Everyone misses Hallarum! 

Previously Splatgirl wrote:

Sorry to hijack here...

I hope you don't mind, Jacqueline, but I just cross posted your photo to IKEAFANS, because there's a thread over there about how to treat wall cabinets with a sloped ceiling and I think this is a great option.  Plus it's Hallarum, no?

Sigh...Hallarum.  I miss you.

Previously Jacqueline McArthur wrote:

 

Of course, you have to pick the sink that suits your lifestyle.  We cook alot and I have 3 kids, so when I bake cookies I use the large commercial sheets.  The sheet fits in the sink without a problem, so does everything else.  When I break down my range for cleaning, all the pieces fit in there and I still have room to work.  I have had the Elkay split stainless with the smaller bowl and it was not the right fit for our family.  I keep the tub under the sink for when I need it.  As far as washing dishes, we chose Fisher and Paykel's dishdrawers because each drawer only uses 1.25 gallons of water for a full cycle.  So, I wash almost everything in the dishwasher.  I think everyone would agree that in the end, the sink has to work for you.  I will say this, the sink really does make that big of a difference for us.  I don't know if I would call it life changing.....but I really notice how great it is when I have to use a different sink.  Whatever you choose, Good Luck and enjoy your kitchen!

Previously Roxanne Nelson wrote:

There seems to be strong concensus that the big ass Blanco sink is the best solution.  Does it really make your life that much better???

I still need convincing.  I've never had an issue with the double compartment sink.  Maybe I just haven't seen the light- but how often are you washing things that don't fit into a typical sink? I've just never had an issue.  The babies get baths in the bathtub and if we had a dog, it would go there too.  Turkey defrosting (1 x a yr) can be done in the fridge. 

When I wash dishes (those that don't go in dishwasher), I put them to drain on a rack in the other compartment. If there is only one compartment, do they just sit on the counter?  If that's the case, that just doesn't seem as clean and simple as I'd like.

Then there's the issue of water usage..... With such a large compartment, it will take more water- right?  I know that you can add a plastic tub for washing, but again- that's just another thing that takes away from the clean, simple solution.

The Blanco model for this single compartment bowl seems to be about $740.  I love the look- but we have a budget we're trying to reduce a bit and this would be going the wrong way.  I was looking at this Blanco double compartment (large and med basin) for $343.    No, it doesn't have the sharp clean edges (which I would love).  The large basin is still larger than the typical double compartment and the smaller one is bigger than a side small disposal sink (we're not doing a disposal). You can use either one for washing, depending on the amount and size of dishes. 

 

I do appreciate and agree with the undersmount comments.  So no more convincing is needed there!

Roxanne

If you take a look at my (unfinished - no trim on windows - gasp) set up again, you'll see that I cast my counters with a drainboard for drying dishes.  Drying dishes are an eyesore no matter if they're in the sink or on the counter - I just set my counter up to be more efficient.

Same as Jacqueline, I break down my stove and clean it in the sink, same thing with cutting boards that don't fit in the dishwasher.

I can't wash my pots and pans in the dishwasher, so my 12" fits perfectly in the sink without having anything stick out.  I use the sprayer faucet there to get it wet, then I scrub it, then I rinse.  No water filling......

I can do anything in that sink, and I can do it without getting everything outside the sink wet.

Lastly - as far as the price - I found mine for $500 bucks somewhere online, 2 years ago.  What with inflation and all, it may be a little more expensive now, but I spent 4 hours searching one day to get that deal.  Matter a fact, I'm not ashamed to say I pretty much bought most my kitchen online, or badgered local stores down to the online price.  I literally saved thousands over what local stores would charge. 

Whatever sink you end up with - do note the differences in gauge, content of the stainless, and sound dampening.

Mike

Yes, I think it depends a lot on how much and how you cook and how you do dishes, so IMO this is the most important and primary thing to consider.  I cook a lot...it's one of my main hobbies, and we  also entertain a lot.  I've always hand washed pots and pans and other big stuff just because I think it's easier.  Likewise big cutting boards, all of which, as I've said, is a breeze in the big single bowl.  I also use full size sheet pans at least once a week, but unless you're planning a 48" or larger range that would have a commercial -sized oven, you wouldn't have full size sheet pans to wash in the first place. 

I am not a sink filled with water kind of dishwasher but if that's your style, then yes, you'd def. want a dishpan if you had the big single.  I get stuff wet, soap it up and clean it with a dishbrush and then rinse.  Doing dishes in a sink full of (dirty) water with one little squirt of soap for everything freaks me out.

I use a plastic drain board for hand wash stuff and it all gets dried and put away immediately instead of languishing in the second bowl drainer in my old kitchen.  That got to be a major pet peeve of mine, that my kitchen was rarely completely clean and put away because it was just too easy to leave those clean dishes in the drainer until they got used again and I hated looking at that ugly drainer all the time.

I will say that the zero radius style is not for everyone.  I chose it because it went well with our modern-industrial aesthetic but it does require a bit more attention to get completely clean than a regular curvy edged sink.

And I paid no where near $700+ dollars for mine.  More like $450 IIRC, and I know Costco had/has exactly the same sink online for even less.

My opinion of the staggered two bowl you pictured is that it screams contemporary, not modern, but there's no reason it's not fabulous if you think it's the best fit.  I am a diehard practical kitchen girl, after all.    Personally I think it violates my modern aesthetic in that the bowl size seems like so slight a difference, practicality-wise, that it's extraneous detail, and I hate extraneous details.  But add to that the fact  that it then forces you into having large radius corners on your counter material where the sink hole is and it's a total dealbreaker.  Curves.  Eu.

If I wanted a double bowl, I'd pick the deepest, biggest equal sized double bowl I  could find, and the best part of that is a nice one can be had for $200 or less.  I love Ira Wood online for that kind of thing.