Tuesday 4 December 2012

Kitchen Sinks - draining options

When it came to selecting fixtures for my new kitchen, I knew right from the outset that I wanted a stainless steel undermount sink - and now that the design includes a scullery I will actually have two. The main sink will be used for washing dishes, and the other smaller one will be used in the prep area.

Traditionally, most kitchens feature a double-bowl sink with drainer. But as most of us use a dishwasher now, is a double bowl really necessary? In fact if I'm washing the odd thing by hand, I usually wash and rinse as I go, so I really don't need a double bowl. So I have decided to go with one extra big bowl instead. We are getting a 90cm freestanding oven, so having a sink large enough to hold the extra wide trays, racks, etc makes a lot of sense.

The big question for me is the drainer. I have been looking at lots of different kitchen designs and noticed that most undermount sinks that are installed into stone benchtops don't include a drainer. So where do you leave the dishes to dry?





I didn't want a stainless steel drainer attached to the sink because it would take up too much room and I wanted the marble to be the hero in the kitchen, not the sink/drainer, so my first thought was to have a recessed drainer, where the stone is cut away so the draining area is slightly lower than the surrounding bench top. You can also have grooves cut into the stone to act as a drainer as well:

Drainer carved into stone

But I thought of another idea: I could get a sink that comes with an optional draining tray that sits onto one half of the sink. It can be removed or left in place as needed.

Imagine this sink as a single bowl

There are a number of contenders that I have been looking at, including this one from Blanco:
 
I would then use it's smaller cousin as a prep sink in the scullery so it all goes together. Would I miss having that second bowl? I don't think so.

Now all I need to do is decide on the tap. I like both of these beauties from English Tapware -  they include an optional pull-out spray rinse which is great for rinsing off large trays, filling pots or tall vases, or in fact cleaning out the sink itself. Whichever one I choose I'm selecting the pewter finish and it looks really good with either marble or stainless steel benchtops.



I think I've covered just about everything now. Oh, and back to the A/C, a rep from Daikin has cast his eyes over the latest house plans. He is going to propose the best system for our needs - let's hope it's not too expensive!




13 comments:

  1. Good to know you haven't made a final sink decision either! I had a double undermount sink in the last kitchen and had the removable drainer which I never used.The washing up went on a tea towel straight onto the corian bench and that was that. If bench space was tight this could be an issue I guess. I think I have narrowed down to the Oliveri Sonnetto double undermount as my fave- I like two sinks as I always seem to find half full cups of tea that need tipping out when I am washing up. mel x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Are we conjoined twins separated at birth! The Sonetto was my first choice too - the large single bowl in the commercial range (at 535mm) is still in the spec, but I'm thinking of getting something slightly bigger. Off to the showroom sometime this week to check them all out. xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Have I mentioned before how much I love that you're including a scullery in your plans? Such a practical option, particularly when you're feeding six every day! The taps are lovely too. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Edwina - now all I need is a chef/nanny. Cooking for six every single day is a major task - just imagine what it will be like when they're all teenagers! xx

      Delete
  4. What ever you do just make sure that the sink is big enough for pots and pans which do not go into the dishwasher!
    We just moved into a place that we bought that has been renovated recently - the sink is driving me insane! It's enough for me to want to save up and renovate the kitchen again which really seems like a total waste in the near future. Have a good hard think about what it is that you do in your sink before making any decisions.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know what you mean - the current spec is for a 535mm wide sink, but I'm thinking about going up to 700mm. Sounds big, but it actually takes up less room than a double bowl. xx

      Delete
  5. wonderful kitchens have a firm grip on the market consistently offers a wide range of qualitative and kitchen design services. wonderful Designer Kitchens Sydney developed this product range using premium quality materials and advanced machinery procured from the reliable vendors of the industry.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I’m glad to locate so much of informative data in your blog. Get more about Raptor Pesca

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for sharing! I came accross this website to read more info on this great product: www.archiexpo.com/tab/kitchen-sinks.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. When it came to selecting fixtures for my new kitchen, I knew right from the outset that I wanted a stainless steel undermount sink - and now that ... ukitchensinks.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. WOW! lovely like this post.What a great review. its really amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This information is very useful for us. this blog is very good and helpful.

    service plumbing and heating

    ReplyDelete