Kitchen Sinks: Visual Appeal And Usefulness

By Manuel Vintagoli

The variety that is available in kitchen sinks today is truly amazing. Sinks have always had a practical application, but now they are beautiful as well as practical. The materials and colors that are available to make modern sinks give both usefulness and elegance to an important feature of the kitchen.

Sink Composition

The importance of a sink in every kitchen cannot be disputed. Virtually every working kitchen has at least one sink, many have two or even three sinks. Sinks are used for cleaning and preparation of foods. They are also important for cleaning dishes and utensils. The number and types of sinks will depend upon the use that is planned for the kitchen space. Variations in the shape and size will depend on what functions are to be performed in a particular sink.

Sinks placed in kitchens are usually square or rectangular, but less often they are oval or irregular in shape. The fittings cam be made of stainless steel, sometimes with chrome platting. More exotic materials are available, but are much less common. The sinks are formed of metals including stainless steel or sometimes iron. Man made made materials such as Formica or granite sinks are sometimes possible to find. The sink may be formed in one unit with no separation from the counter itself, or may be placed in an opening formed in the counter.

Sink Design

A single bowl sink works well when it is used mainly for hand washing dishes and food preparation utensils before placing them in a dishwasher. The dishwasher is placed under the counter and the sink is placed on the counter near to the dishwasher. This option is good when kitchen space is limited.

If you must use a sink for dish washing items by hand, a double sink is perhaps your best choice. You put dish water in one side of the sink and rinse water in the second compartment. A dual compartment sink is useful when there is preparation needed on one side and clean foods are placed on the other for further processing. If there is more than two sink compartments, a garbage disposal may be attached to one of the units. With multiple sinks, each compartment may be a different size and used for different purposes.

Vegetable prep sinks may be a separate unit from other sinks even within the same kitchen. Because they are usually smaller, they can be appropriate for uses besides vegetable preparation. They can be placed in a kitchen island in a wet bar or entertainment center. These sinks are often even more decorative than a standard kitchen sink and may be selected as much for their looks as for their functionality.

Faucets and Taps

It is important that fittings for sinks be selected for their function in the same way that sinks are selected. Some fittings need to allow more space below the tap for filling large containers. Faucets for hot and cold flow are more common, but some fittings feature a single temperature control. The fittings may come with or without a separate spray unit.

When designing your new kitchen or planning a major kitchen renovation, kitchen sinks are a major part of the design. Determine what the major uses of the kitchen will be and plan the sink design and fittings around the usage. There is no reason why the sink cannot be beautiful as well as useful. - 33383

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