Only because our contractor said that you always want to go bigger. But I am beginning to agree, and don't think 3" would make a huge difference.

I'm trying to maximize usable cabinet space, and I'd rather have that 3" of cabinet space not wasted under the sink.

It may depend on what sink you get.

I have a 36 inch sink base cabinet and a 36 inch Kohler Whitehaven, but the actual open sink space from countertop edge to edge is 30 1/2 inches - which is plenty big.

This picture is not straight on - there is about 2 1/4 apron on each side under the counter - so check the inside sink specifications.


This is the "short apron" style because I kept my original sink base. The Whitehaven "tall apron" would go on a farmhouse sink base with shorter doors - which you may be using since you have new cabinetry. Both sinks have the same interior size. Kohler makes several farmhouse sinks, but the Whitehaven is the most reasonably priced and popular.

I've replaced several sinks with apron style stainless and couldn't find a 36".

You end up with this:

Joseph - Does the Kohler Vault come in 36"?

Joseph. That photo makes me cringe! We make custom stainless and copper sinks. We even make them for existing cabinetry so you don't have to cut the cabinet at all. I own the patent on the design. Retrofit copper farm sinks Retrofit stainless farm sinks

We have just wrapped up a new kitchen remodel (well, almost, you know how that goes). We decided on 2 apron front sinks, Kohler Whitehavens. One is a 30" prep sink (and doubles as the "drinks sink" when we host our regular house concerts--super easy to just dump ice in there and have everyone keep their drinks chilled!) and one is a 36" main sink for clean up, etc. Originally we had a 30" sink (where the prep sink is now located), which was a pretty decent size for everything but my largest pots. We opted for a 36" too to fit the cabinets sizes along that wall, work zone reasons, and the ability to easily clean the grates, etc, from our range. Really happy with both--my two cents is to decide on size balancing your cooking style / needs with which size is going to work best with the cabinet configurations. If you're ordering new, as we did, you most likely can choose whichever size you want. Maybe measure your largest pans / pots / cleaning jobs to see if that 3" really matters? BTW, the Kohlers have been awesome. Best of luck choosing and with your remodel!! Just repeat as needed, "It will all be worth it, it will all be worth it." ;)

I am in the middle of a remodel and I also chose the Kohler Whitehaven 36". The wider sink provides more room in case I ever want to work with a dish drainer or dishpan on one side. To me this was more important than the extra cabinet space, especially because I am used to a two sink setup and I expect going to one sink to be an adjustment for me. It's not in yet but I hope I love it!!