DIY projects to brighten up a dark kitchen
May 17, 2010
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I mentioned a few weeks ago that I have been planning a mini redo of our kitchen:
It’s usually a bit more dressed up than in this picture, but I had just decluttered, so the extra stuff was outta there that day. :)
I think I totally freaked some of you out when I said I might paint the cabinets. I kid! I kid! I’m not going to paint them! Really, I love our gorgeous cherry/maple cabs and I am not planning on touching them.
My mini redo plan was to do a new backsplash and replace the sink and faucet. I hate that low faucet:
It is the most fantastically annoying faucet ever made. It’s SO low, so basically anything I wash/fill/rinse smacks into it when I am trying to wash/fill/rinse it.
And since we moved in six years ago, the sink has bothered me because it was installed crooked. I showed my husband once and he just shook his head at me, but it’s true. A whole half inch. That’s like, two feet in Sarah-length. It drives me mad.
It's hard for me to pay to have anything installed, so I hope to show you the how-to on a lot of the projects I have planned. Your dollar goes so much further when you tackle it yourself.
So here’s the rough plan for the kitchen over the next few weeks:
Pretty self explanatory with those nifty arrows, but I hope to master the art of coping with crown molding – and I’ll show you how it goes. We had the ceiling painted (same color as the walls) in our great room space years ago, I’ve been positively itchin’ to get white crown up there against the wall and ceiling since then.
I have a grand plan to drive two hours to our nearest Ikea to purchase butcher block to replace the island counter. I’ve never been to Ikea. Never used butcher block. Never replaced a countertop. We’ll see how that goes. ;) It will have to be cut to the size I need, and I’m still working on that as well.
From what Nice Ikea Guy told me on the phone, they don’t have the dark wood tone I want, so I am doing a little research – I think I can stain it and then finish it off to protect it. (We will not be prepping food directly on the counter.)
I’d like to look into some new accessories for above the cabinets. It’s been years since I changed much of it out, so I’m really excited about that. (And I may be able to buy some items directly from Pottery Barn?! What the what? Without making my own knock off?!)
I’m also getting rid of the black, shiny backsplash and I have an idea to give the refrigerator area a more custom look:
I have this dream of a gorgeous chandelier over the island, but I think it would be too much with the light over the table, the sink light, the recessed lights, yes?:
So instead I’ve already removed the pot rack to see how it looks without, and I cannot tell you what a difference it has made in here!! It really seems twice as big. Hubby and I both stood back and were in awe. Crazy what a difference the simplest changes make. (I’ll show you soon!)
I hope to darken the stain on the top of the kitchen table, and perhaps paint the base – maybe cream, maybe black. I’m not sure yet.
The bay window area will get some changes as well, including a lighter coat of paint on that wall. (It’s quite dark there in real life.)
By the way, bear with me on these pictures – I copied them from different posts over the years. ;)
I have MANY more projects in mind – and they won’t all get accomplished over the next few weeks of course. But I’ll share my plan, the process, and the purchases along the way.
So this weekend I bought the black granite kitchen sink I’ve been ogling for two years now. And because I thought an oil-rubbed bronze faucet may disappear against the black sink, I got a stainless set (to match the appliances).
And this is where I’d love your thoughts – does anyone have a single bowl sink and love it? Hate it? I love them but don’t know if they are practical for us. I am constantly rinsing paint brushes and sanding blocks and all that good stuff, and that all ends up in the right bowl in our sink for weeks days. So I feel like I need a spot to put clutter. Isn’t that great? :) But I would love your thoughts if you have a large, single bowl sink.
Also, I was thisclose to purchasing the faucet that you pull out, with the sprayer on the end of the nozzle -- I wasn’t sure how well it would hold up though. Anyone have one? Can you adjust the spray pressure? Has it held up well?
Basically – is there anything concerning a new sink or faucet I need to know? We’re having a friend (or my Dad? Wanna come over?? Smiles sweetly.) help us with the installation, but we are just a teensy bit clueless on what to pick out. I’ve never done this before peeps. I would love your thoughts!
And because I am so excited about this redo, I already started this:
Aren’t you SO GLAD you don’t live with me? :)
When we redid our kitch I went to a super deep, single bowl sink. Smartest decision ever! Now I wonder why anyone would ever want a double bowl--there's no point to having "sections" of sink!
ReplyDeleteps. I've gotta say I'm really happy to see your black tile backsplash go ;)
I might be super excitied...I want to redo my kitchen as well!
ReplyDelete-TTUMD
We built and moved in last summer and actually put in the Silgranit double-bowl sink (similar to picture) in Anthracite. I can't even tell you how much we love it. There's no need to make sure it shines, and it just looks great with our counters.
ReplyDeleteAs far as a faucet, we have a very tall gooseneck with a pull-out sprayer that is pretty handy. It only sprays or comes out regularly, but I use it often when I have very tall or awkward things like vases or big pots! We also have a built-in soap dispenser that I can't stop raving about! One less thing to clutter up the counters with!
I am so excited to see the fabulousness that you come up with! I think it looks great now, but I'm sure you'll make it even better. You rock!
ReplyDeleteVery exciting!
ReplyDeleteI love that you're going to use butcherblock. It's my new favorite countertop. I have Ikea butcherblock in my kitchen, and I love it. I stained it with Minwax (from Home Depot), and then used Waterlox to seal it. Once it's dry, it's food safe. But I'm like you--I don't put food directly on my countertops anyway. I love how they look, though.
You can see how mine turned out here:
http://blog.addicted2decorating.com/2010/04/longing-to-fill-voidon-my-kitchen-wall.html
Sarah that is exciting news!
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy for you. I know you are just thrilled beyond belief.
I have the same black sink you picked out and we love it! Also a stainless gooseneck faucet. Good choice!
Enjoy the process! ~Melissa :)
All your planned changes are going to add to up to fabulous!! Good luck making it through the dust with good humor!! Janell
ReplyDeleteI have a single bowl farmhouse sink, and I LOVE it!!! I will never get a double bowl sink again!! You would love being able to wash your large stockpots in the deep, single bowl. It is one of my favorite things about our kitchen!!
ReplyDeleteCrushed black granite sink is great! Should have gotten the FARM size one! I swear double sink STINK get the Farm Sized one it you can!!!! Cant wait to see you makeover...I will have dig out my before and afters of our kitchen too. Reminds me of yours...so Im speaking from experience. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteYes we do have thae pull out gooseneck faucet from HD called the Arabella by Delta. LOVE it!
ReplyDeleteI mean really love it. Check it out! :)
Cool! Can't wait to see you tackle those projects. Will especially checking out your crown molding process. I would like to do that too, but it seems to me you need a whole lot of hands for that one.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and have fun!
That is pretty darn exciting. I LOVE my sink and faucet but my faucet is sadly wearing out after 8 years. :( I really don't want to have to replace it...I'm also taking down the wallpaper that I talked myself into and have a new color in mind. Have fun, I need some ideas for a back splash that isn't dark in a kitchen with black and stainless appliances, cherry cabinets and dark granite counters. Help if you can...show me yours. :)
ReplyDeleteUm, all I heard was, "yada yada yada - I haven't been to IKEA - yada yada"
ReplyDeleteWHAT???? How can ths be? Still totally shocked. But I will pick myself up off the floor and tell you that we have the IKEA butcher block countertops and stained them with a black stain that actually came out chocolate brown. We used the IKEA oil and you really should oil them 1x a month. The countertops will bang up - BUT you can sand them and stain/oil again. Super easy, crazy cheap, and a great look.
Also- b/c you asked, I'm not a huge fan of the sink. I don't think it will lighten up the space. We have the huge "farmhouse" apron front sink from IKEA and love it! And we totally want a faucet that pulls out and sprays.... easy to fill up the coffee pot water!;)
Good luck with the mini-remodel!
How exciting! I can't wait to see it all come together!
ReplyDeleteWe got the big single bowl Silgranit (or knock-off) sink. And I will never go back to a double bowl again. There is just so much space to maneuver in and you never bump into anything. It is heavenly.
But that being said....I wash all my paintbrushes in the nasty sink in the basement bathroom just so I can be sloppy. If you are cooking and painting at the same time, I could see the utility of a double bowl. Another tip- Mr. Clean magic eraser keeps our shining just like the day we bought it with no scrubbing. Good luck with your decision!
We had a new sink and faucet installed in our home almost 1 1/2 years ago. It is the kind you almost bought, where you pull it out. You cannot adjust the spray pressure, but it is fantastic. It's just the same as the day we bought it. (that was only 1 1/2 years ago, but it's held up great!)
ReplyDeleteI love to use it after I have put Comet all over my sink. Being able to pull it out and spray all around makes cleaning up the Comet easier!
Wow, $500 gift certificate from American Express! Congrats. As much money as I charge on American express they should have given me 5million award points. Your kitchen changes sound wonderful and I can't wait to see them.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Sherry
Wow! Lucky you! So exciting! I might be just a tad bit jealous (or a lot), but I might need a month or two before I'm ready for an ambitious make-over. Maybe you could send the AMEX people my way when you are finished. :-)
ReplyDeleteOur sink has a sprayer, and I use it a lot! You can choose a normal stream or a spray stream. We also have the built in soap dispenser. I like that a lot, as well.
I'm so anxious to see which way you go with your back splash, because I would really like to do mine soon.
Have fun spending that money!
Very exciting!!! I highly recommend a single bowl sink.
ReplyDeleteI loved mine from my last house. Soooo nice to be able to put larger things like paint trays in them!! Hate my double one now. NOTHING fits in it except for a stack of dishes and who wants that in their sink? I need to be able to wash a cookie sheet by hand without water spraying out over the entire counter and floor!
If you want, you can get one with the drain/garbage disposal in a very small section and then the main bowl is still large, so you can set stuff in the sink but still dump stuff down the drain.
Have fun!!
We had a standard faucet, and we switched it out for a pull-out faucet 2 years ago. We will never go back! They are so convenient! It's so much easier to fill vases and pots, as well as hose down the sink. Definitely consider it! Love your page, by the way!
ReplyDeleteI would be sooooo super excited if I was you! What a great surprise to be given the money for stuff that you were eventually going to do anyway.
ReplyDeleteI know this isn't the purpose of this giveaway but reading this (and seeing your already nice kitchen) made me think how nice it would be if in the future you did one of your reader's rooms and blogged about it. Just a thought.
Good luck at Ikea....it is going to open a whole new world to you!!
ReplyDeleteWe recently redone our kitchen and I put in a single sink (which my husband wasn't to thrilled about)but I can't believe all the uses that I love it for, cleans cookie sheets, barbeque grills, big crock pot and the big thing is to clean the shelves and baskets in the fridge...I just luv it, you couldn't pay me to switch back. My husband says he really likes it now that he seen all the uses.
ReplyDeleteI love the new soap dispenser and the spray faucet (no leaks out of the spray nozzle ever again)is just so much nicer with the high neck (its like the Arabella from Delta can't remember the name of it but in Stainless steel..looks like brushed nickel and has a magnetic end to keep it tight.
I don't know if this will be much help, but I've had both a double and a single sink within the last year and while they both have advantages I prefer the double - mostly because I don't have a dishwasher and so my dishes stack up until someone does them. With the double sink I can still have one side of the sink available for use without have dirty dishes in the way. BUT as many others have already said with a single sink you can wash whatevah you want and you have plenty of room to do it in.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, it will be allot of work, but sooo worth it. I can't wait to see the finished results.
ReplyDeleteSandy
How exciting! We redid our kitchen a year ago. I got a new sink that has one extra large bowl, but it also has a small side bowl. I love it! I didn't go with one of the pull out faucets, which I originally planned on, because I know several people who have had them. They all said they didn't hold up well. I just got a tall one.
ReplyDeleteHave fun!
I can't wait! I have a pull out nozzle faucet (which I won on a blog givaway!) and love it. I was worried about wearing it out but it's held up wonderfully. I am at the sink doing dishes and using it at least six times a day, at least.
ReplyDeleteOMGoshhhhh! I am so excited Sarah! I was finally able to do stuff this weekend (you HAVE to drop by and see my "cloche!") I posted about you again, of course.
ReplyDeleteYou and Pottery Barn are my inspiration...
Suzanne's Blog-Mommy Moves Again
Congrats on getting such a sweet opportunity! Now on your sink question - our last apartment had a huge big deep sink with one lil "veggie sink" off to the side with the disposal. It was perfect when crafting cause I could just use the lil sink to rinse and clean things off in!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI have an undermounted double sink from the builder and I HATE it, nothing fits in it. Unfortunately I can't change it because it's under granite counters....I dream of a large soapstone farmhouse sink one day.
How awesome that you have been given this opportunity. I have the black granite sink and love it. It is wonderful and you can't scratch it unlike or porcelain we had.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the transformation!!!
ReplyDeleteWe just installed a single bowl farm sink in our new (OLD) farm house, and I loooooove it!!! I don't miss the double sink one bit!! We also have a faucet where the end is a sprayer that pulls off and I LOVE it as well!! Both good choice-I think you would be happy with them! Question for you-where did you get your kitchen chairs and bar stools?? I've been on the search with no success and I like yours a lot! Thanks!
ReplyDeletecongrats! i had to laugh at "bff jessica"!
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of a kitchen re-do also, just purchased a single bowl large granite sink & will never go back to a double again! They are so convenient because EVERYTHING fits right inside!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have the faucett that you pull out...I LOVE IT! I've had it for almost 4 years and it is wonderful. You can set a pot on the counter and fill it right there and it's great for rinsing out the sink. Mine goes from regular stream to spray with the push of a button. I would get another one in a heart beat if anything ever happened to this one! :)
ReplyDeleteI have put glass in my upper cabinets..scary, but not hard. We just routered the inside panel out, leaving the front lip in tact and then put in the glass with clear silicone. I have a post about it on my blog. It's my cottage kitche red-do.
Have a blessed day!~
Melissa
We have a single, deep, granite sink and I love it. It makes washing and filling large pots and pans much easier. We have a utility sink in the laundry room for the messy stuff. Also, we installed a Prise Pfister oil-rubbed bronze faucet, but it mounts directly on our counter top so it doesn't get lost in the sink. Ours has the turn on lever on the faucet and has a sprayer on one side and a dish soap dispenser on the other. I can't tell you how much I love the dish soap dispenser. It is one less thing I have to have sitting out on the cabinet and it holds more then the pretty soap dispenser I was using.
ReplyDeleteOh how exciting you get to do all this! I have a huge deep under mount sink big enough to lay a large cookie sheet flat. So I can soak off the burnt stuff! But it also has a small side sink where the disposer is. I thought it odd at first the disposer being on that side but now I like it. I also have the pull out faucet which I love. It has a spray and regular. I find myself trying to pull out other faucets when I'm at someone elses house!
ReplyDeleteWe have a black granite sink with the oil-rubbed bronze spray faucet. I absolutely love the spray faucet. I will warn you that one of the things I hate most about the sink is that it looks dirty A LOT! When you're rinsing out paint brushes and stuff in the sink, EVERYTHING shows against the black sink. I am forever washing it and drying it (it shows water marks too). The spray faucet has held up well and works wonders.
ReplyDeleteI will say not to waste your money on any oil-rubbed bronze strainers and drains. We did and a year later, they looked yellowish. There is no polishing that will ever fix them. After researching, we found this is a common problem.
You can see my sink/faucet on my before and after page (although the picture is a bit far away) http://decoratingaddict.blogspot.com/p/sitting-room.html
Good luck! Can't wait to see what you do with your backsplash. We haven't done ours.
I love the look of a single bowl sink. It definitely looks better from a design stand point. As far as practicality goes, I would go with the double. It may just be the OCD in me but I like to have the seperate spaces. If I have any dishes in my sink, I like them to be seperate from the area I am rinsing food, brushes or dirty hands and feet :)
ReplyDeleteI love your kitchen now and can't wait to see what you will do with it!
We have a two bowl stainless steel sink and I don't love it. It isn't big enough for large pots and pans. I wish we just had one really large bowl. And in a perfect world, a second sink on the island. A girl can dream....
ReplyDeleteI also have the pull down faucet... it's nice. I don't love it or hate. I could live without it.
We have the built in soap dispenser, which I do not love. Hate getting soap everywhere when I try to wipe down the sink and press on it by accident.
Very excited to see all the tranformations. I don't have either of the things you are asking about but my parents do. They have a single deep sink and I think my mom loves it. She also has a faucet sprayer and it has held up really well. She has lived in her house for close to 10 years and I don't think they've ever replaced it. I think it would be a good investment.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with everything.
Congratulations on this opportunity! You have some lovely projects planned.
ReplyDeleteWhen we bought our house 5 years ago I demanded a new sink and faucet... I got my wish!! Double sided sink. One side is smaller and has the garbage desposal and the other is HUGE! Did I mention they are like 10 inches deep!! I love it! I also got a gooseneck faucet!! Can not live with out it now!!! Enjoy picking your new sink and faucet out.. And have fun with that backsplash!!! :O)
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine anything but a double sided sink anymore. We really need having two sides.
ReplyDeleteMy only concern with the faucet is that we have one that sits higher like that and if you turn it on full force or high, the water splashes off the bottom of the sink and gets all over my counter. It will make a difference how deep your sink is though. Ours seems pretty standard. We do have a hose to pull out and spray and I think those are so handy too, especially when cleaning out the sink
The plans look great! I can't wait to see it. We have that exact same graphite sink and I LOVE it!! I will take a picture of our faucet and send it to you, because I really like the way it looks with the sink. . . Happy makeover!
ReplyDeleteOk, so we have the black sink and I hate to be the party pooper but I HATE it. I was actually looking at your pretty clean sink wishing I could change ours out! It never looks clean because no matter what you do to clean it, there's always a film. And EVERYTHING shows up in the sink. Also, if you ever wash paint brushes, or craft projects out over the sink, be careful. Unlike stainless steel, everything stains or sticks to the black sinks. I have tiny flecks of paint in mine that I cant get out still. Ooops! i have the pull out faucet too, and while I love the design, ours is this kind of black rubber material in the handle. It looks gross and like the sink, never looks clean. i would love it if it were stainless or ORB or something like that. Design is great though!
ReplyDeleteLucky...I'm not jealous...not that much anyway!
ReplyDeleteWe have one of those faucets that is on a hose with a sprayer and pulls out. I love it. We've had it for 3 years and I use it about 1,000 times a day. I have never had any problems with it. It cost about $125 at home depot.
How very, very fun! I can't wait to see how it all turns out. I have found several blog posts about staining ikea butcher block cabinets and sealing them. I think if you do a search you'll come up with good ideas. I have a pull down faucet (7+years) that works great.
ReplyDeleteI have the single bowl sink and I love it (course I have a utility sink for washing out my brushes, etc.) It is deep enough and big enough to really be able to wash big pots and pans, etc. We live in an 1885 Craftsman and when we remodeled the kitchen, we did not put in a garbage disposal because not all of our plumbing pipes are new. So I don't do garbage in there either. It holds a lot of dishes though - and it's deep enough that you don't see them when they are sitting in there when you first walk into the kitchen. I had a pull out faucet in our last house and although the concept was great, it kept getting caught on things under the sink and wouldn't pull out correctly (maybe I had too much stuff under the sink?)
ReplyDeleteReplacing that faucet will be a life changing experience! I've had 2 of those flat ones and they are terrible!!
ReplyDeleteI did the IKEA bb countertops, stained and sealed with Waterlox. Step by step tutorial in my blog
http://kleypas.blogspot.com/2009/06/countertops.html
ok..first make sure you allow about 4 hours for the Ikea trip...i mean for looking around inside Ikea! We are about 3-4 hours from the closest one and everytime it takes me at least 2-3 hours to browse the two floors of awesome items!! we have the Ikea countertop and love it! it great and inexpensive. we use real milk paint natural tung oil on ours. it is food safe and no chemicals!
ReplyDeletewe also have a single bowl e-granite sink, which i LOVE! we had a HUGE vintage white porcelain sink that was needing some love-it was so hard to keep clean. the black is so forgiving and i believe anti=bacterial so for the most part a rinse with really hot water will keep it nice between cleanings(which is SO easy). i wouldn't go back to the double sink..EVER.
you can take a peak of ours at
the1829farmhouse.blogspot.com
happy reno!
judi ;)
One bowl and we LOOVVVEE it!!!! If you typically do not wash your dishes there really is no need for a double bowl. Plus all those pesky, large platters we had.to.register.for are much easier to wash now :-)
ReplyDeleteRe: Butcher block--PLEASE check out this company: Hardwood Lumber. We recently built a house, and I bought our butcher block island top over the internet without seeing it in person. I bought the "character cherry," and it's one my favorite things about the house. It's just beautiful. And no staining is involved. Just some light sanding and oiling to bring out the natural colors. Good luck, and I can't wait to see the final result!
ReplyDeletehttp://photocraftbook.wordpress.com
I'm sorry, we got the character walnut, not cherry.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are one lucky lady! Can't wait to see the progress and big reveal.
ReplyDeleteSingle bowl sink, and I love the granite- I'm a little jealous!!! As for faucet, I've had the pullout, didn't like it, but maybe it was just the brand/style we had- always felt awkward to use. I seem to be the only one, but I prefer the sprayer on the side.
ReplyDeleteI am with Cheryl (at the top) - I would never go back. We also have a deep single bowl - it is fantastic. And you don't have to worry about the garbage disposal/strainer - it is all disposal!
ReplyDeleteI think sink compartments might be a holdover from when everyone washed dishes by hand - one for soap, one for rinse.
All the pots from dinner - whoosh - into the sink until after dinner. Hidden/out of sight.
(I do paint brushes in the laundry sink - not sure you want that on your granite sink anyway?)
I can't wait to see the finished results, I'm sure it will be gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteI have the pull-out faucet that was going to be a splurge, but then not so much because we bought it on Ebay much cheaper - and I LOVE IT! I use it everyday. The pressure doesn't change on it, but it turns from sprayer to running faucet and it's amazing.
You should check out Just Beachy's blog with info on butcher block that she did herself: http://chriskauffman.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI am excited for you & cannot wait to see the tranformation!!
Have a granite sink and absolutely LOVE it! Also have the faucet that pulls out to spray or stay single stream and love it, too! I like my double sink as it works well for me. Looking forward to your re-do!
ReplyDeleteA Thought: For lighting over island, what about longish pendant type?
Guerrina Hernandez
waters7989@yahoo.com
We recently moved and in our old house we had a pull out faucet and built in soap dispenser. Now we have a separate sprayer and no dispenser and I want to cry every time I do dishes. Both made it so easy to do dishes and wash up. I always kept dish soap in the soap dispenser so I could use it to wash my hands when they were especially greasy or would pump a bit into my hands and "rinse" it into the wash sink to wash dishes. It was great! I also had a sink with a large deep bowl on one side and a smaller deep bowl on the other and it was WONDERFUL!!!!
ReplyDeleteNow I really miss my sink. :(
I am so excited for you! This is going to be fun to watch and see what the outcome is going to look like. I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteYou have to go with the pull out sprayer - I couldn't live without mine. It makes cleaning the sink out SO much easier. Also for the sink we installed one similar to this (although I think the bigger portion of the sink was deeper, but you get the idea) I was skeptical when we installed it but I ended up loving it! http://www.homedepot.com/Kitchen-Sinks-Other-Materials/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xi4Zblt9/R-100073740/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
ReplyDeleteI am SO HAPPY for you! What a wonderful thing to happen to a wonderful person!
ReplyDeleteFor the record. . . I love huge, single bowl sinks. . . yet I very often leave something in one of my sinks, so I'm not sure that a single bowl would work very well for me. Sounds like you might be the same way. As for faucets, I have one of those combination faucet/pull out sprayer. It's very handy, but I can't say that it's held up well. We've lived in our house five years and we've had the replace the faucet once already. I think the constant pressure on the faucet caused by pulling out the sprayer (which I do often) is not particularly good for the faucet. Perhaps it would be okay if you just tightened it every month or so. . . but the truth is that it doesn't want to STAY tightened, which is what I'd like for it to do. It is pretty, but perhaps not the most practical thing.
Good luck! And congratulations!!
I am overwhelmed 2000 miles away!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the free money! Can't wait to see all the changes!
I have the black granite sink like you are talking about, it is a double I really like it. I have had the pull out sprayer faucet, it didn't last at all we had to replace it. I didn't care for it either. Good luck with the remodel! jearls
ReplyDeleteoh, the possibilites! love your arrows for helping us get a better idea for how things will look. excited to see the changes!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, I cant believe Im actually going to give you advice! Ok, so we have a single sink in our kitchen and I.hate.it. Theres no where to rinse and wash at the same time. No me gusta. My in laws have a pull out faucet and they really like it. Its fun because you can just pull it out and move it around the dish to clean it instead of the other way around, especially nice for big stuff. They can change the water pressure by turning the water on higher or lower, like a normal faucet.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, hope I helped just a little:) Im uber excited to see your kitchen redo. We are redoing ours soon too!!!
Ok, the pull-out faucett sprayer... Ummmmm... Loved it until it died! So we replaced it with a high quality faucet, same story. Three times this happened. Poor craftsmanship, probably. However when we moved the latest one was going strong but it was pricey!!
ReplyDeleteWe're a Military family, so we move around quite a bit, have lived in many different houses. One house we lived in had a large single sink. I agree with the previous commenter about the ease of not bumping into anything however, I hated that we didn't seem to have a place to dry the dishes when they were washed. I personally prefer to have a 2nd sink that will hold a drying rack but thats just me. Fast forward to a new station and new house. This house we're living in now has the faucet with the sprayer that pulls directly out of the spout. I LOVE it, its incredibly convenient. We've only lived here less than a year and I think the whole house is not but 4 years old so I have no idea on the longevity part. I will miss that faucet when we leave though.
ReplyDeleteLove your ideas so far and love your blog. I love the redo of your son's room. I am slowly trying to convince my hubby to build built in book cases for our master. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYou will love the black granite sink! There was one in our new house when we moved in and I LOVE IT! No water spots in metal sink, no scouring a white sink...I will never have anything else ever again! :)
ReplyDeleteI, too, couldn't live without my faucet that has a sprayer attached to it. Its great for crock pots, pans, cleaning the sides of the sink, etc
ReplyDeleteyour gonna be so mad!! I saw the granite sink at a yard sale for 20.00 a couple of weeks ago. I have a brand new sink, but I so tempted to get it! It was really hard to pass up but I couldn't think of any reason to get it.
ReplyDeleteI love the pull out spray faucet. It is a must have, in my opinion. I have a friend who has a sink that i love. It has one big deep side, and the other is small, and not so deep. It is perfect for a little bit of clutter (dirty dishes, in my kitchen), but not too much. I love how big and deep the other sink is. My big electric skillet would fit in it to clean. And, the pull out faucet helps to clean and rinse big items like this.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, girl, I love your plans! But I always love your plans. ;) I can't believe you've never had the joy of visiting IKEA. Advice: get a babysitter b/c you'll want to wander and just soak it all in. It's soooo much fun...but not always so much fun for little ones. :s You'll love it!
ReplyDeleteWe had a single bowl sink in our old house. I LOVED it!
ReplyDeleteSee this post about it...
http://roombyroombyroom.blogspot.com/2010/05/our-first-house-ktichen-remodel.html
We are definitely going to put one in our new house too!
Sinks: the 1 big one is fun....but the 2 is more practical. I have used both. I like the largeness (is that a word) of the 1 bowl, but utilize the 2 bowl much better. It is just more efficient for me. My dream...a large farm sink with 2 bowls, one side larger than the other.
ReplyDeleteFaucet: If you don't have a sprayer directly on the faucet, at least make sure to have the one on the side. They are too handy.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! I love your ideas & your style! I am getting to build my first house (SCARY & EXCITING) & the NUMBER ONE thing at the top of my list is a Double Sink! I'll tell you why: After you wash the dishes, you have to pile them on the counter until you can rinse them. It's a pain in the patootie! (and it makes a HUGE wet mess!) I have had a dishwasher & it recently went kaput, but my opinion of the single sink has always been "NO, NO, and NEVER AGAIN!" But that's just me and my very strong opinon! hee hee Best of luck to you! Can't wait to see your finished results! :)
ReplyDeleteWhen we redid our kitchen 5 years ago I put in a single bowl, large bowl sink and I love it! Easier to wash cookie sheets and large pots. I rinse out my brushes in the powder room sink! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see all of the changes.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't use a single sink. I use one section to dry the dishes in so that wouldn't work for me.
I have a pull out faucet and love it. We installed it when we moved into our house almost 4 years ago and I've had no problems. Ours has two types of sprays, regular and a multiple spray (like shower head). I just use the regular spray. My three year old likes the multiple spray if she is playing in there :)
We put that sink and a faucet very similar to your new one in our house that we sold in Arizona. I loved the faucet but never could find a product that cleaned the sink to my liking without leaving a gray look to it.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see your new backsplash!!
Di
I can completely relate to your sink and faucet dilemma. I am in the process of renovating my kitchen as well and spent countless hours of research (in person and online) agonizing over choices. I ended up with a single bowl farmhouse sink and I absolutely love it. I have always had a double bowl, so I shared in your reservations on the single, but I can honestly say that it has been great (even forcing me to be more diligent in the "washing paint brushes department"..haha). As far as the faucet goes, I also shared your concern about the pull-down fixture. After a lot of background checking, I went with the Delta Leland pull-down faucet. It has a high-arching neck so you can fill pots and not worry about bumping into the faucet...and the BEST part is that it has a built in magnet that keeps the extension sprayer up where it should be when you are not using it. The pressure is great too. I would highly recommend it. I think I bought it on amazon for around $200...not bad for something you use everyday!! Good luck with your renovation!!
ReplyDeleteI have been doing the same kind of facelift to my kitchen. I got a 60/40 split sink and LOVE it. It is stainless - my water is the hardest in the whole world I think and it spots so badly on black so I couldn't do that. I got the Delta Leland faucet from Home Depot in Brilliance Stainless. It has the pull down sprayer on a gooseneck. It has a magnet to secure it. I love it. LOVE IT! The handle is to the side as a seperate mount - not the kind attached. I like that better. Can't wait! Working on mine today...
ReplyDeleteOhhh how fun! I know remodeling can be stressful but I love all of your ideas - I can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteI love our single bowl sink. We have a faucet that swivels out of the way so I can even put a cooler right into the sink to drain it or clean it out. My sink came with an insert that fits into half of the sink if I need it. I only use it if I'm thawing a turkey or canning, but it's nice to have it when I need it.
ReplyDeleteWOW. How pretty! Before or after...either way your kitchen is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the makeover. The changes you are planning sound perfect! I have been using my AMEX points for household updates for years. Glad that you've found this little gem and are sharing it with others!
ReplyDeleteYou're going to an IKEA for the first time? YOU ARE GOING TO GO CRAZY while you walk through the showrooms! I'm not kidding, Sarah-- it's going to be like strolling through a tangible brainstorm and your imagination is going to have a hayday.
ReplyDeletePLEASE DOCUMENT THIS EXPERIENCE FOR US!
Congrats Sarah for this wonderful opportunity!!! I can't wait to read up on everything you do.
ReplyDeleteAbout that faucet with the sprayer on the end only has one speed, however, make sure you get one with a magnet so it stays in place after it retracks back. It is wonderful!!!
Oh and I too fell to the ground reading you have never been to ikea.. you can easily spend a whole day in there just imagining and your brain loving every room in it. Good Luck!
I think it's a toss up really of who is more excited for this adventure, you or all of us!!!
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the results of another brilliant endeavor!!
I have a large, one bowl sink and love it! You can put so many things in it. I bought a Rubbermaid plastic container (called a "twin size dishpan") that I keep under my sink and use when I (seldom) hand wash items. I'd highly recommend going with the single bowl. It's great!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to your backsplash decision. I know our cabinets are almost the same color - so I may copy you. :)
ReplyDeleteLike so many others have already said... go with the single bowl deep sink. I put mine in a year ago and LOVE it. Will never go back to a double. And whatever you choose on the faucet, get a higher quality one, you won't regret it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!!
ReplyDeleteI so want to work on my kitchen...but it's just not in the cards yet. Ours is living in all its 70's fantastic-ness still (though I realize it could be worse!) What I really want to do is paint them to all look like this...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/socalledmommy/4603670055/
But until then, I'm excited to see what you do in your kitchen. And I enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts about the sinks too!
I love my super single bowl espresso brown sink(on natural maple cabinets)! No more stains. I can't handle water spots so the choice was granite or spend my life polishing the sink and that wasn't in my schedule. I LOVE IT and so does everyone that sees it! Never would do a divided bowl again, no struggle with large cookie sheets and soup pots. I have a pull out spray nozzle and for my big sink, I love it. It makes cleaning the sink a breeze. I agonized over these choices and my husband thought I was nuts but really, when I spend much of my time in front of the sink, I'm glad I got something I love:)
ReplyDeleteLucky you!! I did a mini-redo in my kitchen last year & it made so much difference.
ReplyDeleteI have the 2 bowl granite sink from Silgranite & LOVE it, great sink.
I also have a pull-down faucet, the Moen Annabelle and I love it as well. It does have a spray & stream and switches back & forth. I love that it's all together on one piece & it's tall & curved. I got the one with the soap dispenser too & Lowes carries it. Great faucet & not too expensive, I got the brushed stainless.
Have fun with your redo!
I LOVE your ideas! When I get excited about a project, I usually just start demolishing or get the project going right away! My husband goes crazy when I do that, I think he goes crazy most of the time because I do not have all my materials for the project! :) I am excited to see how it all turns out!
ReplyDeleteOK- we are in the middle of our kitchen remodel. We redid our island and I am here to tell you that you CAN do the butcher block yourself. You will be surprised at how easy it is. I'll email you some pics if you are interested. Love you and your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteWe just did a mini face-lift on our kitchen and went with a super large/deep bowl on one side with a smaller more shallow bowl on the other. I love it! I can soak all my cookie sheets and still have the little side to wash my brushes out. Cause I too have a paint-brush-in-hand to often affliction. Can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeletePull out faucet w/sprayer definitely. Have had two in tewo different homes and would never want to be w/out one.
ReplyDeleteWe have the Silgranite double sink but the one w/one large bowl and one smaller one. The large one is deep and large and I've never wished it were larger. I always keep a dish drainer/dryer thing-y in the small bowl so we utilize both sides.
Girlfriend, I beg of you to hang on to your receipt for the sink. I work at Home Depot and have seen quite a few of these come back in cracked. I'm not trying to rain on your parade at all (most of them come out of the box cracked - it's rare that they crack after install). I'm just looking out. :)
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see how it all turns out!!! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI am really excited for you!
I live near an Ikea, and all I can say is GOOD LUCK getting out of there with JUST the butcher block!!
ReplyDeleteOMG! You're coming to the Ikea by my house, in West Chester, aren't you? I have been reading your blog for a few years and love every post.
ReplyDeleteI actually have the butcher block counters from Ikea and I stained my a deep cherry/walnut color. They are beautiful! Can you stop by my house on your way through and give me some ideas? I'll feed you! Or better yet, shop with you, I LOVE Ikea.
I had a single bowl sink in my old apartment. I have a double bowl sink in my condo and it's night and day. I have a dish rack in one side to let hand washables dry so I can use the other side for other sink duties. I'm never going back to a single bowl kitchen sink.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have a GOOD plan! I'm excited to see it all transform...you're so good at this sort of thing. ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd, I love the way you write, it makes me smile, lol.
You lucky duck. I can't wait to see how it all turns out. My kitchen looks a lot like yours and I would LOVE to paint the cabinets. Hubby says no go (yet, I'm still annoying him daily with my pleas). So, I have a single bowl sink. I. LOVE. IT. Wouldn't have a two bowl sink EVER again. You know you can get the granite sink in a one bowl version :) I also have the faucet with the pull out sprayer. Again LOVE IT. I've had one in two different houses and they've always worked great - never issues with sprayer pressure. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteTDC: yay for you! We have that same sink (black granite) and I love it. Its easy to clean and always looks tidy. It looks great with our granite counters too. We had a pull out faucet and I hated it. Thats my experience. Can't wait to see your redo!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Ryann above - all I heard was "Yadda yaddo I HAVEN'T BEEN TO IKEA YET yadda yadda". WTF lady? Ohmygosh, do you KNOW how much I COVET that store??? And I live in this dinky wee country that DOESN'T EVEN HAVE ONE?! Whenever I travel to Australia, I load up everyone's bags with whatever I can fit, and then carry the rest. And then pour over their catalogues for MONTHS afterwards. I'm seriously considering a container if it weren't for import duties. Get your butt to Ikea, woman!!! Allow a number of HOURS and a bit of a hit to your AMEX ;)
ReplyDeleteHow exciting for you!
ReplyDeleteI want to tell you the BEST tip I got (and executed) when I rebuilt m kitchen after it collapsed from frozen pipes -- and it's a tip that involves the sink!
Here it is: make sure you include not one, but two soap dispensers. One is for hand soap to scrub up, and one is for dishes. My middle name is clutter, but this is one less thing on your sink, and it's so convenient. I've had my new kitchen with the sink and two dispensers for five years now, and I love this advice.
And, just for another two cents, having a sprayer right in the faucet rather than separate is wonderful!
Best of luck on your remodel.
Jude from Cape Cod
at www.dolcecapecod.blogspot.com
Sarah, several years ago when I we had our kitchen re-done..( before I began reading your blog ) I called the workmen in there because my sink was not straight!
ReplyDeleteI wish you could have seen their faces...!! And it was just a minUTE bit...but to me it was INCHES! They just stared at me, and needless to say, would not move it as it had already been caulked etc. I had to just let it go, but remember thinking..." okay, i'll wait until they are finished, and fix it myself.." Never did, but I had to laugh when I read your new post! I TOTALLY get you!
I'm so excited to see your projects! I've been wanting to re-tile our back splash- it's not too horrible, just boring and doesn't really work with the counter color. I'm scared to rip out the existing tile. How difficult is it? What about prepping the walls for the new tile? I'm also curious about that new tile backing stuff that lets you just stick the new tiles in place and then grout over them...
ReplyDeleteI am SO excited! I have been wanting to restain our kitchen table & haven't quite figured out how to go about it. I'm also wanting to do a new backsplash in our kitchen. I'm looking forward to hearing about your redo.
ReplyDeleteOk, yes, I hate you. JK, but I am so jealous of your CURRENT kitchen. We live in a rented 85 yr old house, and I believe the last kitchen redo was 85 yrs ago. We did do a couple of things to make it abide-able before we moved in, and one of those was to put in a pull out faucet. I love it. Hate the single sink, though, but that's probably because it's just not big enough. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to see how the entire process goes. My hubby and I will be purchasing a new home in the next year and we know we'll be doing some redo's.
ReplyDeleteLOVE IT!!! So when my hubby and I moved into our house 3 yrs ago we had the "builder sink" and the next day after we moved in my hubby installed the black granite sink your getting!!! We have really enjoyed having it but the only thing we have noticed is when we run out of salt in our water softener ...haha but besides that it has held up so well and still looks new!
ReplyDeleteWe have a single deep sink and I am fine with it, but I only use it for dishes. Also, we have a pull down, not out, faucet head, like in a restaurant kitchen and I really like it. We've had it for 5 year with no issues. It's so handy when you want to put water in things outside of your sink, like filling a large pot. Something similar to this http://www.homedepot.com/Kitchen-Faucets-Pull-Down/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xg1Zbdfw/R-202060919/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
ReplyDeleteThe arc is high enough you can fit anything under it.
Congratulations on the Amex thing! That is really cool! I can't wait to see everything come together!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the transformation! I'm sure it will be stunning...and by the way...prepare yourself IKEA !! It's awesome !!!!!! Have fun !!
ReplyDeleteYou have the exact same countertop as I do and I'm dying to see what you do with your backsplash. . .we don't have anything now but I would love to put something in. . .good luck!!! Will be following you through this adventure :)
ReplyDeleteIn the past I had a single bowl sink and absolutely hated it! When washing dishes it was such a pain to rinse into the wash water, thus diluting the soapy water. I also hate washing dishes in "stew" so everything must be scraped well before washing. It always seems to happen that one more dish is found that still needs scraping. One bowl sink=huge inconvenience, in my humble opinion. lol
ReplyDeleteAs for a pull out faucet--love it!!! Sometimes when I want to rinse my children's hands but they're too short to reach the water, I just have to pull out the faucet and rinse away. Pull out faucet=huge convenience, in my humble opinion. lol
Lucky you, btw!!!
That's exciting! Lucky girl! Can't wait to see what you do with it. Fun-fun-fun! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in the butcher block and lighting changes since I am considering the same at my house (shhh, don't tell my husband yet!). Can't wait to see what you do!
ReplyDeleteWow, lucky you! We are getting ready to do a mini makeover of our kitchen too (although ours involves changing all the countertops...so maybe not so mini). I am in the midst of painting the back staircase...FINALLY! I am loving it so far, just not all the sanding and dust and paint fumes!! UGH. I just started my blog so you will have to check it out sometime. I am trying to figure out how it all works still.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! Can't wait to see all your plans in action.
ReplyDeleteWe currently have single bowl sink which I thought I would HATE, but wonder of wonders, it's not that bad. I'm not sure that I would pick it, but I do like the way a single bowl looks.
Also, in our previous (rental) home we had a faucet with the pull out sprayer thing and I LOVED it. It made filling pots and buckets and spraying down the sink super easy. It seemed to hold up fine for the 3 years we were there, and I'm sure it was just a cheapy one. When we redo the kitchen I will definitely be looking for a pretty faucet with that function.
Congratulations, Sarah! I am soooo excited for you! (And a little bit jello!) But still mostly excited for you! (wink.)
ReplyDeleteI think the changes you are going to make to the kitchen are going to be fabulous! I especially like that you are going to do the glass inserts in your cabinet doors. I absolutely love mine!
I do suggest you install recessed lighting inside the glass cabinets though. Makes the most stunning difference! We did that in mine, and I cannot tell you what a difference that makes. But if you do, get glass shelves cut at HD to put in them so the light shines down to the bottom shelf. My sister has wood shelves and the light only lights up the top shelf.
My hubby just cut a hole in the top and installed the recessed lighting himself. I KNOW you could do it!
Oh yeah, we also put recessed lighting under the cabinets and love it! Both the recessed lighting in the cabinets and below the cabinets is set to a dimmer switch so I can make it as light or bright as I want. LOVE, I tell ya!
As far as the faucet. I don't like the pull out faucets. My mom had one, and I never liked it. Don't really know why, but I would just rather use the sprayer that comes with the faucet set. I think Mom's pull out faucet didn't have as much pressure or was to wide of a spray or something.
Anywhooo...
Can't wait to see the transformation in the kitchen. I know it will be fab!
Blessings!
Hi Sarah! Can't wait to see the awesomeness you create next!! Have fun with your kitchen : )
ReplyDeleteWe are slowly redoing our kitchen, basically ripped everything out and started from scratch. We got a deep single bowl sink and we really love it. But we also put a little bar sink in our island, so that helps alleviate any issues with having only one bowl. We got a tall faucet with a sprayer on the side, so I don't have any advice to offer on the faucet. Looking forward to seeing the result - love your blog!
ReplyDeleteOh I am so jealous!!! But happy for you too!!!
ReplyDeleteCan not wait to see the finished project!!
You lucky gal you!!!
Oh I am so jealous!!! But happy for you too!!!
ReplyDeleteCan not wait to see the finished project!!
You lucky gal you!!!
Well I gotta say..you have a great foundation to start at in that kitchen. Those cabs are yummy!!
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I would say is about the lighting. If you really need the taks lighting over the island then make it that..task lighting / put the big gloriouse chandy over the table but at the same time if your going to do 2 lighting features tyr to make them match or buy them from the same line.
good luck..cant wait to see it all done.
ps , your so brave to rip down the tile..ive been wanting to do it in our bathroom but haven mustard upp the courage yet.
I want to add a tile backsplash to our kitchen this summer (we just have plain walls now) so I bought something at Home Depot called SimpleMat. I haven't used it yet but it sounds great. I also found something called Smart Tiles that are sold at Home Depot too. Have you used either of those or know much about them? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI can't say enough good things about butcher block. We have in out kitchen and part of our great room, a little odd but it works as a great surface for the kids to make stuff on, I oil it twice or three times a year and it stays golden.
ReplyDeleteWhat color will you lighten up your room. I am a fan of BM's Manchester Tan, may be to boring for ya,though.
Hey girl, congrats on the new kitchen. Since we just redid ours, one suggestion. Think twice on the double sink (and granite). I really did my study, most cooks really love a deep one-bowl sink. Email me if you wanna chat about it ...
ReplyDeleteHere's one of my kitchen posts!
http://reluctantentertainer.com/2010/01/kitchen-journey-part-ii-things-i-didnt-pinch-on/
I'm so excited for you!
We live in a rental with a single bowl sink and even though it's HUGE, I hate it. I really, really miss having my double sink for separating things. Sometimes I need to rinse chicken, but I've got something in the sink and I can't just do it on one side, disinfect that ONE side and go on about my business. That's just one reason I dislike it, but there are more. I really think it boils down to how you use it though. For me a single bowl DEEP sink will be in our "forever house" when we stop renting. For lots of others a single bowl is the only way to go.
ReplyDeleteWe recently installed the Delta, brushed nickel, goose-neck faucet with the pull-out head. It has the magnet the holds the sprayer head in place - and we have been very impressed! Our friends have the older version the "clicks' back in to place, and it has already worn out so that the faucet head hangs down away from the neck. I would highly recommend the Delta with the magnet, we haven't had one problem. I noticed that they now make the same model with "touch" on and off technology! Can't wait to see what you do with it all!
ReplyDeleteHi - I have the same granite sink that you are installing - from home depot. We have had it for 2 years and LOVE it - it's super deep and I like having 2 equally sized sides. I agree that the brushed nickel is a better choice than ORB for the faucet. My only complaint is that we have hard water and the sink shows up white spots unless I keep it really dry - so I usually wipe it out in the morning before work and at night after dishes to make sure there is no standing water or droplets. Kind of a pain - but it looks awesome and if you don't have hard water you have nothing to worry about! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI have the Moen Camerist pull-out faucet in stainless steel and I LOVE it!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.moendepot.com/prod/Moen-7545C-Camerist-Single-Handle-Pullout-Kitchen-Faucet-Chrome-17156.asp
I've had it for 2 years and it works great, and has hard & soft sprays.
Also glad to see the black tile backsplash go!
First of all... congrats on getting the chance to redo your kitchen!! It must be so exciting!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.homedepot.com/Kitchen-Faucets-Pull-Out/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zaroe/R-100077863/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
That's a link to the sort of faucet we have. Ours is a bit different. There is a slider so you can adjust the stream speed as well as a button to switch from a water stream to more of a shower stream (does that make sense?).
We have had ours for about a year and it is still in great shape. I pull the head out pretty much every day. I love the high arch because even my giant spaghetti pot fits underneath to get prepped and washed! :)
Good luck and I can't wait to see the finished product!!
kATE
I can't wait to see it (and all the tutorials that go with it!
ReplyDeleteI love AmEx points! We used he points we earned to get a Home Depot gift card and bought our fridge (THAT I LOVE) with it when we moved here.
We went from a double to a single when we were first married and absolutely HATED it. Granted, it wasn't a fancy-schmancy big farmhouse sink or anything, so that probably had something to do with it. But we really liked having a separate place to soak crusted dishes while still being able to fill up water bottles and rinse things. Even with a dishwasher, we still have dirty things pile up while they're waiting their turn to go inside.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, congrats on this amazing opportunity! So fun!
Secondly, I highly endorse the taps with the pull out nozzle in the neck. I was told once you switch to those, you'll never buy another type again. It's so true. Mind you, I went high end and went to a plumbing place for that part. But I'd NEVER purchase a tap set with the sprayer beside the tap ever again.
Single sinks? I personally would say no. But what I did was purchase a sink that was large on one side and skinnier on the other, which I LOVE. But I use sinks differently. I have a large bowl in the large side that I was dishes in so it allows me a draining/rinsing area beside the bowl. What I use the smaller sink for is for stacking the clean dishes, basically, the drainer. I've put my dish drainer away forever.
If you went with a single sink, #1 they are awfully large to fill with water so you'd probably like my bowl method so your water doesn't cool off so quickly plus so you have a place to rinse and drain.
I'd personally never go back to a side by side same size sink again after having mine. I adore it. :)
To see my new tap set and sink, you can view it at:
http://ourextremehomemakeoverexperience.blogspot.com/2008/12/cody-is-cooking.html
Best wishes with your reno! I'll be watching and cheering you on. :)
Donna
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
I want to learn how to do tile! You dive right in!
ReplyDeleteThat is my sink!!! Love it! Very elegant.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteWe bought the Ikea Numerar Countertop in Beech and then cut it to size, sanded and stained it a dark walnut.
It definately took the color, but being that the wood was so dense, it didnt absorb like we had hoped. It's a nice rich brown color... just not as dark as I'd hoped. So maybe an Ebony stain or something would have worked?
Knowing you though, you'll come up with something amazing I will have wish I'd known beforehand.
Thanks for the inspiration and the humor.