serve fine. Note that both apron-front and non-apron-front sinks can be either undermounted or top-mounted, but undermounting has become favored for kitchen design in modern times due to the widespread use of thick slab countertop materials as well as improved aesthetics and also the lack of debris buildup that can occur around the edges of a top mount. On occasion, you will see flush-mounted sinks, but those are more often used in sink replacement scenarios rather than original designs and require special sealing at the edges for successful installation. "I've made note that Brizo faucets are among the best you can get and that Waterstone has some quality control issues. Would you still say this is the case to date, 2023? I love the appearance of The Galley faucets (very tall, over-sized, half-moon faucets). Are those faucets worth the price? Or can you think of something that looks the same but is a better quality?" The Galley faucets are what I would call an average size for a gooseneck, restaurant-style faucet, especially compared to Waterstone which offers huge faucet styles. Some people like The Galley faucets, and some people aren't well pleased with the function of them for various reasons. Very few faucet manufacturers would have anything higher quality than The Galley faucets, but a number will have something at a similar level. I was pushed away somewhat by the price of The Galley which seemed high compared to other high-quality products such as from Brizo, as well as the fact that The Galley faucets do not retain their set spray/stream setting when turned off. They revert to stream every time they are turned off, a typical European feature, unlike Brizo and other North American brands that retain the setting. If I am rinsing dishes, I want the spray to stay as set even when the faucet is turned off and on. The Galley does offer some rare finishes, like rose gold, so if you need a certain color, The Galley may be one of the only places you'll find it. A number of European brands of faucets offer a similar look to The Galley faucets. I would say The Galley faucets are worth the price if you want the specific look that they offer; otherwise, shop Brizo, a Delta brand with excellent quality and top-of-the-industry warranty. You can read up on the latest quality of different faucet brands via @StarCraft Reviews excellent faucet reviews here: http://www.starcraftcustombuilders.com/sources.faucets.Best.Value.htm  "Another thought for you - do they make quartz farmhouse or apron sinks?" In my kitchen renovation research, I found so many reviews of people who had cracked quartz/composite sinks that I quickly crossed them off my list. In the event that you can install a quartz or composite sink without cracking (some people have had to re-order several times because the sink arrives from shipment cracked, and then others have to re-order because the sink cracks during installation), you will still need to deal with the fact that quartz is heat sensitive and can melt. You shouldn't be pouring boiling water on a quartz sink or else you will be risking permanent damage. The sink may even crack from the thermal shock of high heat! This means draining pasta or even placing a hot pan straight from the stove into the sink will be prohibited. Even if you can follow those rules, disaster may occur if the babysitter or a friend comes over and doesn't realize the properties of your sink. The advantages you mentioned are far outweighed by the longevity of a metal sink, whether stainless steel or copper. I have never seen a quartz or composite apron-front sink. A few vintage sinks made of natural soapstone are floating around on the resale market, and you could get a skilled fabricator to create a new apron-front soapstone sink for you if you like that look, which would be similar to that of a composite but with vastly improved properties such as heat resilience, though thermal shock could still be an issue with natural stone. In fact, I am so passionate about helping you avoid the problems of a quartz/composite sink that I'll go over your concerns one by one here, as follows: 1) Rounded corners (helps move crumbs down the drain better). -- Any workstation sink will have some slope that makes spraying the majority of debris down the drain possible, perhaps with the added encouragement of a sponge or rag for heavy debris. Most workstation sinks have microwelded corners that are easy enough to clean. If you select a smooth interior surface, you'll be able to clean the sink with plenty of ease. An advantage of the relatively flat floor of a workstation sink is that it holds a lot of pots and pans and dishes at once for the avid chef. 2) No scratches . . . . -- Stainless steel sink deep scratches, if they occur, can be EASILY sanded out. This should not be a criteria for your selection because composite sinks are known for cracking, a much more serious issue. Stainless steel in general will develop a patina of light scratches over time. If you select an apron-front sink, you can request a custom fabricator to place a hammered or rolled pattern on the front of the apron to disguise the natural patina and watermarks, but I highly recommend going with a smooth surface for the interior of the sink for functionality. 3) No rust (steel will eventually rust. Even seen minor rust on The Galley workstation sinks). -- My Havens sink has had surface rust develop even though it is 316 stainless steel, but it comes off with a scrubber pad. You will never live long enough to have a high-quality sink rust completely through unless you pour some sort of chemical on it or neglect it for decades. Take care of both 304 and 316 stainless steel by avoiding pouring salty liquids like brine into the sink, and never use bleach or Clorox on it. You should also never wash cast iron items in a stainless steel sink due to chemical interaction. You'll find multiple reviews here on Houzz about brands such as Kohler stainless steel sinks developing surface rust perhaps more than some other brands, possibly due to the quality of the source metal or even the fact that Kohler sinks are so popular that more reviews both positive and negative exist about them. There are occasional commenters who insist stainless steel cannot rust, and I've previously engaged on other threads about that topic by providing various research-based references indicating that any steel can rust within months when exposed to certain conditions, so no further comment on that here. You can purchase a number of different products to help coat a stainless steel sink to protect it, but these must be routinely applied to make a difference, and all of the precautions mentioned above should still be observed regardless. 4) No dents. -- A thick-gauge metal sink such as from Havens or Rachiele will not dent with normal kitchen usage. 5) No cracks (traditional ceramic farmhouse sinks, you drop a pot in it and it cracks). -- As mentioned earlier, these white farmhouse sinks aren't ceramic; they are fireclay, and you'll want to avoid fireclay. 6) Quick googling around seems they are way cheaper than Havens or Rachiele. -- Save money now and pay later when you have to demolish your countertop or cut out your sink cabinet trying to replace a cracked composite sink. My Havens sink was the first purchase I made in my kitchen renovation, and aside from the cabinetry and coutertops, the most expensive, being several thousand dollars. I love the sink overall! Here are some photos for you below from a Havens brochure.