Tiny kitchens present a few challenges, especially when it comes to counter space. After all, it's hard to make dinner on a counter the size of a cutting board. One solution? Utilize a compact sink to make the most of your space.
Rather than looking kid-sized, small sinks are a smart solution that are a natural fit in small kitchens. If your space is truly minuscule, a wet bar sink may also be a viable option.
- A stainless sink provides a bit more working room in this colorful kitchen from Dwell.
- The Little Paris Kitchen's Rachel Khoo has a small farmhouse sink that pairs beautifully with her tiled walls. Via Griottes.
- A diminutive sink sits directly beneath the window in this cheerful kitchen. Via Apartment Therapy
- Katie's Tiny Kitchen features a small sink placed smartly next to a row of drawers and beneath a window.
- A small sink by a chalkboard wall and bench seating creates a bohemian vibe in an apartment in Berlin. Ikea Family Live via PassionDecor.
- Diana's Exposed Brick Bonus includes a pretty kitchen with a small stainless sink.
- Sleek cabinets and tiled walls look modern in a kitchen with a small sink. Alvhem Mäkleri & Interiör Via Desire to Inspire.
- This kitchen looks surprisingly airy, thanks in part to a stainless, undermount sink. Via Apartment Therapy.
- Jack's Micro kitchen features an equally micro sink.
- A minimalist stone kitchen with a small sink from Marie Claire Maison.
(Images: 1. Skona Hem via Apartment Therapy 2. Griottes 3. Marie Claire Maison via Apartment Therapy 4. Tiny House Blog via Apartment Therapy 5. Ikea Family Live via PassionDecor 6. Apartment Therapy 7. Alvhem Mäkleri & Interiör Via Desire to Inspire 8. Gut Gut for Dwell 9. Apartment Therapy 10. Marie Claire Maison)
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I have an extra large sink in a tiny (but beautiful) kitchen. I can happily live with a small kitchen but I could never live with a small sink.
I agree, sink size is a deal breaker. Good luck washing pots and pans. :s
Agree with both JMCPD and JASMINEISDOMESTIC. I don't even care for the dual sinks. It's hard to wash any large pots, pans or even cookie sheets.
One large sink for me.
Last year we redid our entire kitchen, and in the process "upgraded" to a single sink. It has saved me so much counter space and prep room (which is at a premium in my small space) and actually gives the illusion of a larger kitchen. Although the total sink area is now smaller than when I had a double, the sink basin itself is actually larger and deeper than either of the individual tanks in the double sink. Ironically, my smaller sink leaves me with a lot more working sink capacity... now I can fit my stockpot in the sink to fill it and lay an entire sheet pan flat at the bottom to scrub it. The new sink has been my favorite part of our kitchen update, hands down.
My landlord just switched out the huge sink that was there when I moved in to a much smaller one. I LOVE that my small sink gives me extra counter space. there was a period of adjusting, but I don't miss the monster sink one bit.
Who hand washes pots and pans? Are they that delicate? That's dishwashers exist. We opted for a tiny sink (about 16" wide, but 8" deep) for our new kitchen in order to fit a standard dishwasher. The sink might be small, but dishes go in the dishwasher. They don't pile up in a sink. It's SO nice!
I also have a very small but sweet older kitchen filled with charm. Part of that is a monster double sink that I actually love, but leaves me with only about 50 sq inches of counter space. I've dealt with this easily enough by getting a cutting board that fits perfectly on top of one side of the sink, so when I need extra prep space I've got it, and when I don't I can just slide it off for clean it up time.
MISLEADING!! Tiny sinks in tiny kitchens? The sinks might be small but some of these kitchens are palatial. Your headline doesn't "sink" with photo illustrations.
In my current apt I have a bar sink. I would gladly give up the counter space to not get a bath any time I try to wash anything larger than a ceral bowl. Moving into a new place next month, what was at the top of the check list? A large sink!
isn't that one photo in the running for the small cool contest? seems a little shady to feature one of the contestant rooms.
@XAND83 - some pots and pans (and utensils) should not be washed using a dishwasher. Enamel cast iron, for example.
Instead of a small sink, why not a large one that can be partially covered to create additional counter space?
Kohler has some unique sinks right now that are stairstepped -- a deep bowl on one side, and a shallow draining area on the other. The latter leaves more room for storage underneath, and can be covered by a fitted cutting board when not in use:
Kohler Stages sink @ Dwell
Another no-go here - washing pots and pans and such is non-negotiable. Wasn't there a post recently about sizing a cutting board to cover your sink to make up for that "lost" space? Seems a much better, more pragmatic solution to me!
Neither enamel cast iron nor wood nor bamboo should go in the dishwasher. If you even have a dishwasher, which we don't. Our sink is smallish, but not micro. It's okay, but if I were adjusting its size, I would rather it be larger than smaller, even though its using up a lot of our counter space.
We lived for a year in a rental with no dishwasher and a tiny sink. I call it the Year of the Damp Shirt. Our current sink isn't as large as I would like, but it is deep. If it had been possible, I would have gone wider, but it would have meant moving plumbing or forgoing a dishwasher (ha!).
A small sink? No thanks. I myself prefer the double sink set-up. I live in a rental with a large double sink plus draining area. I got a large butcher block that fits over it.... IMO it's better to work out how to maximise the use of your sink area. You can get all sorts of accessories from home stores.
And, um, some people don't actually have a dishwasher.
I'm not completely sure what counts as a small sink, but mine is 14" wide x 16" long x 9" deep. It's the 9" deep combined with a tall faucet that make it a pleasure to use. I can wash any of my pots and pans, including a big cast iron dutch oven with no problems and it doesn't feel too small the way a shallower sink definitely would.
Also, I chose not to get a dishwasher so everything I want washed has to be done in the sink.
@xand83 Ah, the belief that my kitchen could actually fit a dishwasher... :)
In an apartment with only a shower in the bathroom, a bigger sink makes doggy bath time easier!
I once lived in an apartment which had a nice size kitchen, but a really small sink. If you cook at all, a small sink is just totally impractical. I used to have to wash my pots and pans and mixing bowls in the bathtub.
These days, I look back fondly, but I would never do it again!!!
One word: NO! I tried that for about 6 months and finally demanded we move. For someone who likes to cook and entertain, whose cooking is good enough that people hint to be invited, a small sink is not an option. I can survive without a microwave, and do. I can make fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts on a 2 burner stove. I can live without a dishwasher. But there is no way I will ever again try to cook a decent meal where an average or standard sized collander will not fit. Currently my sink is minimum size I will accept. When the collander is in there nothing else will fit. My working surface is smaller; being 16 inches wide and 20 inches deep. What I found is the magic of an ordinary plastic cafeteria tray. It 's the exact size to cover the sink so when I need extra counter top work space I simply put it on the sink and put whatever I can move over there. That combined with a chair to hold it for the brief moments when I need the sink works just fine.
Ugh. A small sink is a deal breaker.
@XAND83, a 16-inch wide, 8-inch deep sink isn't "tiny". It's pretty darn roomy.
The house we are moving into is a 1978 single wide mobile home with a tan porcelain double sink. It is working good so far, and is not tiny or huge. I had to comment on this though, because the room that we are turning into the master bedroom is an addition built to be a craftroom and it has a very tiny sink in it! Unfortunately the pipes burst and we have to replace the wall and we are ripping the sink out to go into our art studio/garden shed. It will be hooked up to a garden hose. Shop sink? Why yes, yes indeedy! It's big enough to wash out paint brushes.