Is Adding A Sink In Your Kitchen Island A Good Idea?

A kitchen island proves to be one of the most valuable features of an efficient cooking space. Having limited workspace in the kitchen presents a challenge, especially if you're cooking for a large number of people. While an island offers a solution to this problem, one burning (no pun intended) question remains — whether or not to install a sink in the island.

A number of factors may answer this question for you, as noted by Dean Cabinetry. One important thing is to find out where the plumbing is located in the kitchen area. If your island or island modifications require some rerouting of pipes, then finding this out well ahead of time is vital to the success of your project.

Another factor that comes into play is your own preferences relating to location. For example, if the island doubles as a seating area for small gatherings, you might want the sink out of the way. Or if you prefer to be facing out to the living or dining area (as in the case of an eat-in kitchen), then the sink might work well on the island. Here are some pros and cons of installing a sink on your kitchen island to help you determine if it's the right move for you.

Adding a sink to your island gives you the opportunity to enhance the efficiency of your kitchen workspace and provide easy access to all necessary areas, from the countertops to the sink and the stove, according to Kitchen Insider. With this arrangement, you may have less space between the sink and the stove. However, you'll have additional counter space on either side of the sink for rinsing and chopping vegetables while being close enough to the stove to be able to turn around and stir or turn down the heat. And even if your island is a bit small, you'll still be in close proximity to the counter and the stove right behind you.

Likewise, if you have a centrally located kitchen that faces the living room, chances are you won't have a window close by. So having the sink situated on the island to where you face the crowd and the window on the opposite wall makes sense when it comes to keeping the design rather open. Plus, if your kitchen doubles as the main dining space, having the sink facing the crowd instead of a wall prevents that feeling of being enclosed in a tight space. Moreover, this allows you to chat with your family and/or guests while prepping food or washing dishes.

One disadvantage of placing the sink on the island is if the space faces out toward an area where people tend to gather — the accumulation of dirty dishes and other clutter might become bothersome (per Kitchen Insider). 

Another drawback relates to the placement of the dishwasher (per Dean Cabinetry). Ideally, the sink should be situated as close as possible to the dishwasher, and if your island has enough space and the plumbing connections to do so, you can place the dishwasher in that very same area. Otherwise, you're better off placing the sink on a counter against the wall (preferably under a window, if possible) where there's enough room for the dishwasher to be installed nearby. 

One more factor to consider is that you may be limited in the type of sink and fixtures to opt for, depending on the size of your island. If you're going for both aesthetic appeal and functionality, you may not be able to achieve this with a smaller island.