I know this topic has been discussed in many threads, but I couldn’t find an answer to my specific question. I currently have a 50-50 double-bowl sink, and I love being able to keep drying or dried dishes on one side while using the other for washing. I really don’t want to use the counter for drying dishes, as it takes up valuable space, plus we like to keep a few items in the drying side for easy access (like our favorite knife and dog food scoop). That said, I prefer the aesthetic of a single-bowl sink and can’t decide for my kitchen renovation. For those with a single-bowl sink who don’t want to constantly use the counter, where do you dry your dishes? I’ve looked into roll-out drying racks that go over the sink, but I’m worried they might make the kitchen look cluttered. Any thoughts?
Make a low division to get the best of both worlds. Despite my affection for my big single! When needed, some individuals “create” a double bowl using Rubbermaid dish bins.
Mine are dried by hand or on the counter before being stored. Most of my stuff gets in the dishwasher…even pots and pans mainly unless they aren’t really dirty.
There are broad stainless troughs with sliding racks, baskets, and cutting boards that are referred to as “workstation sinks.” While some are absurdly large, there are also ones that are more modestly proportioned. They take away from counter space yet offer certain benefits.
Another option is to install a rack, tub, or rack-in-tub in a sizable single sink.
When someone uses the sink, the drying dishes are more likely to get splashed.
Function, in my opinion, should take precedence over form for a fixture like the sink.
I have a single bowl large “workstation sink” and would never go back to a double bowl however low the “divide” is.
Mine came with a “rack” that has holes in it. I generally keep this to one side of my sink and use it as an extension of my counter. I also put anything that is wet there to drain including washed produce as well as stuff that I handwash.
Because mine is a work station it enabled me to get a much larger sink than I otherwise could have gotten because it effectively acts as additional counter space in my small urban kitchen. For example I can prep right over the sink with a very stable cutting board.
Mine also has an offset drain in the rear which means that the pipes don’t divide the sink cabinet in two and so I have space below the sink for my disposal as well as a pull out garbage can.
Even with my new 33" double bowl, I still dry the few handwashing supplies with a tiny silicone mat. In my next modest renovation, I’ll be switching to a 25" or 27" single bowl to reclaim some counter space. I don’t like having a large sink take up counter space because most things end up in the dishwasher.
Not many “drying dishes” are in our collection, and the ones we do have are promptly stored.
When I created my current kitchen design in 2021, I included an integrated drainboard. The drainboard is 18" and the sink is 30". I use one of those roll-up mats you see on the left side of my photo, which is displayed in the picture a few posts up. The DW is below the drainboard, so I didn’t require a large sink cabinet.
There are broad stainless troughs with sliding racks, baskets, and cutting boards that are referred to as “workstation sinks.” While some are absurdly large, there are also ones that are more modestly proportioned. They offer certain advantages but also take up counter space.
Another option is to install a rack, tub, or rack-in-tub in a sizable single sink.
When someone uses the sink, the drying dishes are more likely to get splashed.
Function, in my opinion, should take precedence over form for a fixture like the sink.
I have a single bowl large “workstation sink” and would never go back to a double bowl however low the “divide” is.
Mine came with a “rack” that has holes in it. I generally keep this to one side of my sink and use it as an extension of my counter. I also put anything that is wet there to drain including washed produce as well as stuff that I handwash.
Because mine is a work station it enabled me to get a much larger sink than I otherwise could have gotten because it effectively acts as additional counter space in my small urban kitchen. For example I can prep right over the sink with a very stable cutting board.
Mine also has an offset drain in the rear which means that the pipes don’t divide the sink cabinet in two and so I have space below the sink for my disposal as well as a pull out garbage can.
It’s also ok to like a double bowl sink. You will pry my double bowl from my cold dead fingers. While I accept I am in the minority on this, there are still some people left in the world who prefer a double bowl.
Yes I have had/used a single bowl. Several times in my life, actually. I despise them, with the same intensity those of you who prefer single bowls apparently have for doubles. 
I have built new construction, and just finished remodeling a kitchen in my vacation home. Both of those have nice deep double bowl sinks. My choice and I love them.
I don’t think I’m intellectually-inferior for my double bowl love, although I know some of you desperately want to disagree…
It comes down to how you use your sinks, how you work in your kitchen. For me, it’s a double bowl for the win.
@Hudson thank you for mentioning that! Even while it seems like everyone else likes the single bowl, I really think I would prefer a double bowl! I want to dry dishes in the second bowl rather than on the counter, so I’m trying to desire a single and find out how to make it work like a double, but if that’s what I enjoy, I should probably just stick with a double!
@Hudson May I take a seat next to you?
In 2013 we renovated our kitchen and installed a 60/40 offset stainless steel sink in place of the factory-installed 50-50 type. Even though it fit in a 30" cabinet, the huge side was significantly larger than one side of the prior sink.
Before moving, we spent eight years residing with that sink. We purchased the identical sink when we renovated our kitchen. I’m really excited to get it installed! (The countertop installation is still a few weeks away).
I still leave some items on my rack hanging over the sink to air dry.
Fragile items include produce that I prefer to wash and pat dry before putting in the refrigerator, stemmed glasses, large pots and pans, or even bowls that take up a ton of room in the dishwasher. I find that soaking a roasting pan in my huge sink and then hand washing it is easier. I occasionally have hand-washed tchotches that require air drying.
Due to her single status and infrequent cooking, my mother didn’t produce enough dishes to fill the DW (also, the dishwasher made a lot of noise in her little apartment). She would use the DW as a drying rack after hand washing her few dishes.
In the last stage of the cycle, the majority of dishes and glasses in the dishwasher dry. Items that are frequently used are hand-washed and hand-dried so they can be put back in their storage locations for later usage. The configuration is a single bowl with a dishwasher and no drying rack.
In my sink replacement business, out of 100 customers, 95 will replace a double sink with a single sink, 3 will receive a low division, and 2 will receive another equal full divide. Nobody has contacted in the last five years to apologize for purchasing a single-bowl sink.
Not many “drying dishes” are in our collection, and the ones we do have are promptly stored.
When I created my current kitchen design in 2021, I included an integrated drainboard. The drainboard is 18" and the sink is 30". I use one of those roll-up mats you see on the left side of my photo, which is displayed in the picture a few posts up. Since the DW is located beneath the drainboard, I didn’t require a big sink cabinet.
