Kitchen Sinks

We purchased our sink when we went to buy countertops. It made sense to get them from the same place to ensure everything would fit. In my ideal world, I would have loved a farmhouse sink, but since we were keeping our old cabinets, it would have been too much work to try to modify our existing cabinets to fit. So we went with a modern kitchen sink; a stainless steel undermount sink that both looks nice and fits in with our more modern design style.

I've had kitchen sinks made in variety of materials, but stainless steel has always been my favorite. Porcelain can scratch or chip; fiberglass doesn't hold its shine without polishing; and copper or stone require too much maintenance for me. In addition to the sink that I ultimately chose, I considered both an apron front sink and a deep, industrial sink with square corners. I love apron front sinks, but I'm afraid it is a trend that will fade away before too long. I decided against the industrial style sink because I knew the square corners would be more difficult to keep clean.

When time came to choose a kitchen sink, I had several requirements: 1) single basin, 2) white in color, and 3) maximum depth. I briefly considered an apron-front sink, but quickly realized we’d need to reconfigure the cabinet that would hold the sink –that extra work simply wasn’t worth it for us in light of our quickly approaching deadline. I was also set on an undermount rather than a drop-in sink. I knew from the start my preference meant higher costs – not only for the sink itself but also for installation. What’s more, undermount sinks can only be installed with solid countertops such as granite or quarts, which eliminated all budget-friendly material alternatives. Yet there’s something so streamlined about an undermount sink; it instantly raises the look and value of the kitchen, not to mention saves counter space and makes cleaning up a total breeze.

We just went with the generic one that came as part of the package we bought.

Since our sink is undermounted, we had the professionals who installed our counters also install our sink at the same time. This is standard procedure. It was nice that we didn't have to try to worry about figuring out how to install it ourselves. If it had been an above-mount sink, though, I'm sure we could have easily installed it ourselves.

Our sink was professionally installed by the granite installer. Installation was included in the price as a part of their countertop package.

Installing an undermount sink requires cutting the stone countertop and pre-drilling holes for the faucet and accessory mounts. Typically, the countertop fabricator installs the sink – not only because the installation requires heavy-duty tools that most DIYers do not have, but also because there’s less room for costly mistakes if the installation is done by a professional with experience. That’s the route we took as well. Unfortunately, as I’ve said before, nothing ever goes as planned. The countertop installer accidentally cracked our sink during installation, which extended our deadline by an additional three weeks while we waited for the replacement to arrive.

Our cabinet installer did it for us.

I'm really in love with the undermount factor, even though I would have originally chosen a different sink if I could have made it work. Having it undermounted makes it super easy to sweep crumbs and debris straight into the sink without having to deal with a lip or seal. It looks smooth and makes it a modern kitchen sink, and I love the clean look of it!

My favorite things about my sink is that it is under-mount (for ease of cleaning the counters), is stainless (which is timeless), and is deep and roomy.

I like the size and depth of our sink – everyone who visits comments on it. People are usually surprised to learn that it’s no bigger than a standard, double-basin sink, but because there isn’t that partition in the middle, it looks much bigger (not to mention functions so much better!) Double-basin sinks were the standard back in the day, when dishwashers didn’t exist. Nowadays, there’s simply no reason to have two separate basins.

It's stainless steel and easy to keep clean!

I loved watching my kitchen slowly transform from an orange and black ogre into a beautiful white and gray swan! The biggest impact for me was painting the kitchen cabinets - I loved seeing the shiny oak get covered up with beautiful modern gray and the rose gold handles just put it over the top!

The most exciting part for me was watching my vision become a reality! I've never designed a kitchen before, so it was very gratifying to see that what I had "in my head" was turning out to be exactly what I had envisioned.

Having the opportunity to tackle such an extensive home improvement project together with my husband was extremely rewarding. The labor itself is not very fun, let’s be honest – but when you look at it from the perspective of accomplishing something major with your own hands and as a team, your entire outlook changes. When we first purchased our house in July 2015, it had previously stood abandoned for 20 years. Neither of us knew a thing about home improvement, and yet little by little we tackled project after project (with the help of friends and family, of course!). Nearly a year later, time came to take on the kitchen. Renovating a kitchen is no small undertaking, so the fact that we were doing it (mostly) on our own almost gave us a feeling of invincibility. Of course, that feeling was tested so many times, but in the end, it’s extremely satisfying to say we planned, designed, assembled and installed a kitchen that works specifically for us and our lifestyle.

I especially loved choosing the finishes and discuss with my contractor the most functional use of our small kitchen.

Finding the time to get everything done! My husband works full time and I work multiple other jobs in addition to blogging, so it was tough to find the time to work on the kitchen when we both weren't totally exhausted! A lot of late nights and weekends were spent getting this space into tip-top shape.

No doubt about it - the most challenging part of my kitchen makeover was trying to choose counters and a backsplash. There are so many options available, which is wonderful, but it made it difficult for me to make a choice.

Our house was built in 1930, and like most older homes it came with charming character and lots of history. It also came with outdated plumbing and electrical, skewed walls and floors that had shifted over time, as well as a totally dysfunctional layout. These factors weren’t so charming and proved to be quite a challenge during the renovation. The kitchen area was especially problematic because neither the floor nor any of the walls were level, so installing kitchen cabinetry took a painstakingly long time and a whole lot of patience. Speaking of time, allocating the appropriate amount of time to a particular part of the project also proved to be a challenge. We quickly learned nothing ever goes as planned, and everything always takes twice as long. Both my husband and I work full-time, so it was only in the evenings and on weekends when we could work on the kitchen. Progress was slow, which added to our frustration. Before any work could begin, however, I was the one responsible for designing the new kitchen layout and ordering all materials and supplies. I had to consider so many factors: Did we want an open-concept layout? Could we fit a peninsula? Which walls could we tear down and which had to remain? What standard clearance guidelines did I have to keep in mind? Which appliances should we buy? And so on and so forth. Having to make a million decisions a minute – most of which required extensive research – was overwhelming, but you learn to be flexible and do what you can with what you have in the time you’re given.

Our biggest struggle was sticking to a budget and working with a small space.

Know what you want going in and source materials before you even get started. Figure out what color cabinets you want, what kind of backsplash you want, what faucet would be best, etc…, and find out where you are going to get those items and how much they are going to cost before you even start demoing anything. This will help keep you on budget and solidify your design style.

Decide ahead of time what you want the "feel" of your kitchen to be - industrial, cozy, traditional, modern, etc. Decide if there are any specific features you want to be sure are a part of your makeover. For me, I knew I wanted the hood above my cooktop to be a feature, on a wall by itself. That one thing drove lots of other decisions, so it was necessary to know about it up front.

If you were to ask my husband this question, he would probably recommend hiring a professional – and to be honest, if your budget allows for it, opt for what is typically considered the less stressful route. We, on the other hand, were able to save tens of thousands of dollars by renovating the kitchen ourselves, so there are definite advantages to each approach. The biggest lesson we came away with is that you just never know what you’re capable of until you try. The kitchen renovation was one of the last house projects left, and we avoided it until the end – mainly because neither one of us knew where to begin. But once we did, it became easier with every step. We learned so much throughout the process, and although we’re by no means professionals, at least now we know just what we’re capable of. So have a positive attitude, do your research, and you’ll be surprised just how much you can accomplish! Speaking of research, I learned far more reading about other bloggers’ and homeowners’ experiences than I did reading official installation guides. Every time we would stumble upon a dilemma or weren’t sure of the best way of doing something, I’d Google the question and find yet another helpful blog with real-life experience from fellow DIYers.

Really have a good idea of what will be functional for you. A wine rack might look nice, but will you ever use it?

I just really love how everything came together. Even though we kept the same cabinets/layout of our kitchen, it feels like a brand new space! I love how our paint, tile, and counter choices really reflect our personal style, and it's so awesome to be able to walk in this space and have it truly feel like home. The cabinets and hardware are my favorite part - they turned out so well and the little rose gold pulls are that touch of glam I was looking for.

I love walking into my kitchen every single morning and seeing the feature wall with my hood! Next to having white cabinets, it was my No. 1 most wanted item. Additionally, I love how easy working in my kitchen is - everything is conveniently located within easy reach or just a few steps away.

Honestly, we just love spending time here. Whether we’re cooking dinner on a random Tuesday evening, enjoying coffee in the morning before work, or even when I’m simply hanging out at the peninsula, drafting a new post for my blog – having a space that is aesthetically pleasing and visually uncluttered does wonders for my mood and productivity! A well-designed, thought-out kitchen makes cooking and cleaning less of a chore as well. I’m sure other DIYers can relate – sometimes I feel like a star on my own cooking show!

Having a kitchen that not only functions, but looks good!

Our kitchen is the central hub of our home! It's where we host football parties, gather with friends and family for meals, have coffee in the morning, and experiment with new recipes. Instead of averting my eyes every time I used the kitchen, I'm now happy and excited to show it off and spend more time in there than ever before!

My husband and I catch up on our day while I'm busy in the kitchen in the evening. Adding room for counter height stools at the island ensures we can visit while I'm preparing dinner.

I’ve always been a bit of a neat freak when it comes to my surroundings but even more so with the new kitchen. I cannot go to bed until I’ve cleared away all clutter, wiped the counters and loaded the dishwasher – so that’s my oh-so-exciting nightly routine. As for something a little more fun – every Saturday morning the husband and I like to prepare breakfast together; he typically makes pancakes or an omelet, sometimes both, while I wander around aimlessly with coffee in hand, pretending to be busy so as to not attract unnecessary attention to myself, ha!

Everything! As a mother of a toddler, our lives revolve around the kitchen!