Farmhouse Sinks?

One thing I have never quite understood. Aside from novelty, what is the virtue of having a farmhouse sink?

They look odd, being a discontinuity in the flow of cabinets, and unless you want to be able to wash your dog or babies in it, the added depth doesn't really offer much.

Maybe it is just the Mother Earth quaintness of it that appeals to people, which is fine, because I can't see any practical advantage in the modern kitchen (they were developed as water holding reservoirs back in the days before indoor water supplies, when you had to go to the well to get the day's supply of water).

If you don't own a dishwasher, and have to hand wash everything, it would let you stand a bit closer, but I can't see that being a big draw. Am I missing something, or is it just a style thing?

[Jenise]

I'm with you. And worse, the extra depth is not advisable for people with back problems. Suz's back would hate you if you'd put one of those in your new kitchen.

Yeah, I intentionally had my counters made a little higher to avoid back strain!

I never used one but I always supposed that the big sink was useful for washing big pots, baking sheets, etc.

Adult-height countertops are a good thing, as are ADA-height toilets (...just a couple inches but it's really easier on the knees).

[Robin Garr]

For what it's worth, it looks a lot like a restaurant sink, although lacking the three-part dividers.

I never used one but I always supposed that the big sink was useful for washing big pots, baking sheets, etc.
Adult-height countertops are a good thing, as are ADA-height toilets (...just a couple inches but it's really easier on the knees).

I had my counters made an inch over standard for that reason, and was reading one of Julia Child's books. She had hers made 2" higher (she was 6'2"). Also agree on the toilet height. Still in the throes of recovery from a troublesome knee replacement and while 2" doesn't sound like much, it sure does make a difference!

BTW, the stainless steel undermount sink I opted fro allows me to put my big pans flat in the larger side for washing, and the smaller side has a bit shallower depth that makes washing vegetables etc. easier.

The reason why you don't see more adult-height counters is that people are concerned about resale: anything that is the least bit custom can make the sale of the house more difficult. But, as you are refurbing wholly to suit yourself, bravo!

[Jenise]

The reason why you don't see more adult-height counters is that people are concerned about resale: anything that is the least bit custom can make the sale of the house more difficult. But, as you are refurbing wholly to suit yourself, bravo!

I had mine made higher too, ditto the feet on my Viking range which is another inch taller yet.

We love love LOVE our huge 39" Franke sink, which has two sides. The larger side is deeper, and the smaller side (equivalent to the size and depth of a traditional two-sided sink in which both sides are equal) where we hand-wash most dishes shallower. Best of both worlds.

I'll be lobbying to add a couple of inches to our counters when we someday get going on our kitchen. With our current setup, if I have a lot of knife stuff to go then I stack a couple of cutting boards. Otherwise, more than 5 or 10 minutes of work will leave me with a stiff back. And I'm not particularly tall.

[Jenise]

I'll be lobbying to add a couple of inches to our counters when we someday get going on our kitchen. With our current setup, if I have a lot of knife stuff to go then I stack a couple of cutting boards. Otherwise, more than 5 or 10 minutes of work will leave me with a stiff back. And I'm not particularly tall.

You have an older house, though, right? So was not only built when people were shorter, but also when mostly just women did the cooking. Our house was built in '83, which is probably 30-40 years newer than yours, and yet our counters are/were VERY low. Maybe because it was built for a Canadian. Canadians are shorter, right? (nudge, Bill, nudge!)

What's that, shorty....

Top 10 countries with the tallest men (in 2014)

The Netherlands
Belgium
Estonia
Latvia
Denmark
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Croatia
Serbia
Iceland
Czech Republic

OTOH, I believe both Americans and Canadians have become wider than they used to be.....

I have a "utility" sink in the basement, and it's perfect for home winemaking. I can set a carboy upside-down in it after cleaning. It's got two chambers, and the bottle-drying tree goes in the left one while I I rinse them out in the right one. But for the kitchen? I don't think so.

I'll be lobbying to add a couple of inches to our counters when we someday get going on our kitchen. With our current setup, if I have a lot of knife stuff to go then I stack a couple of cutting boards. Otherwise, more than 5 or 10 minutes of work will leave me with a stiff back. And I'm not particularly tall.

You have an older house, though, right? So was not only built when people were shorter, but also when mostly just women did the cooking. Our house was built in '83, which is probably 30-40 years newer than yours, and yet our counters are/were VERY low. Maybe because it was built for a Canadian. Canadians are shorter, right? (nudge, Bill, nudge!)

Ours was built in 1931, but the counter we usually use for chopping and such was added some time later. It's still a bit low for me, though.