I’ve been making lists of projects I’d like to finish this year at the brownstone and I think it’s time to replace the counters in our small kitchen and change out the sink.
I have some research to do here still, but I am completely intrigued by this only $300 IKEA almost farmhouse style apron sink.
Most of these apron style sinks are under mount basins (which I really like for counter cleaning purposes). But I’m sort of digging the look of the fluted shelf/mini drainage area along the back of the sink.
Luckily, the dimensions of the double bowl are perfect for my existing cabinets (installation would require us to cut out the faux drawer front and that’s about it other than adding in some additional internal supports), but I’d need to get a new one-hole faucet to replace the bridge we have in there now.
Do you have the Domsjo sink from IKEA? Thoughts on apron style sinks in general? Too played out? It’s pretty hard to beat that price tag though!
The first grout sink was the finest one :)
We have the Domsjo sink and love it. The back ridges are a little hard to keep clean. I'd be interested in tips from other readers with this sink. The only other thing we've experienced is that it does require you to lean over at a slight angle to reach the faucet. Most nights this isn't noticeable. It does wear on your back on nights when we hand wash most dishes. In that case, it's just an excuse to take turns with my husband. Overall, I'd recommend it. It's nice and big and the second basin is great for drying dishes.
I don't have this sink but I've been checking out similar models for our kitchen. I love the mix of the apron sink with a modern faucet. I don't think they're "played out" yet. :)
I've thought about that sink, too but I can't let go of my really deep double bowl sink…. About the faucet, though: spend your $ there and get a workhorse pull-down sprayer. You'll need it to keep that big sink clean and I couldn't function without mine.
My sink came with the place so I don't know if it's the ikea one, but if not, it's very similar. I've always really liked it. Mine is huge so I have a lot of room to work on the rare occasions when I have to hand wash something. Plus it's pretty. :)
I have this sink in our NC home. It was installed by the previous owners, but I would probably use it again if I were looking for a great-priced apron-front. I second what Rachel said about keeping the grooves clean, but it wasn't any big deal.
I switched out the faucet for a tall, commercial-style sprayer, so didn't have any problems with my back (and I'm a short-stack)
I think it probably goes with all things Ikea – you'll get the basic look you want, but not necessarily all the perks of a higher-end model.
alison g.
It's a handsome sink. One issue is function: Do you prefer a single bowl (I do) to a double bowl?
Jenny,
My designer advised against this kind of sink as she said the front of it gets marked from leaning belt buckles against it. She kind of burst my bubble, but she has been right about everything else.
Just my two cents. I say go for it!
We recently installed the Domsjo- it can get marked up so you have to be a little more careful with it than with a stainless sink (which we had before). I have mats on the bottom of the sink which helps. I haven't had any problems with scratches on the front through. Also, for any scratches in the sink a little Bar Keepers Friend buffs them out magically. All in all I'd say go for it :)!
my mom has one and it drives her nuts. the bottom is so flat that all the food bits go straight to the corners and it is impossible to clean. also a double basin means your disposal has to make a turn and is way more likely to clog (learned this the hard way!).
We are currently pricing out and designing our IKEA kitchen, and I am in love with the Domsjo sinks. Apron for huge depth and a little bit of a country or traditional feel is what I've been wishing on. We haven't really sourced sinks from outside of IKEA, but it's good to know the price is right.
I don't think they have been played out yet. It's one of those styles that will be around for awhile, because it has already been around for a long time.
i have the single bowl version in my laundry room and really like it. certainly doesn't get the use it would in the kitchen, but we do have a seven month old in cloth diapers, so we use it every day for really dirty jobs. no complaints!
We're about halfway through our Ikea kitchen reno and have the single Domsjo waiting to be installed. I like the single one because the back isn't ridged, and it's really huge enough for us. For the money, it's a FANTASTIC product.
We went with the Domsjo sink in our all-IKEA kitchen remodel, and we love it. Take a look HERE for the in-process, before we got the backsplash up. The last photo shows all the Lidingo cabinets and the finished wood counter tops.
@letsbeamie, the IKEA kitchen is great. There's a few posts on our blog about putting it all together, but with the right planning, it works out great. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
Perfect timing! We're in the process of renovating a house and were thinking about this exact sink. Interested to follow the conversation. You really just can't beat that price.
I've never seen the one-bowl version – I'm intrigued :)
The house we just purchased came with this sink. It is only ok. Looks good, but there are some functional hiccups. As others have said – the back drainage tends to collect stagnant water and is hard to keep clean. We have a disposal on one side, so we tend to use that side for dirty dishes, and the other side is mostly used for drying dishes we hand wash. The sink itself is a bit shallow and I am finding the surrounding counter area needs to be cleaned more regularly as a result of splashing, etc.
My main gripe however is that the one hole faucet does not allow for a pretty bridge faucet like you currently have. Does anyone know if it is possible to cut new holes into a sink like this?
I can't help you on the sink, but can you share your source for that fabulous geometric planter? Thanks!
I don't have this sink, but a friend who does complains about not having a pull-down sprayer on her faucet – without one it's difficult to clean the front edge of the sink!
My comment is not specific to the Domsjo sink but to double sinks in general. What Rachel said is true about your back – you may end up leaning in more when washing dishes unless your faucet is position further out. I have a stainless steel deep double sink which I can't wait to get rid of partly due to the impact on my back. Also think about the pots and pans you put in your sink. I use sheet pans a lot for baking and they do not lie flat in the sink. Most of my pans are all-clad with ridiculously long handles. So everything just juts out of the sink and nothing lies flat.
it would be such a shame to not use the faucet you already have. i think it really makes the room.
Jenny! I have the perfect faucet for you! Its a polished chrome Krause pull out that I used for less than a year, and loved it. I ended up gutting the kitchen but I kept the faucet. It is very similar to this model, but the handle is on the left hand side. If you are interested email me kateferg7 at gmail dot com
I live in CT and am in the city this weekend so can easily get it to you!
I put this in my kitchen and it is my favorite thing! http://www.amazon.com/Blanco-BL440150-BlancoPrecis-Super-Single/dp/B0011YLNHS/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1368021572&sr=1-2&keywords=blanco+white
The deep sink with no partition is awesome!
I love the look of this sink, but not the flat sides either–so much harder to clean than curved stainless steel. But, it is pretty. By the way, Overstock has great deals on really nice Vigo faucets that have a similar look and feel to the Kohler: http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Vigo-Stainless-Steel-Pullout-Spray-Kitchen-Faucet-with-Soap-Dispenser/6006452/product.html?CID=209535
we have the small farmhouse from ikea due to space restrictions – but i couldn't love it more. we made sure to undermount it so we weren't constantly fighting cleaning the lip around it. it wasn't too difficult, we just cut the cabinet wall supports down a bit. i love the one big bowl – it's deep and open and i can clean any size of anything in it – cookie sheets, pans, huge drying racks. we also have the big industrial/heavy duty faucet that they don't seem to carry anymore…love the look of the big open basin with this big coiled faucet. love it. good luck!
We have the domsjo and love it. The bottom is flat so you always have to rinse bc they don't just drain down but it's not a big deal. We also have a bridge faucet and the other 2 holes are there in the domsjo and slightly drilled out from the bottom so you just need to get a small nail set and knock them out from the top if you want 3 holes. Easy peasy.
Don't you rent? I wish we had landlords like yours here–when I was a renter I had trouble getting them to agree to let me put paint over the cheap primer they'd slapped up on the walls.
I'm a little disappointed at all the downsides of apron front sinks in other comments, since I've wanted one forever. I do agree that you should use a sink that lets you keep the faucuet, though. It really does have such a great presence in the room.
Don't you rent? I wish we had landlords like yours here–when I was a renter I had trouble getting them to agree to let me put paint over the cheap primer they'd slapped up on the walls.
I'm a little disappointed at all the downsides of apron front sinks in other comments, since I've wanted one forever. I do agree that you should use a sink that lets you keep the faucuet, though. It really does have such a great presence in the room.
I've been considering the smaller version of this sink due to the inexpensive price tag, but I really love the undermount sinks because they are easier to clean. I did a quick google search and found this post where the sink was under-mounted! http://www.cape27blog.com/2012/07/how-to-undermount-ikeas-domsjo-sink/
We considered the Domsjo, but I didn't like that it would stick out a fair bit since our countertops are only 25" or so deep. We ended up with a white Blanco single bowl sink (non farmhouse style) for a similar price that is only 22" deep but 33" wide so the mass of bright white will be the same. Also, you can punch out additional holes so you have more faucet options.
Hey Jenny!
I have that sink and I love it! I wanted a farm sink for a long time and a lot of people tried to talk me out of it telling me I would have to deal with stains and cracks. I didn't care at that price I decided to do it.
I love it. The groves on the top are a little annoying to clean, but nothing a brush won't get to. I don't have any complaints with my back hurting, but I have a more industrial faucet with a sprayer that I pull out so maybe that helps. There are no dings or stains on the outside. I only have one teeny little stain on the inside of the sink. Overall super happy with it.
You can see it here: http://blog.effortless-style.com/2012/08/revisted-diy-painted-wooden-floor/
The faucet is also from Ikea but I don't see it available anymore online.
Check out efaucets.com for great deals on a new faucet.
I was totally inspired by your kitchen when we recently did ours:
http://www.designmegillah.com/2013/04/ta-dathe-kitchen.html
Of course I have more space not living in Brooklyn!
Your current faucet set is so gorgeous! Wouldn't you be sad to part with it??
http://simplymodernhome.com/
I installed this same sink during our kitchen reno almost 2 years ago and couldn't love it more! It's held up just great without any real extra care on our part.
So nice sink. All is really so nice. I like all sink so much.
steam shower
I refuse to believe that you'd get rid of that brass bridge faucet! I love that thing. Can I have it?!
When we renovated our kitchen, we chose an extra-deep, extra wide, single bowl stainless sink. It was probably my favorite thing, no problems with any kind of cookie sheets, big pans, or serving trays/dishes. Now, we are living in Show Low in a rental with a shallow double bowl, and I cannot tell you how much I dislike the double! I also think the ridges in the back of the sink in your post would drive me bonkers. I am going home for the summer to my permanent home, and cannot wait to use MY sink! Keep looking :)
I used that sink (the single basin version) in a kitchen I finished for a client and they have loved it. It looks great and cleans up really well. I think it is a great choice. http://thelittleblackdoor.blogspot.com/2013/04/before-and-after-farmhouse-kitchen.html
I ripped out a two-bowl version from my kitchen. I hated the fact that cookie sheets and lasagna pans couldn't sit flat and be soaked and scrubbed. I had to angle them towards me and that marred the finish. But I cook and entertain a lot, so now I have a huge, single-bowl stainless sink; but the one that Veronica mentioned went into a client's kitchen and she loves it. She did purchase a protective mat, though, so the base doesn't get scratched by aluminium cookware. Good luck!
I ripped out a two-bowl version from my kitchen. I hated the fact that cookie sheets and lasagna pans couldn't sit flat and be soaked and scrubbed. I had to angle them towards me and that marred the finish. But I cook and entertain a lot, so now I have a huge, single-bowl stainless sink; but the one that Veronica mentioned went into a client's kitchen and she loves it. She did purchase a protective mat, though, so the base doesn't get scratched by aluminium cookware. Good luck!
We are renovating a house and just put in this sink!!! I'm so in love with it. The classic look is awesome, but it really makes a statement! I would say go for the sink, but how sad to lose that brass faucet. I am seriously in love with that faucet :)
I'll be so sad to see your current faucet go. It's my favorite part of your kitchen.
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I've always been intrigued by this style of sink. It has such a beautiful classic look. My concern has always been staining. I'm sure sinks have come a long way, but the white sink in a former apartment of mine always had a way of looking grungy. My stainless steel sink does get a little scratched up over time, but otherwise no problems with staining which I appreciate.
I haven't had this type of sink but have had a white one and strongly disliked it b/c I found it difficult to keep it looking clean and not marked up. I also think those ridges look like a nightmare to keep clean. It is lovely to look at; I am just at the place in my life where I don't need something in my home that I have to babysit. It's gotta work for me.
Jenny,
I also love the look of the porcelain farm house sink, but after having had one (suffered with one) I will never have another porcelain sink. I have a cheep metal over mount sink now and despite the moderate annoyance of a more shallow wash basin and the greater difficulty of cleaning around the sink, I will never switch back to a porcelain sink. It stained horribly and was impossible to keep looking good. It would stain very easily, so much so that I was afraid to put dirty dishes in it and afraid to let dish water stand while washing. I am currently saving for a stainless farm house style sink that has the deeper wash basins and is undermount. Until I have that dream sink I am much happier and my kitchen looks much better with the cheap-o metal sink than it ever did with the porcelin sink (other than the day the sink came out of the box).
Hi Jenny!
Love the sink! I don't have one but saw this review and thought it might help! Plus, you might be able to work out some sort of deal with ikea and review the sink and they'll send it to you to "try out." Just sayin :)
http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2012/11/a-kitchen-re-style-part-2.html
http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2013/02/kitchen-questions-answered.html
We have that same sink! The price was perfect and I really like it. I keep the back drain clean with a scrub brush–a washcloth doesn't get into the grooves very well. I have a pull down faucet and it works fabulously. I've never had a problem with stains or marks (on the front or inside). You can check it out here if you scroll to the bottom:
http://1stof9.blogspot.com/2012/12/remodeling-kitchen.html
Love that sink. We've had it for a while now. My biggest irritation with it: keeping the back ridges clean. They are a beast.
We have this sink and love it, though I'll echo what others have said about the ridges on the back. We don't have problems with the flat bottom getting particularly dirty, or damage to the front (though I don't wear belts with buckles either). We have the big IKEA sprayer faucet too, so I've never had issues leaning over it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
I like the look of farmhouse sinks, but I can't believe you'd get rid of your new faucet! I love your faucet.