It’s a kitchen design question as old as time: Double sink or single sink, which is better? Some readers recently started commenting back and forth on the question, and it occurred to me that we’d never discussed and debated this topic in a story. (We did discuss the classic toilet paper over or under question, though!) Above: Illustration of American-Standard kitchen cabinets and sinks from a 1953 catalog.
Of course, each design has its pros and cons. [Above: Illustration from 1953 Crane kitchen catalog.]
Double sink pros and cons:
- Double sinks make it easier to wash on one side, stack to dry on the other.
- Or procrastinators can wash on one side, pile dirties on the other, and get to finishing up when you can. [I plead guilty, but you could guess that already, couldn’t you?]
- On the flip side, double sinks typically are smaller, so you sometimes cannot get a big pot or tray completely into one of the bowls. Jamming a large tray into one side of a double sink kinda runs the risk of scratching or dinging it.
- In the same vein, they can take up more room.
Single sink pros and con:
- Single sinks can be sized larger, so they can fit large pots and pans and trays. [My husband is in the single sink camp for this reason.]
- I guess you could say: They encourage you to clean as you go, because there is no second bowl to pile in the dirties.
- Overall, they likely take up less room, so there is more counter space for prep.
melanie beck says
I like a single sink myself.
Christa C says
Single bowl- The bigger the better- I just got a new c-top and sink- it’s the biggest one I could fit in my existing cabinet- so 30 wide and 10 inches deep…I can give all my plants a bath, my cats a bath, all my big pots and pans fit – I love my big sink!
judy says
I’ve had both…
For me, it’s a double or nothin’!
Mary Anne S says
I am firmly in favor of both options. I put in a double sink double drain board option in my 1921 house and it’s perfect there. In my 1919 house the previous owners put in a large and deep farmhouse sink and I love it too. Previously I had a 1912 house and it had a double sink with left hand drain board and the right sink was round and deeper, it was original and I adored it. I am flexible and can make most anything work. I find that depth is very important also, I have had some older sinks that were pretty shallow and then I splash water everywhere.
Midge Brock says
I had no idea single-bowl kitchen sinks were that common -the only one I have ever had was in an apt. built in the 1920’s. It was very wide,but shallow. Like many people who responded to this poll, I used to use a Rubbermaid dishpan. I forgot how nice cleaning big pots was in that sink, or doing hand wash laundry..when I get ready to replace my current kitchen sink, I’ll have to give the single sink idea some thought!
CJD says
We have a big single sink plus wash tub. Our sink is 30 x 17 x 10 in stainless, and we have a 12 x 12 washing tub from Joseph Joseph that has a drain in the bottom. Then I have a 21 x 14 silicone drain board. If I need to wash a 3/4 baking sheet or 8 quart Le Creuset, the tub goes on the drain board, and I get the whole sink. It has worked out really well. I am someone who tends to wash as I go. But if it’s one of those weeks, stuff can pile without even being very visible.
Ree says
When I remodeled my kitchen a couple of years ago, I included a large, deep double sink in the plans. I wanted one in which I could wash lasagna pans or large, oval pots in and have them sit flat on the bottom of the sink. I had always had double sinks in every house I had lived in, and some were deeper than others, or had one side larger that the other side, etc. The sink for the remodel was ordered, it arrived, and sat in the box for a few weeks until it was time to be installed. When we opened the box, we discovered it was damaged. Since it was a special order, it was going to take about 2 weeks to get another one; however the store had the same sink in a single bowl style. I must have stood in that store aisle for 30 minutes trying to make up my mind to delay the project or take the single sink. I took the single sink and LOVE it. I will never go back to a double sink. I have a dishwasher, so most dishes are washed there. I ordered a small stainless steel drying rack that fits over one end of the sink and holds cat food can lids, knives, small things, etc. The sink is stainless, 32″ wide and 9″ deep, and will accomodate my large oval Magnalite pots, griddles, and cookie sheets with no problem. The faucet is a pull out with sprayer that makes cleaning the sink a breeze, and eliminates 99% of the splashes.
Christine W says
Ree. I think I want your sink! Could you tell me the depth of it (front to back)
Katie says
Single. A big single. I get so frustrated with double sinks when each sink is too small to properly clean a large pot in. And anything that needs to soak for a bit has to sit on the counter. Pooh.
Love says
I agree with Katie! Big as you can get farm sink all the way. Add a drainboard if you need a place to stack on either side, but single sink. No dirty overflow and grease on the counter, instead of in the basin.
Mariele Storm says
Double all the way… having to live with a single would be enough to make me get a dishwasher!
Tommy says
a 60/40 split double bowl allows a large enough space on the 60% side to handle large pots for filling/washing, but still accomodates the “dirty on one side, wash on the other side” configuration