Expanding to add an island is among the most popular kitchen renovations and choosing a kitchen island sink requires thought. Whether or not a smaller, prep sink is right for every kitchen remodel is an open question. Selecting the right sink – or any sink – as a second fixture in your Waukesha home depends upon the way you use the space most often. During hectic holiday entertaining a second sink may be high on the wish list, but the rest of the year it might take up valuable countertop space.
Depending upon the time you spend preparing food an additional sink is a “must have” or a luxury. Adding a second sink in a kitchen island makes the structure more functional as well as stylish.
The Benefits of a Kitchen Island Sink
The idea of a second sink in a busy kitchen has caught on and is very popular in today’s kitchen remodeling plans. There are benefits to consider:
- Two sink-related activities can be underway at one time
- One sink is for food prep while one is for cleaning up
- A sink built into the kitchen island transforms the structure into a bar or snack center – filled with ice it becomes a party cooler
- Kitchen island sinks blend into the décor with unique textures and material options
- A sink installed on an island makes it accessible from all sides and allows for easy access
- A sink facing the rest of the house – in an open kitchen design – allows for social interaction while creating meals
- The space under a kitchen island sink provides ideal storage space for cleaning materials, freeing up space beneath the traditional sink
There are elements of adding a sink to your kitchen island during a major kitchen makeover that are not as positive, including:
- Although smaller than the main sink, a kitchen island installation takes up valuable surface area – and storage space under it
- A second sink requires plumbing which can increase the cost of a kitchen remodel
- Traditionally smaller than normal kitchen sinks, a sink added to the island may not work out as intended – too small for many chores, etc.
- You just don’t use it as often as you thought – holiday gatherings come once a year!
- A sink usually isn’t a design element so installing one in the island – where homework and meals are shared – may detract from the overall use of the space
- Keeping them clean is a high priority since they are in the middle of the room
Your Lifesyle Can Impact Your Kitchen Sink Selection
None of these disadvantages is difficult to overcome with forethought and planning. The key is to create a kitchen renovation plan that accounts for your daily lifestyle. Once you determine that a sink in your kitchen island makes sense, consider your options:
- Shape – prep sinks are available in every shape imaginable from round to oval and traditional squares.
- Material – because a even a small sink in a kitchen island is more and more a design element as well as a working kitchen tool, sinks are available in all the basic materials plus the hottest new options like copper and quartz.
- Design Style – colored sinks make a statement and blend with countertops and cabinets as do fixtures designed to mix with the décor (a farmhouse sink with country-style fixtures may be just the thing!). If you can get the style you want in a full-sized central sink chances are excellent that you can get a smaller prep sink to match.
Look to Plumbing Pros for Perfect Match
Schoenwalder Plumbing professionals stand ready to complete any kitchen remodeling project from adding an island to modernizing all the fixtures and plumbing. Our team has years of experience and the best products in the business at its fingertips. For the latest is design styles, colors and materials stop in and shop our showroom. Or, call or email Schoenwalder Plumbing – for ideas on kitchen remodel trends and a kitchen island sink just right for your Waukesha or Lake Country home.