Which Size of Kitchen Sink Should You Choose?
Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Here’s how to pick the right size sink for your kitchen, needs and budget
Jennifer Ott
21 January 2021
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's work has been featured in many print and online publications. Her recently-published book, "1000 Ideas for Color Schemes," is a beautifully illustrated and easy-to-navigate guide that takes the guesswork out of selecting the perfect color palette for your home or special event. For more information on Jennifer Ott Design, visit http://jenottdesign.com/.
San Francisco-based architectural color specialist and design writer. Jennifer's... More
In addition to choosing the best material, mounting type, number of bowls and bowl depth for your kitchen sink, you also have a range of size options. An extra-wide kitchen sink will obviously give you more space for food prep and washing-up, and you might prefer it over the confines of a smaller sink, but bigger sinks typically cost more and can take up valuable worktop space in a small kitchen.
Feeling stumped? Read on for tips to help you work out the perfect sink size for your cooking and cleaning needs.
Feeling stumped? Read on for tips to help you work out the perfect sink size for your cooking and cleaning needs.
Size your sink to your kitchen
It may seem obvious, but if your kitchen is on the smaller side, consider installing a smaller-width sink.
An oversized, triple-bowl model would have overwhelmed this charming but compact loft kitchen. The more modest-sized, yet still deep, single-bowl Belfast sink is large enough to accommodate most kitchen tasks, but isn’t a space hog.
Worktop and base cabinet storage areas are likely to be at a premium in a smaller kitchen, so a smaller-width sink will improve overall function, too.
It may seem obvious, but if your kitchen is on the smaller side, consider installing a smaller-width sink.
An oversized, triple-bowl model would have overwhelmed this charming but compact loft kitchen. The more modest-sized, yet still deep, single-bowl Belfast sink is large enough to accommodate most kitchen tasks, but isn’t a space hog.
Worktop and base cabinet storage areas are likely to be at a premium in a smaller kitchen, so a smaller-width sink will improve overall function, too.
Pay attention to the window above it
Homeowners often install a kitchen sink beneath a window, preferably one with a nice view, but some overlook how these two elements work together.
That’s not to say your sink and window need to match widths exactly, but it can look odd to have a super-wide sink set below a skinny window and vice versa.
Homeowners often install a kitchen sink beneath a window, preferably one with a nice view, but some overlook how these two elements work together.
That’s not to say your sink and window need to match widths exactly, but it can look odd to have a super-wide sink set below a skinny window and vice versa.
Make it a focal point
If you choose to go with an extra-wide sink, you’re going to have a difficult time disguising it. My advice is to take the opposite approach and make your wide sink a focal point. Repurpose an interesting salvaged sink or consider an unusual material, such as copper.
If you choose to go with an extra-wide sink, you’re going to have a difficult time disguising it. My advice is to take the opposite approach and make your wide sink a focal point. Repurpose an interesting salvaged sink or consider an unusual material, such as copper.
Bear in mind your budget
This might also be obvious, but it’s all too easy to fall in love with a huge, gorgeous farmhouse sink only to find it’s priced well above what your budget will allow.
You might also like 5 of the Best Before and After Kitchen Transformations on Houzz.
This might also be obvious, but it’s all too easy to fall in love with a huge, gorgeous farmhouse sink only to find it’s priced well above what your budget will allow.
You might also like 5 of the Best Before and After Kitchen Transformations on Houzz.
Installing all top-of-the-line materials, fixtures and appliances in a kitchen doesn’t make sense for everyone, so it’s helpful to plan where you’re going to spend money and where you can save.
Personally, I’d rather splurge on my worktops or kitchen floor than the sink. After all, you can get a perfectly good 48cm-wide stainless steel undermount sink for less than £100.
Ready to get going on a kitchen project? Look no further than the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can see past projects and read client reviews for kitchen designers in your area.
Personally, I’d rather splurge on my worktops or kitchen floor than the sink. After all, you can get a perfectly good 48cm-wide stainless steel undermount sink for less than £100.
Ready to get going on a kitchen project? Look no further than the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can see past projects and read client reviews for kitchen designers in your area.
Contemplate your needs
If you’re an avid cook who prefers hand-washing dishes to running the dishwasher, a large double sink with an integrated draining board is a great option. A wider design will allow multiple people to work at the sink without getting in each other’s way, and that built-in draining board should make the business of air-drying dishes less of a wet mess.
A sink this size will require an extra-wide sink cabinet and will take up quite a bit of space, so it’s best for a generous-sized kitchen.
If you’re an avid cook who prefers hand-washing dishes to running the dishwasher, a large double sink with an integrated draining board is a great option. A wider design will allow multiple people to work at the sink without getting in each other’s way, and that built-in draining board should make the business of air-drying dishes less of a wet mess.
A sink this size will require an extra-wide sink cabinet and will take up quite a bit of space, so it’s best for a generous-sized kitchen.
If you need a hand with prepping meals or cleaning up, consider installing two single-bowl sinks instead of one extra-large one. A configuration like this allows two cooks to work together and, because these sinks are set apart, traffic jams are less likely.
If you have the space and budget for it, a three-sink set-up is nice for a multi-cook household that does a lot of entertaining. The separate sinks allow several people to work in the kitchen simultaneously.
None of the sinks needs to be exceptionally large. One main sink can handle bigger tasks and the others can be sized much smaller. Of course, this configuration has the potential to be costly due to the duplicate plumbing fixtures and installation fees.
None of the sinks needs to be exceptionally large. One main sink can handle bigger tasks and the others can be sized much smaller. Of course, this configuration has the potential to be costly due to the duplicate plumbing fixtures and installation fees.
Consider fun-sized sinks
I love these linear sinks. While it’d be difficult to wash dishes in one, they work just fine for fetching a glass of water or pouring away abandoned drinks when the party’s over.
You could also fill one with ice and stash cold drinks in it, a nice alternative to keeping an unsightly cooler in the kitchen or having guests rummage through your fridge for a cold one. And it doesn’t take up much space on the worktop.
Tell us…
What’s your ideal kitchen sink set-up? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
I love these linear sinks. While it’d be difficult to wash dishes in one, they work just fine for fetching a glass of water or pouring away abandoned drinks when the party’s over.
You could also fill one with ice and stash cold drinks in it, a nice alternative to keeping an unsightly cooler in the kitchen or having guests rummage through your fridge for a cold one. And it doesn’t take up much space on the worktop.
Tell us…
What’s your ideal kitchen sink set-up? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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I really like a double sink, with dishes washed in one and rinsed in the other. A good sink set-up makes a dishwasher redundant, as it's easier and faster to wash the dishes by hand than to rinse them, stack the dryer and then empty it.
Or is that just me?
I like the 1 + 1/2 option, to have a second sink available if one is in use, compared to one really large one. I only wash by hand what really can’t go in the dishwasher. @Annie Cass, a good quality dishwasher only requires solids to be scraped off and uses less water than hand washing plus they generally have capacity for a days’ worth of dishes, so no mess on the bench. The narrow sink on the bench seems to have very limited use and would be hard to reach.
Like a large sink for my large platters and rinsing my cast iron cookware. Do prefer everything else in the dishwasher. After years on tank water agree with @mcgri0 they use less water. Once ran the outlet hose into the sink to check.