After our recent kitchen priming and painting marathon (shared earlier today), we wanted to take a breather and write something a little less intense — a post about sinks. Consider it the slow jam after an energetic dance: calming, practical, and oddly satisfying.
One of the more interesting parts of living in our current home has been comparing it to our previous house and weighing the advantages and trade-offs. We love many features of this place — larger rooms, more open hallways, an en suite master bath — but we also miss aspects of our old setup, like a more open laundry area and an enclosed garage. Some differences are obvious upgrades, and others are debatable. The kitchen sink falls squarely into that last category.
Our sink is a single, very deep basin. At first I wasn’t sure how I felt about leaving behind the double sink we had in our last kitchen. Now that we’ve used the single sink for a while, I can list the pros and cons and slowly decide where I land in the single sink versus double sink debate.
Why I like the single sink: it fits more. Not literally everything, but large pots and pans — handles included — finally fit fully inside the basin. With the old double sink, long-handled pans often stuck out over the counter and water splashed during partial rinses. Those practical annoyances added up. The deep single basin makes washing large cookware much easier; you can submerge and maneuver items without juggling handles or drips. If you often cook with oversized pots or bake with big sheet pans, a deep single sink can be a genuine convenience.
There are a few trade-offs, though. Without a dedicated “washing side” and “drying side,” clean pans tend to end up on the counter after washing. Admittedly, it can look messy and feels less tidy than stacking dishes neatly on a drying side. We considered a drying rack, but finding one that looks good and fits permanently on limited counter space is a challenge. Temporary solutions — like setting pans on the counter for an hour or two post-wash — keep the countertop from being permanently occupied, but they’re not ideal for those who prefer everything put away immediately.
Another consideration is faucet placement. Our new sink is a square, deep basin and the faucet is set slightly off-center. At first this felt odd because we usually prefer a centered faucet, but the offset placement has a surprising upside: you can fill a pot on the counter without having to hold it in the sink while it fills. For everyday tasks like filling a tall stockpot, that small convenience adds up into a nicer dishwashing experience.
Overall, we’re not planning to replace this sink — it does its job well — but we’re still deciding whether we prefer a single or double configuration long-term. The single sink makes cleaning large cookware much simpler and reduces awkward handle-overhangs and splashes, while the double sink provides a built-in separation for washing and drying that many people find useful for organization and clean-up flow.
If you’re renovating or choosing a sink, consider your cooking and clean-up habits: do you often deal with oversized pots and pans? Do you need a dedicated drying area, or would a discreet rack suffice? How important is the aesthetic of a permanently visible drying solution on your counter? Also think about faucet placement and how you use tall or heavy cookware while filling or rinsing. Practical day-to-day use often reveals the best choice for your household.
In the end, both single and double sinks have merits. The single sink wins for space and flexibility with large items, while the double sink shines for multitasking and built-in organization. For our household, the single deep basin currently leans toward being the better fit, but the debate continues — and we’re curious to hear what others prefer. Are you firmly on Team Single or Team Double, or are you still undecided?