I personally don't see the point of the stepped side. You have a sink and you have a metal counter and then you have your real counter. Usable Sink size remains the same. But if there is a reason you would use that step side then go for it!

I like the built-in drainboard sinks. I can imagine working with one.

I love this sink which is currently on my short list. It's so dramatic! My sink will be on a pennisula and I don't want a huge mess of handwashed dishes on the counter, or otherwise piling up ont he promonent counter, etc. The stepped-up area is the perfect middle ground to avoid this. All the best with your choices.

When we first bought our old house, it had a double sink. I really didnt like it. When I redid the kitchen i put in a 30" Shaw. Used it for 7+ years and loved it.

This time in our new house I am putting in their largest --- 36" Shaw. It will have two faucets. A traditional bridge in the center, and a that Herbeau thing that looks like a gear shift to the far side. That way people can like, wash their hands, while im doing something else. I didnt want two sinks because I wanted an unfitted vintage look.

Rockybird, After lots of research here and in person I bought the 45 inch Kohler. Not installed yet, but what I am excited about is the integrated cutting board and containers that slide back and forth. If you haven't looked at the Youtube video of the two chefs demo-ing the sink you should. I was skeptical the moment I clicked the 'play' button, and was sold in ten seconds. The deep huge sink looks fantastic and the 12 inch shelf will be perfect for rinsing veggies, poultry, etc. I will probably do one large faucet in the middle with a big spout reach., I like your plan for two faucets! There are a few threads here about the Kohler Stages....good luck!

Thank you for the responses. Very helpful! I will check out the you tube video. I found two reviews of the kohler, both of which were excellent. It really helps knowing some of you have bought this same sink. I want this kitchen to look beautiful and professional, in case I ever sell the house.

Here is one more I found today in a similar price range, but I have not heard of this brand and the base cab would have to be bigger.

Here is a link that might be useful: another sink

Blanco has also got some nice integrated shelf ss sink designs. I haven't seen any in person or even priced them so I'm just guessing they're comparable to the Kohler Stages ... apologies if not. They look very pretty on paper though.

Hi rockybird - I have the 45in Stages sink and double faucets - I love, love, love the functionality. Now I do not know how I lived with out it. Aesthetically, the scale of the sink is very dramatic, which I love. I had high hopes for it and it surpassed my expectations. I have posted this photo a ton(!) so apologies to all, it is very boring at this point - but here is our big sink and faucets.

I have an Oliveri, it is reasonable. At least cheaper than
a Blanco or Elkay.

Have you seen this one?
Not an Oliveri but a cool design.

Here is a link that might be useful: I like Oliveri sinks

Thanks everyone! laurainlincoln, I sent your pic to the architect. I hope you dont mind. It looks fantastic! Thanks aliris19. I cant justify buying the blanco big sinks, as they are 2k on up. :( I wish I could afford one because in my opinion they are the most beautiful sinks. The two sinks I bought (island, and 33" are both blanco, and I have blanco in my condo also. I am very happy with them).

I am going through the oliveri website now. Thanks you for this rec. boxerpups.

It occured to me that I bought a professional commercial huge hansgrohe faucet, which I think would look best with a big sink.

Did anyone see the fluid sink link above? Any idea how to achieve the look in the link below? Is it two sinks or one?

Here is a link that might be useful: blanco sink set up

Just a quick question--is there a good reason that your sink base is 48"? To line up with other elements in the room? To keep in scale with other very large features?

A sink base is pretty difficult to use well for storage, and 48" is a lot of real estate. If you're at all worried about overall storage space you might consider using a smaller sink base under the basin of the Stages sink and a drawer stack under the drainboard portion with the top drawer modified to fit. Someone else may remember the name of the poster who did that; my memory and searching ability are failing me at the moment.

Thank you mnerg! I dont know! I will find out tomorrow from the architect. I am going for a henrybuilt look, and I noticed they are doing drawers as sink cabs. How is this possible? I am thinking about seeing if I can do this as well, but not sure how to configure with a large sink. All of hb's sinks look tiny. All the cabs are going to look like they are floating with a deeply recessed toe kick.

Never mind on the fluid sink. It is overmount and I want undermount.

Rockybird--in case you didn't see this thread on the Stages, I've linked it below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Anything new on Kohler stages?

Have you seen these 16-gauge Stainless Steel Sinks?
They have pretty good prices and have grids to protect sink and some have cutting boards.

http://www.amazon.com/Undermount-16-gauge-Stainless-Triple-bowl-Kitchen/dp/B002HDZ40Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1294954850&sr=1-1

36" Double Bowl Sink

http://www.amazon.com/Ticor-Undermount-16-gauge-Stainless-Kitchen/dp/B002HE6RYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1294954812&sr=8-1

36" Double Bowl Sink

http://www.amazon.com/Ticor-Undermount-Stainless-Triple-Kitchen/dp/B002C3XH26/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1294954453&sr=8-1

Triple Bowl Sink 45"

Here is a link that might be useful: Triple-bowl Sink 48

Here's another kitchen with the Kohler Stages sink in the island. A second sink is on the perimeter. The kitchen belongs to a GW member, btw.

Here is a link that might be useful: Serious Cook's Kitchen

Did you look at this sink with drain and possible pair it with another single sink positioned side-by-side to get your overall width and bowl space? You would come out well under $1K and have money to spend on a nice faucet/s.

http://www.galaxytoolsupply.com/undermount-kitchen-sink-p/tr4100.htm

Paired with something like this: http://www.galaxytoolsupply.com/undermount-kitchen-sink-p/s3650.htm

I know the second sink may not be the correct dimension but the guys at Galaxy are great to work with. I didn't take the time to do the particulars but you can click around and do a mix and match.

Sorry I didn't do inline links. I need to figure out HTML.

Pepper
~ Cabs are being stained and sealed!!!
~ I bought my sink from Galaxy.