You are right, no place for clean dishes while washing dirty dishes in a single sink unless you use a dishpan in part of the sink..

No. I find the need to fill or clean large stock pots or pans outweighs the need for a second basin.

That said, Kohler makes a single basin undermount sink that has inserts for a drying rack and cutting boards. It's called Stages, I think.

I always thought the point of divided sinks was to have a soapy bowl and a rinse bowl, and then the rack goes on the counter.

Regardless, if you plan to continue washing & drying your dishes this way, definitely get a double bowl sink. Although I find it hard to imagine only using 1/2 a sink for drying dishes! We use a dishwasher for almost everything, but my cutting boards, sheet pans, and my large pots don't fit and get washed by hand. There's no way they'd fit in half the sink. They dry on a drying pad on the counter now. I'd also find it annoying to wash everything in 1/2 sink - I use ALL of my bowl for washing right now, and I imagine that's why most people like a single bowl. But that doesn't mean it's how you live, so do what works for you.

Personally, I like my double bowl sink. I just got a sink that had that center divider that goes only half the way up. And actually, it isn't strictly speaking a center divider - the one bowl is about 65% and the other is 35%. Both are the same depth. This fills the need for easy to clean moments with both stock pots and long baking pans. As well as the benefits a double sink has. (I went with a Silgranite sink.)

@anj_p Yes, I think it's what your used to. For large items, I just wash, dry and put away so the 1/2 side always worked. I've never wanted to take up space on the counter with the rack.. & get this - my sink now is divided 60/40 and disposal is on the small side, so I wash dishes in less than half a sink, how have I survived! It's been rough ;) I think I will opt for a 60/40 low divider.

@artemis_ma This is exactly what I have decided on! https://vevano.com/product/17338-442737-precis-33-granite-60-40-double-basin-undermount-kitchen-sink-with-low-divide-in-concrete-grey-33-x-18-x-95/?utm_campaign=Shopping-Master&utm_source=GooglePLAs&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=&utm_term=&ad_id=425975674943&utm_campaign=Shopping-Master&utm_source=GooglePLAs&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=&utm_term=&ad_id=425975674943&gclid=CjwKCAjwkoz7BRBPEiwAeKw3q32__yjXJMO8_uPHnXVNUfREFanOCcHeEUrUpDgQ2zcCTHAYrJO-8xoCNG0QAvD_BwE 

I switched to a 30" single bowl, which I love for washing large pots and baking pans. I put nearly everything - including antique china with gold - into the dishwasher.

At our rustic house in the islands, where water is scarce and there isn't a dishwasher, we have a divided sink, with a drain board on the counter.

I would find out how large a sink your cabinet can accommodate. Then go look at the options, of which there are a great many. Choose the one that suits you best.

isn't strictly speaking a center divider - the one bowl is about 65% and the other is 35%.

I was happy with an unequal division in another house and would choose it again, but I'd want to make sure that the larger side could accommodate a 10×13" baking pan.

I have a 36" sink, no divider. I find the dividers to be a hassle when washing large pots.

I replace 150 sinks a year. 147 are single bowl sinks replacing double bowls. Of the 3 divided sinks, two are low-divides. I can't tell you what to buy, but I can tell you what the people who buy your house someday want.

@Joseph Corlett, LLC Thanks, I appreciate that insight. Since I will be staying in this house for quite sometime, think I am going to do what best suits my dish washing habits. I'm going to go with the Blanco Precis 33" Granite 60/40 Double-Basin Undermount Kitchen Sink, low divide.

Divider? No, no, no.

You can always pop in a dish pan from Dollar Tree and create a divider; you can never remove a built-in divider.

If you mostly use your sink in a manner that is best fit to having 2 bowls, get a 2 bowl sink. What's the point in having a tub that you put in to do dishes and then theoretically put away...but would you really put it away because, at least in my house, that would mean you have to move the dishes that people sat in the sink, put them in the tub then set the tub into the sink. And then you have to have someplace to put the tub if you don't want it in the sink all of the time. I have a double bowl sink and I use several big pots and never had an issue washing them, especially with the pull-down faucet that everyone tends to have these days.

We will definitely replace our old 36” double sink with some sort of double sink. We will be dead when our house gets sold, so I won’t care that the new owners want, lol.

Everyone is different and has different needs. I have owned a single bowl, a 70/30. 60/40 and now a 50/50, For me the 70/30 worked best. 60/40 was second. Hated the single bowl - was only a necessity once in a blue moon and usually had 2 bins in the bottom, one for wash one for rinse. The 50/50 is restrictive and makes it harder to wash larger items. I always run 3" of soapy water in my sink before I start cooking. Use it to wipe down the stove, fridge handle, counters while I am working - clean wooden spoons and cast iron pots and anything else not going in the dishwasher. By the time dinner is served the prep dishes are cleaned and rinsed and sitting out to dry. By the time we are done eating the prep dishes can be put away and dinner dishes put in the dishwasher - love having a clean kitchen 5 minutes after supper. Need a 2nd bowl for prep and have a drying pad next to the sink.

We built a large custom modern-style home 2 years ago and I put in a double sink with a divider (square edges for a modern style). It was against the trend, but I am glad I didn't go with the trends. I like putting dirty dishes on one side and having soapy water on the other side while washing. One benefit that I didn't think about but do really appreciate now is that I use less water while washing in a smaller sink. Think about how much water you need to get a few inches of water into a large sink vs, a smaller. There is still plenty of room for washing large pots and pans.

I was waiting for Joseph to comment know he puts in mostly single bowls:) And as much as I love the single bowl look I just know it would not work for me. I also wonder if that is a trend that in 20 years everyone will be tearing out single bowl sinks and replacing with divided sinks. So when we redo our kitchen it will have a divided sink, because that is what works best for me. You do you......

For those of you who have actually owned low divide sinks, do they live up to their hype? I know I want 2 unequal bowls, but I am just trying to figure out of I should only look at the low divide.

The three grates on my Bosch range fit nicely to soak in the bottom of my 30" single bowl. I guess I could take them up to wash in the bathtub, but that would be a PITA.

@julieste do they even make unequal bowls in low-divide? I have an equal bowl sink low-divide and I love it!

@pittsburrito yes they do. Link to one - https://vevano.com/product/17338-442737-precis-33-granite-60-40-double-basin-undermount-kitchen-sink-with-low-divide-in-concrete-grey-33-x-18-x-95/?utm_campaign=Shopping-Master&utm_source=GooglePLAs&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=&utm_term=&ad_id=425975674943&utm_campaign=Shopping-Master&utm_source=GooglePLAs&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=&utm_term=&ad_id=425975674943&gclid=CjwKCAjwkoz7BRBPEiwAeKw3q32__yjXJMO8_uPHnXVNUfREFanOCcHeEUrUpDgQ2zcCTHAYrJO-8xoCNG0QAvD_BwE 

I was all set to go with a single bowl sink (we had a 60-40 double bowl) until I spent time with family who had a single bowl sink...I found I used more water (in California so that matters) and even worse it required more effort to keep clean. If I was just rinsing/prepping veggies or doing a quick rinse of a dish it required the entire sink, not just part of it. I didn’t care for that so opted to stay with a double bowl (Blanco silgranite -low-divide 60-40). Haven’t used it yet so the verdict is still out, but not too concerned since our prior sink was a double. But as with many of the decisions discussed here it comes down to personal choice and lifestyle. I know we don’t often have to wash huge pans/dishes and I don’t care about resale, so it wasn’t a difficult decision. Wish they were all that easy :-)

I absolutely hate that low divide! You can only put maybe 2-3” of water in one side and it takes too long to fill both. I love my 60/40 regular divide sink and would love to replace the low divide in our snowbird house.

LOL I have THREE divisions!! This way I always have one for the disposal and rinsing...this farm house sink fad I will NEVER comprehend the function of!!!

@clt3 the low divide I got has a 5.5" divider and the total sink depth is 9.5". I'm hoping that's tall enough to give some function to both sides but also allow for maneuvering longer, larger items.

When we went with a new sink we switched to not divided. I had a hard time deciding if I would miss the divided. I have not missed the divided sink one bit. I love the deep sink for large pans, cookie sheets, etc. I did buy a dishpan to help sort of turn it into a divided sink if needed. Have not used that dishpan once in 4 years. This was one of the best changes in our kitchen remodel.

Sarah, I am building a new home and I am going with the low divider. For me, I'd prefer one big bowl, but unfortunately my husband is quite careless in the kitchen. I want to have two drains so he is less likely to grind up my flatware in the disposal. This is a sad way to have to make this decision, but I have to be somewhat practical.

We moved into a home with a single bowl sink and I can't stand it lol. There's no place to put anything! Or to soak baby bottles! If you do - no sink! But, I know most people buying want a single bowl now - just not me.

I don't have any first hand experience with single basin sinks, but I've thought about it a lot. Seems to me that if you use a wash bin inserted into a single bowl sink, it will protect your sink from scratches and eliminate having to fumble with a sink strainer, trying to get it to sit right and hold water. The wash bin can be emptied after sudsing dishes and then serve as the drying bin, which will protect drying dishes from dirty sink activity. I think there are a few occasions when you would minimally fill the whole bottom of the sink with water. An example would be to soak cookie sheets. Roasting pans can be filled with sudsy water and washed that way. Think of how easy it wouldl be to wash refrigerator shelves and bins in a single basin sink. I don't have a need for a garbage disposal so I haven't thought much about that being a factor.

I do use a wash basin. The problem is it is plastic and the water cools off quickly. Give me a 60/40 any day. I hand wash a lot of dishes - soft plastic, expensive carving knives, measuring cups, stuff with wood handles, etc.

In a double bowl sink where one has placed a drain rack in one of the bowls...are you saying you are concerned that any dirty dishes in the OTHER bowl will contaminate the clean dishes in the drain rack?

My first house had a single large sink and I washed dishes in a dish pan in the sink. Moved to a house with a divided sink and hated it.....couldn't fit a roasting pan in it to soak and even a turkey was difficult to set in it. Remodeled and now have a single sink.....and a dishwasher!
My kids both have double bowled sinks but they both have a ulitity room/ laundry that contains a deep sink for soaking large items.

I replaced a 3 division sink w/ a 60/40 several years ago. The 60/40 is an improvement over the 3 division. The new sink will be a single bowl.

Even with a divided sink, I always fill my largest dirty pan with hot soapy water & use it as a dish pan. No dirty dish pan to clean or find a place to stow when you want the kitchen to look company neat.

I don’t think there is a right or wrong. It’s all about how you use your sink on a daily basis. We had a Blanco Wave 1 and 3/4 undermount sink at my previous house. We hardly ever used the 3/4 side. In our current house we put in a single bowl 32 inch undermount and this works best for how we use our sink. It sounds like a divided sink would work best for you because of the way you use your sink.

Sarah, I am glad you started this thread. I am planning a remodel of my kitchen and have found the comments very informative. Currently I have an equally divided sink and wash some dishes every day. I do have a dishwasher that I use also. I think, for me, a divided sink would make more sense (I want a drying rack), and if you are going to continue washing dishes, then a divided sink would probably be best for you too. The 60/40 sink has a low divide. I suppose the clean dishes will be resplashed with soapy water due to the lower divide? But then, the faucet sprayer can be used to give the washed items a quick rinse. I think cleaning the larger items may be easier and I like that thought. If the divide is about 5 inches in height, will that be enough to soak extra large dirty items without leaning the item against the drying rack? For me, that wouldn't happen very often. I really like that 33" undermount sink on your link.

You don't mention the size of your current sink and whether the new sink you are considering is basically the same size.

I installed a Kohler Strive 70/30 low divide in my new build. I thought it was a good compromise and still do. Yes, I'd like the additional space with a single large bowl, but I like having two separate areas. FWIW, I do not like the grids at all and removed them immediately. Sink is getting scratched, but it's a working kitchen.

I chose no divider. I can wash and fill big pots and if I do any hand washing I use a small plastic basin with dish soap. This basin takes up about 1/2 of the sink and can be removed in a second.

When we remodeled, I took a chance on this configuration by Franke. I had always had evenly divided sinks but felt the need for a larger sink (this was 12 years ago and apron front "farmhouse" sinks were not such a big thing as now). I knew what we chose was 'different,' but I love it. The disposal is on the small, shallower sink side (like a prep sink), and the large part is plenty large enough for big pots, cookie sheets, etc. I couldn't decide if I wanted the low grid that sits on the bottom, or the grid that sits on the small ledge several inches below the top of the sink, so I got them both. I actually rarely take either of them out except to clean. Dishes waiting to be washed in the DW or by hand can sit on the top grid without being seen easily from a bit of a distance, pots can sit there to soak, etc. I actually have had many occasions to soak silverware and small items in the small sink with very hot water without using much water. I realize it might not work for everyone, but I quickly got used to it and can't imagine anything else now.

decorpatti

I am intrigued by sinks like yours but vowed this time around I would get a sink where I could lay a cookie sheet flat. Can you lay a cookie sheet flat in your sink? I just wonder whether those closed in curve son the back narrow the sink down so much that this isn't feasible. What Franke model is it?

Update....Here's what we ended up going with. I'm happy with my decision with the 60/40 low divide. The side for drying dishes is slightly smaller than I'd like but I wouldn't want to give up the 60% for larger items. The low divide makes it easy for large lots with handles and angling cookie sheets etc. If I had to do it all over would choose what I chose. Happy 👌

julieste: My 13" x 18" cookie sheet can fit easily, but my larger 15" x 21" one does not lay flat (I have never actually used this larger cookie sheet!). The Franke model is PRX160. However, the large bowl of the sink has always been large enough for whatever I need to do, and I have only filled it with water maybe once. I like how I can rest items on the top grid so that I don't have to bend over into the deep sink, though it is there if I need it.

That looks like an insulated cookie sheet. They shouldn't be submerged or soaked - water can get between the layers, so why does it matter if they can lay down flat in the sink?

My sink has three compartments. Two hold a cookie sheet, laying down but as pointed out I would never allow it to as it would be ruined. The third compartment is where the disposal is and is generous enough to rise dishes in as DH washes them. Swimming up stream again but the farmer sink hold absolutely no redeeming features for me.

decorpatti's sink has been discontinued, but now I at least know that something in that shape can work. Thanks.

I learned something here today about washing cookie sheets. Now I know why I need to prop them on their sides to let the water drain out the holes after I have submerged them. Guess I shouldn't be submerging.

Jennifer Hogan: I was just answering a poster's question about whether a cookie sheet can fit flat. I actually don't know what an "insulated" sheet is; you can tell I am not much of a baker! Mine came in a set of 3 from Costco (NordicWare), and I think they are just aluminum baking sheets with rolled edges for roasting. I am assuming that the poster who asked was asking about sink size, not how to wash a baking sheet.