Even if you only make a cup of coffee in your kitchen, chances are there’s one place you interact with in your kitchen more than any other. That place is the kitchen sink. The lowly kitchen sink is now being recognized for its daily contribution to living. The style of sinks is also changing with the times – and it’s no longer the ubiquitous double-sink variety, either.

No longer divided

One of the key changes in kitchen sinks has been the move away from the double bowl. Once the standard for dishwashing, the double bowl sink in today’s kitchen looks almost as old-fashioned as the ice boxes of yesteryear. Over the past ten years, sinks have moved to the one bowl style. The standards include the farmhouse or apron style sink and the single bowl stainless sink. These work the way people cook and clean today. The double bowl was originally designed to allow for filling the individual bowls with soapy and clean water respectively. Few, if any, people do dishes this way anymore. Most dishwashing falls to pots and pans and pre-rinsing before putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Small saucepans would fit in the double bowl sink but few large pots would.

Short on space

The problem with the double bowl sink is that there’s not enough room to wash large pans well. And because of that, it’s easy to bang, scratch, and nick your sink. The idea of updating double sinks was just to make them deeper. That really didn’t help, either. It just meant more bending over to wash the dishes at ever-deeper levels. No, the need was for width. Unlike the double style sink, a large, one bowl can easily handle large cookie sheets, frying pans, and cutting boards without all the scratching and with room to spare.

To the trough

The farmhouse and one bowl sink has now made even more headway in the kitchen with the recent trough-style sinks. These longer, narrower sinks allow more than one person to clean dishes side by side. Some select trough sinks for tandem dishwashing, some for cleaning crafts and cleaning side by side, others just for their unique appearance. Many of the trough sinks look like sinks from the turn of the century – you may have even seen them in older homes. Will you see more of these? Probably. They’re interesting and if you do a lot of dishes, you might just need one.

More than dishes

A sink now does more than clean up after cooking. A sink can become a focal point in the kitchen. Put in an interesting-looking sink and it can make a statement. If a single bowl would work for you and you want to update your kitchen, a kitchen sink is an easy and affordable improvement. Most home centers carry single bowl sinks in the $200-$400 range. If style is the key concern, try a hand-hewn stone single sink for about $1,700 at Sinksgallery.com. They have copper, stone, and stainless sinks with beautiful detailing. But never choose a sink based just on looks – or what you’re used to.

A client of mine wanted a one bowl apron-style sink for her kitchen renovation (which would be a great choice design-wise), but her friends insisted she go with the double bowl because that’s what they had. We discussed the pros and cons of both sink styles. That’s how you should choose, too, because the sink needs to work the way you wash not what the styles dictate. I chose a one bowl style for my home and I’ve never been happier doing the dishes.

Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui e-zine and is dedicated to helping her readers develop successful, prosperous, and supportive environments with feng shui. To subscribe, logon to http://www.redlotusletter.com and receive this Special Report FREE 16 Feng Shui Secrets for Greater Prosperity

These days, kitchen sinks are becoming more and more of a central focal point in kitchen design. In the past, sinks are only seen to be the area where you clean up, but designers and DIYers have realized the impact that kitchen sinks create through their visual and functional appeals.

Here are the most popular kitchen sink styles today:

Vessel Sinks

Vessel sinks, also known as basin sinks, have become popular in contemporary kitchens. These types of sink are slightly recessed from the counter, and usually placed slightly above the counter top, instead of below it as in traditional sinks. Due to its recessed nature, a vessel sink is largely visible so that it makes a major design statement.

There are a variety of vessel sinks available and they are made of various kitchen-friendly materials such as stainless steel, natural stone, metal (copper or aluminum), glass, and wood. Since they are raised above the counter top, it can be convenient to use as home owners need not bend over while working, so it will expectedly be easier on their postures and on their back. The cost of vessel sinks largely depends on the material.

Farmhouse Sinks

Farmhouse sinks, also known as apron sinks, are becoming quite a trend as well nowadays. They are named so because they imitate the rectangular, deep look and visible front that is very common in vintage and rural houses. They can either be mounted or placed on top of the counter top, and these basin-style sinks usually do not have a deck on its exterior so that faucets and other accessories can be installed directly onto the counter top, or somewhere beside the basin.

Most farmhouse sinks are made from enamel or white porcelain, but a lot of manufacturers have started to use other modern materials such as stainless steel, fireclay, natural stone, copper or wood. They are available in single and double basin styles.

Prep and Entertainment Sinks

Many home owners have recently discovered the advantage of having a slightly smaller, secondary sink. These auxiliary sinks create a huge difference in terms of the kitchen workflow. These prep or entertainment sinks offer an additional workspace for other minor functions such as for wine to chill, for someone to assist in chopping onions or for washing the hands before eating a meal.

Trough Sinks

For kitchens which are rather crowded, conventional rectangular or square sinks can be a problem as it offers only a limited space. Trough sinks have been developed to accommodate two, three or four drains and faucets, so that there can significantly be enough elbow rooms for big families who look to cook. These are best for big kitchens, restaurants, and so on.

Seamless Sinks

Nowadays, sink styles have evolved into seamless designs. People have realized how difficult it is to clean the spaces and crevices between the sink and the countertop. In seamless sinks, the sink and the counter top are put together in one single piece so that pushing food, dirt or spills right into the drain is as easy as 1, 2, 3. With seamless designs, it is a lot easier to maintain a clean kitchen.

Kitchen sink designs slowly evolve to fit the needs of home owners. Thus, if you are choosing yours, make sure that you choose one that fits right into your functionality needs, as well as the overall kitchen design you want your kitchen to be.