How to Create a Custom Sinkscape That’s Unique to You

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Whether you’re washing dishes, peeling veggies or cleaning fruit, chances are you spend a lot of time at the sink when you’re in your kitchen. So color it bold or choose a sleek stainless finish, then add accessories for function and fun. “Make it stand out and do something that offsets the sinkscape to contrast it with other parts of your kitchen,” Minneapolis-based designer Morgan Molitor says. “It’s one of the most-used elements in the room, so spotlight it and have it fit your lifestyle and aesthetic.”

Read on for tips on creating a superstar sinkscape brimming with personality.

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1. Choose Your Favorite Color

Make a statement with a hue that appeals to you and enhances its surroundings. “For 2020, people are getting more and more excited about color,” says Molitor, who co-owns design-build firm Construction2Style with her husband, Jamie. A reinforced quartz sink in chestnut brown, as seen here, boosts a nature-inspired look and complements wood cabinets. Integrate a sink in au courant blue to accent marble countertops. “Or in a white kitchen, make the sink pop in black,” Molitor says.

Then “think about hardware, lighting and faucets, and mix metals — whether it’s gold, silver or black — and have them play off each other,” Molitor says. Match a shiny stainless faucet with matte black cabinet hardware, or pair oil-rubbed bronze with brushed nickel.

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2. Shape to Suit Your Style

Think about both form and function when choosing your sink shape. Molitor recommends rounded edges for a farmhouse or a transitional aesthetic; hard 90-degree angles suit a modern space well. In terms of the basin itself, double-bowl sinks are great if you like to soak pots in one bowl while you prep in the other. Single-bowl sinks, such as the fireclay one seen here, can be deep and wide enough to accommodate cookie sheets and to hide muss when guests come over. Or have the best of both worlds with a single-bowl sink in which there’s a small dividing wall.

As for faucets, select one with panache that complements both the sink and the overall room. “Look at your appliances, crown molding, cabinets and lighting, bringing all those elements together” in your faucet, Molitor says.

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3. Find Materials to Match Your Needs

Design for both convenience and durability with materials that withstand heavy everyday use. Fireclay sinks, for instance, are built to be scratch- and stain-resistant. A stainless steel sink, as seen here, stands up to scratches and won’t chip or crack. Nonporous quartz sinks hold up to inevitable dropped pots and pans and are stain-, smudge- and bacteria-resistant.

Consider stainless and quartz for countertops too, for a sleek, streamlined look, especially when paired with a spot-proof stainless steel faucet. Molitor always recommends a pull-down faucet for top washing coverage — of the sink as well as the dishes.

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4. Add Accessories

Consider elements that boost convenience for your sinkscape. Molitor uses a grid on the bottom of her sink as a buffer against accidental hard knocks and the loud bangs of dishes and pans. “And I always recommend a built-in cutting board — it slides on top of the sink and fits perfectly,” she says. “Then you can chop and just swipe garbage straight into the disposal.”

Molitor also likes to tuck sponges and washcloths inside the sink on hooks and magnetic holders. “That hides them but still holds them up and keeps them clean,” she says.

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5. Keep the Spotlight on Your Sink

Rid surfaces of clutter to focus attention on your sinkscape, not your stuff. “I recommend dispensers so you don’t have bottles all over the place,” Molitor says. She installs a soap dispenser within the countertop. A built-in water dispenser, as seen here, helps do away with disposable plastic bottles — and can be tucked around the corner or in a pantry. Install them in mudrooms, garages and pool houses as well for added convenience.

Molitor’s one concession to sinkscape decor? Herbs on the windowsill behind a sink “to make it look green and refreshing and also to have something practical that can be used in meals,” she says. “Everything else should be tucked inside cabinets.”

Share your style: What’s your ideal sinkscape? Let us know in the Comments.

More: To learn about the Elkay kitchen fixtures pictured in this story, visit the company’s Houzz profile.

This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.