When we bought our Chicagoland fixer upper in 2015, there were two elements I knew the kitchen design would incorporate: a crisp white palette and an apron front farm sink. As a decor inspiration blogger, I see my fair share of beautiful handcrafted fireclay sinks in a range of diverse kitchens! And I couldn’t wait to have my own. Apron Front Farm Sinks: Why I Chose One for Our Classic Shaker Kitchen dishes (see what I did there?) about why this beauteous basin butters my biscuit.
Have questions about living with a fireclay farm sink? You may find the answers in an informative post I recently shared at Kitchen Bath Collection.
Apron Front Farm Sinks: Why I Chose One for Our Classic Shaker Kitchen
Inspiration from a Modern French Farmhouse Kitchen
Like many of you, I followed the journey of the Giannetti design dream team as they built the European country inspired, patina-perfect, property in Ojai, Patina Farm. Brooke shared details about design elements for their new kitchen, and I paid particular attention to her sink decision.
Here’s their kitchen below:
Keep in mind that while I too have a view of mature oaks from my humble kitchen sink window, my forlorn space started life like this:
Since Brooke loved her Reinhard farm sink (Signature Hardware), her endorsement was good enough for me so I ordered mine before we designed the kitchen!
If it gives you confidence too, go with the WWBD (What Would Brooke Do?) approach to your kitchen design…ha!
Here’s my sink:
I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Farm Sinks are Earthy
These deep handmade sink basins are made from white clay found only in a few places on the planet; this natural origin appeals to me. I love the thought that my sink is of the earth and how it took several sets of hands to create, finish, deliver, and install it.
Kitchen Sink With Timeless Charm
Even though fireclay farm sinks are having a “moment,” they also have enduring charm and value. Hundreds of years ago, farm sinks showed up in London, and their practicality and simplicity ensures their continued relevance.
Our kitchen countertops are LG Hausys Viatera “Minuet” quartz which you can learn more about RIGHT HERE.
The Farm Sink’s Smooth Hand-feel
The white glazed finish of our farm sink is yummily smooth and reflective and something I appreciate daily after living with stainless for so many years. Since our farm sink is put to use multiple times daily, it is truly a blessing which keeps blessing.
Washing and rinsing dishes is somehow less of a dreaded chore. Baths for a puppy or infant in the kitchen become possibilities. Even mundane tasks such as cleaning vegetables are more pleasant.
Is a Farm Sink Strong?
After living with a single bowl undermount stainless sink for many years, I was concerned a fireclay sink would be high maintenance. However, this hasn’t been the case.
Fireclay is a dense, nonporous material distinctly different from porcelain. What’s more, I no longer have to watch scratches collect on the surface as I did with the stainless sink!
The fireclay sink’s hardness is a result of the clay–fired at more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. I don’t worry about my sink chipping or breaking as much as the fate of dishes accidentally dropped on the fireclay’s hard surface.
(From my research on farm sinks, the quality varies across makers and brands. Do bear in mind my review reflects experience with the Reinhard model. )
Farm Sink as Focal Point
While the kitchen sink isn’t typically regarded as a focal point or art object, a fireclay sink can certainly become one.
In my own kitchen, it glimmers in streaming sunlight.
It also beautifully breaks up a run of base cabinetry.
Additionally, the sink introduces a reflective surface… harmony for the melody of matte Shaker cabinetry.
In spite of how it sings in the design, the sink doesn’t overshadow the rest of the kitchen (being the understated diva she is!).
Nostalgia Factor
For lovers of vintage charm like me, a fireclay farm sink delivers. It pulls at the heartstrings as a remnant of the past.
Since I admire a mix of modern and old, the relationship of the old school sink with modern appliances (like the stainless 800-series from Bosch) just works. (FYI…the upper oven is not your mama’s microwave…it bakes, broils, convects, and can probably do our taxes.)
I hope these reflections help you in case you are considering a farm sink for your kitchen design. Do get in touch or leave a comment if you have any questions.
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Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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..”when you love what you have you have everything you need” …so true but not in the case of a butler sink.
In Europe except in France there are this terrible Niorost sinks in use. Not practical and always so dirty looking.
In my next kitchen, which we are planning, I will definitely have this beautiful butler sink. What size do you have?
…I also love the inserted quotes in your posts but Churchill copied, admittedly modified, from Oscar Wilde.
Author
Ours is the 30″ Reinhard which is quite spacious – can’t imagine all the room you get with those 36″ models. That Churchill quote certainly sounds more Wilde-ish!! Ha!
I positively LOVE the look of these types of sinks but to me the practicality isn’t there. :'(
For most of my life, from childhood to only about 10 years ago, I had a stainless steel, two-bowl sink. That made sense to me because there was a sink for washing and one for rinsing. Then you either put your clean dishes into the drain rack and/or someone was drying them with a towel. With a one-bowl sink, one must rinse each dish separately by continuing to run the water…That’s a little wasteful actually.
As to the scratches that inevitably come with stainless steel sinks….yes. However like any other material, the better it is, the less it will show signs of use. I had one sink that was very high quality and though it was used every day (no dishwasher in the house), it rarely looked scratched and “used”. Others with lesser quality weren’t quite as pretty. 😉
We have “inherited” in our 1980’s house, a porcelain sink with one deep bowl (similar to the size of a farmhouse sink) and one smaller shallow bowl where the garbage disposal is. Though I “can” put a few dishes in the smaller side to sit after rinsing, it’s really not all that practical.
I totally agree 1000% that better quality will give better results with any sink materials. 🙂 My friend has a lovely-looking farmhouse sink that honestly doesn’t have very good quality and seems to stain. But speaking of stains…..
On a sort of giggly note: With my former home’s stainless sink, I had no worries about staining when I rinsed my hair after coloring it! Hahah…. There are some advantages to that material 😉
And to end on a sort of “wiggly” note: We have 2 small/medium sized dogs that would fit into a farmhouse style sink for bathing BUT I give them baths in the tub because they would have the entire kitchen wet and sloppy from their wiggling around during baths. 😉 Hahah! Plus I can contain them in the smaller bathroom easier than the kitchen. Maybe some day I’ll have a designated “doggy bath” 🙂
Author
Hahahaha – love the giggly and wiggly imagery. I can see your point if you are washing lots of dishes and/or being mindful about conserving water…a very important consideration. I’m mainly rinsing and loading into the DW and should def think more about not wasting water. Bon weekend! 🙂
As I was designing my kitchen I knew I wanted a farmhouse sink and after reading Brooke’s blog I ordered the Reinhard 30″ sink and sent it to my cabinet maker. As it turned out the cabinet maker made a mistake and made a 33″ cut out on my custom made cabinets (insert tears here) and Reinhard doesn’t make a 33″ so I had to quickly choose another farm house sink with similar attributes from a local store just to keep the work moving along. I don’t regret getting a slightly bigger sink since I now can wash my pot and pans, turkey platter with no problem.
Author
Oh my! I bet I would love your 33″ since I find the 30″ so roomy. My next kitchen will probably be larger so I’d love to hear about which model you ultimately chose. So happy it all worked out in the end, Margarita. 🙂
Your post has me thinking. Another project on the horizon.
Author
Thanks so much for reading and adding to the beauty here – let me know if I can help with the brainstorming. 🙂
Beautiful sink and kitchen. Question for you…do you have kitchen towels that look good and are absorbent and don’t just push water around on the counter?? I have ones from Crate Barrel that I got when married 30 years ago that are indestructable…but are avocado green and orange lol…need neutral w black or gray! Thank you!
Author
Great topic for a post – doncha think? I do treasure my towels from Crate & Barrel but also love Turkish stripe towels found at Homegoods and Amazon. I feel like we can’t have too many!
I do think it’s a good comment, the tricky part is recommending ones that actually are absorbent and look good! I’m happy with performance on a set from Anthropology but they are striped colors red green yellow orange, and I wish they were neutral/gray/black white! Wonder if I can find those Turkish you suggest online?? Thanks for reply!
Author
Hi Carol. I’ll discuss dishtowels any day of the week…I’m so weird like that! hahahaha. I don’t have these exact ones, but they seem similar: https://amzn.to/31IRniX
I love, love farmhouse sinks. Anything that brings back tge old or look old, I love it! Yours is gorgeous. I think you made a great choice. Love your kitchen. Adding a sprayer is an excellent choice.
Author
Thanks so much for the kind words. 🙂