10 Tips To Find The Perfect Spot For Your Kitchen Sink

Trying to find the right location for your sink? San Francisco-based Architectural colour specialist and design writer, Jennifer Ott, has teamed up with Houzz Australia to help you find the perfect spot for your Kitchen Sink, below.

To find your dream kitchen sink, you will likely spend a good amount of time browsing contemporary kitchen images on Houzz. But don’t forget to think about where your sink will be located in your own kitchen. If you’re renovating an existing kitchen on a tight budget, you may need to leave it where it is. But if you can, consider where you’ll want to be standing while working at your kitchen sink, as well as what other appliances or elements should be nearby. Here are 10 considerations to help you figure out the best place for your kitchen sink.

1. Use Existing Plumbing

If you are undertaking a budget kitchen renovation or simply looking for areas where you can cut costs so you can splurge on your benchtops or splashback, consider reusing your existing plumbing as much as possible. If your kitchen layout is truly dysfunctional, this may not be an option. But I always consider leaving the plumbing alone to save money.

2. Give Yourself A View

If your kitchen is part of a new build or if you are either unable or disinclined to keep the sink where it is, then do yourself a favour and give yourself a nice view. I am not a fan of washing dishes by hand but would gladly take on the chore if I had this fabulous view to take in.

3. Think About Lighting

You need plenty of light when working in the kitchen, and that’s especially true while at the sink. Natural light from a big window or skylight above the sink is fantastic during the day, but be sure you also have adequate task lighting above and around the sink at night to safely illuminate this working area.

4. Centre On The Window… Or Not

Speaking of windows, if you are able to place your kitchen sink under a window, try to centre the sink beneath the centre line of the window. Sometimes, however, this is just not feasible.

5. Partner With The Dishwasher

This one is a no-brainer. You definitely want your dishwasher and sink to be next to one another. This will make loading the dishwasher easier and more efficient; you can just scrape or rinse off your plates in the sink before placing them in the dishwasher. It’s also useful when you are emptying the dishwasher and need to dump out any water that has pooled on your dishes.

The classic set-up with your dishwasher on one side of the sink and a pull-out cabinet for compost, rubbish and recycling on the other side makes kitchen clean-up easier. I highly recommend this layout if you can swing it. It does require a long bank of cabinetry to make it fit, though it’s worth it for the good ergonomic kitchen design.

It’s also nice to have a buffer cabinet on the outside edges of the dishwasher and pull-out bins so the cupboard doors can open without running into a perpendicular cabinet or wall.

6. A Word About Corner Sinks

I generally don’t recommend corner sinks in a kitchen. They can cause traffic jams and make it difficult to access a nearby dishwasher. But if you are forced to work with existing plumbing or the location of the only window in the kitchen, consult with a kitchen design professional who can help you figure out the correct size and placement of the sink, and the dishwasher if you install one, to ease the squeeze around the sink area as much as possible. In this kitchen, the corner sink works beautifully, both in terms of style and function.

7. Give Yourself Work Zones

If your kitchen layout includes an island, you might find it nice to locate either your cooktop or sink in it to create an efficient workspace. I’m personally not a fan of having a hulking range hood smack bang in the middle of the kitchen, so I prefer seeing the sink there instead.

8. Keep A Connection

Don’t turn your back on your guests if you don’t have to. If you plan to entertain often and have an open kitchen, this is an ideal layout. It allows the cook to wash up or prepare food in the kitchen while still conversing with guests or keeping an eye on kids.

For those who want to see their family and friends while cooking and cleaning but don’t necessarily want kitchen messes to be on full display, there are many ways to design the sink area to get the best of both worlds. A servery window or raised benchtop above the sink can act as a visual barrier to disguise any mess in or around the sink. It provides a nice buffer to the area beyond where kids might be doing homework or guests will be hanging out having a drink and chatting with you while you finish dinner prep.

9. Be Social & Enjoy A View

If you are fortunate to have a large open kitchen that looks out onto a nice vista, think about orientating your sink towards the dining area and your pleasing view. Yes, everything is on full display, but this would be a fun kitchen to work in when you’re able to entertain large crowds of friends and family.

10. Work With Multiple Sinks

For those with large households or who entertain often, multiple sinks are definitely an ideal set-up. Of course, you’ll need the space and budget to accommodate such a design. Typically there is one larger main sink placed under a window or facing an adjacent dining room, with the dishwasher placed next to it for easy cleaning and loading.

The second sink may be a smaller prep sink in the island or a peninsula, and it is used more for hand washing and food prep. Alternatively, your second sink may act as a hydration station rather than a sink for cooking, cleaning up and prepping food. This kitchen configuration also allows several people to use the kitchen at once without getting in one another’s way.

Here at Hurst Homes we offer complete customised homes that can be as individual as the owner. We guide your through the entire process including your selections to ensure you create your dream home. Each client personally meets with our joiners to design and create functional spaces, with colours tailored to their individual style. Just another reason why we are considered Wagga’s best builder. With over 30 years in the industry as a Wagga Builder you can trust Hurst Homes with your dream home. For information on our upcoming custom Wagga house & land packages, contact us today on 0438 692 962 or fill out the contact us page on our website.

For more tips and tricks from the Houzz experts visit Houzz.com.au