[winnch]

Hi,
My kitchen plan is complete except for the base cabinet between sink and fridge. It's a small space and I have two options:

-A 12" pullout that would be used for the trash container. In this case, the sink would be an undermount that is housed in a 30" sink cabinet. Other than dish soap and floor cleaner, I don't know what I'd put in that cabinet (since trash is in the other cabinet and my recycling stuff goes in another room). I'd have 12-15" of countertop between the sink and fridge.

Or

-A 15" drawer cabinet. In this case, the sink would be a drop-in housed in a 24" sink cabinet. That cabinet would hold dish soap, floor cleaners, and trash. I'd have 15-18" of countertop between the sink and fridge.

I'm leaning toward the 15" drawer cabinet. I actually like drop-in sinks better than the undermounts and would like to have the drawers and countertop space. I have no experience with the 12" pullout and it seems odd to me. What's your experience with it? Do you like having one cabinet dedicated to trash? Is it easy to use? What do you put under the sink, if not the trash? (That's a lot of space to use for not much.)

It sounds like an easy choice, but my designer is high on both the undermount sink and the 12" pullout. She's the pro and while I'm happy to go with my own judgment, I want to be sure my reasons are sound and I'm not overlooking something.

[Susan]

I think more importantly, you should consider your sink size. A 24" sink is of considerably less utility than a 30" sink. Especially if you have any amount of cookie sheets, roasting pans or the like to wash up.

That said, we've had a 12" pullout for years and love it. It's not used for trash, but for kids' dishes, glasses and silverware and it's proved very useful.

As for the sink base, there's no reason that it has to be useless space: The much maligned sink base There's plenty of ways to make a sink base useful. Trash bag storage? Gardening supplies?

Susan

[winnch]

Thank you, Susan. I wasn't clear in my description. Even in the larger sink base, the sink itself would be about 22-23" wide. The only reason it needs to be in the bigger cabinet is that it's undermount. The same size sink as a drop-in can fit in a smaller cabinet. As I understand it, a 30" undermount sink would require an even larger cabinet. So the sink will be pretty much the same size in both cases. Unless I add a third option--12" pullout, 30" sink base, and 30" or so drop-in sink.

Does that change your reco?

I'll check that thread you linked to. My kitchen plan already incorporates storage for gardening items. The main thing I had in mind for the drawers between the sink and fridge is food storage--all those plastic containers and their tops that tend to sprawl all over.

[personalshopper]

If you do a search for "sink in smaller cabinet" or words to that effect, you can read about how others have defied the laws of physics.

I'm living on the edge: just purchased a 30" base cabinet for a 31" undermount sink. The 31" includes the flange - that flat metal lip around the edge. The sink body is a bit less than 30". I'm planning to carve out the top of the cabinet sides so that the flange can sneak over toward dishwasher on one side; on the other side of the sink, I'll have to borrow a little bit of room, so I'm planning on using a 24" base cabinet to the right of the 30". I'll remove enough of the cabinet sides to let the sink stray into the 24" cabinet (should only be in inch or so). In the 24" cabinet, I'm planning to put in a divider and install a 21" top drawer with a 24" drawer front on it, so that it looks consistent, but leaves space for the sink. All this Rube Goldberg stuff is so that daughter is not offended at the sight of a sink cabinet that isn't centered under the window.

Please call for help if I'm not out in 90 days.... Or let me know immediately if it sounds as if I'm on crack.

[winnch]

Good luck, personalshopper! You're braver than I am (or crazier).

[NBeth]

Don't forget you can convert one or both sides of your sink cab to pullout function: it's a pretty easy modification. Your trash could go there! And what about the 24" farm sink? That thing has a huge bowl and no need to worry about lips or fitting

[personalshopper]

That 24" sink is a gem, for sure. It has a stylishness about it that the 36" version doesn't have. Must be that immense bowl size.

I know what you mean about drop-in/topmount sinks, winnch. I know they aren't the height of current kitchen fashion, but I've never found them difficult to clean around as some people (ahem...like my daughter) claim. I like 'em and if I were in the market for one now, I might lean toward a black granite-finish one. To me, it looks like a statement - a deliberate style choice, not something that I "settled" for.

In my perfect (imaginary) world, Ikea would come out with a 9" cabinet door and more offerings in the farm sink line - a 30" 1-1/2 bowl? Or - dare I dream too much - black sinks? Maybe I'll live long enough to see it.... Good luck with your sink/cabinet combination! Please let us know what the final decision is.

[Espo]

Originally Posted by winnch

I have no experience with the 12" pullout and it seems odd to me. What's your experience with it? Do you like having one cabinet dedicated to trash? Is it easy to use? What do you put under the sink, if not the trash? (That's a lot of space to use for not much.)

I have a 15" pullout for my trash and it is great. I also have a drawer at the top, inside of the pullout for trash bags, sandwich bags, aluminum foil etc. It's really nice to have and I definitely recommend a designated cabinet for trash. I also have a 36" sink base, and you are right there is not much in it. The plumbing takes up a lot of space, so much of it is wasted. I have found, at least with my remodel, is that I have so much more space than I used to have, so it's not a big deal. I do have cleaning supplies on one side and since somehow I managed to accumulate 3 different Magic Bullet blenders and all the accessories, I have the extras in a storage container under there as well.