Keep it

Agree with PPs! Keep it for sure!

The contractor just wants you to rip it out because it makes life easier for him. Definitely keep it.

OP here. Thanks for the validation. To the last poster, I am actually planning around the sink and thinking of creative ways to keep it and still get a dishwasher (at least half of one--good enough for a studio), drawers, and, most difficult, a place to store the pots and pans. Will have to give up idea of of pullout drawer for trash, but the Simple Human bins are not so unsightly.

I think you should keep it. And I say that as someone who recently ripped one out during a renovation. Ours was stained and the surface was rough--I had to bleach it to make it look remotely clean. I still loved the look of it. But we were doing a massive re-do of our rowhouse kitchen and it just didn't make sense to plan a whole kitchen around it. I needed counter space! A dishwasher! Drawers.

It was really cool.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love historical fixtures and details. I had a sink like that once and it was so shallow that it drive me insane, but I'd still consider it a selling point. Is it a tiny kitchen or a kitchen in a studio? In a studio there aren't likely to be many dishes.

It's a studio apartment with a separate kitchen that can't be joined to the one room living/sleeping area--the bathroom is in between. The sink is actually quite deep--I could fill up a big pot of water for pasta if I change the faucet to a gooseneck version.

I've seen a couple of other apartments in the building and none still have the original sink that presumably they all had when it was built. The ceilings are ten feet high and I figure I could get more storage (albeit not all terribly convenient) by running cabinets all the way up on the wall opposite the sink.

Then definitely keep it!

Anonymous wrote:I love historical fixtures and details. I had a sink like that once and it was so shallow that it drive me insane, but I'd still consider it a selling point. Is it a tiny kitchen or a kitchen in a studio? In a studio there aren't likely to be many dishes.

It's a studio apartment with a separate kitchen that can't be joined to the one room living/sleeping area--the bathroom is in between. The sink is actually quite deep--I could fill up a big pot of water for pasta if I change the faucet to a gooseneck version.

I've seen a couple of other apartments in the building and none still have the original sink that presumably they all had when it was built. The ceilings are ten feet high and I figure I could get more storage (albeit not all terribly convenient) by running cabinets all the way up on the wall opposite the sink.

Keep it! So awesome!

I love historical fixtures and details. I had a sink like that once and it was so shallow that it drive me insane, but I'd still consider it a selling point. Is it a tiny kitchen or a kitchen in a studio? In a studio there aren't likely to be many dishes.

I have a tiny studio kitchen to redo--likely much smaller than PP's mudroom. There is really just one thing in the kitchen to keep from its current state--a farmhouse sink with drainboard that is original to the apartment and in good condition-- and I'd really like to keep it.

I spoke to the contractor over the phone (just starting out--he hasn't seen it yet) and he said I'd be best off ripping it out as younger buyers (single professionals being the likely target if I were to sell after five years or so) do not care about authentic old fixtures--they'd rather have modern convenience and storage instead.

It is kind of a space hog. The sink is 42 inches and occupies a niche about 54 inches long. If I ripped it out, I could easily install a sink and full size dishwasher with under the sink storage in the space. But I feel like I'd b ripping out character along with the sink.

Keeping it and getting a dishwasher means rigging up a Fisher Paykel dishwasher drawer (tall version) under the drainboard. I think this could be done in a pretty polished way, but the dishwasher would likely stick two inches or so from under the part of the drainboard as the depth of the dishwasher drawer is a bit more than the depth of the drainboard. The sink would be entirely clear and usable.

Here is a picture of a very similar sink--42" long, porcelain covered cast iron.

http://pfgrenada.com/marvelous-kitchen-decoration-design-ideas-using-kitchen-drainboard-farm-sinks/breathtaking-image-of-kitchen-decoration-ideas-using-white-porcelain-kitchen-drainboard-farm-sinks-and-curved-stainless-steel-kitchen-sink-faucets/

Demo or reno on this one?