P.S. All over the Blanco website it says all the sinks are available in x colors plus their new color, Cinder, but I can't find a photo of what color cinder actually is. Does anyone know? Thx!

Here is a link that might be useful: Diamond description that mentions Cinder

This post was edited by akcorcoran on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 14:44

And, as usual, as I talk to myself, the Diamond series DOES make a prep sink that fits in a 21" but it's a double which makes both sinks smaller - is that useful or no? (I'm thinking maybe in a bar but not as a prep? And even them I'm not sure?)

AND, I just saw the teeny tiny note on the Blanco site that's discontinued as of Feb 2013 - wonder why? That's never good. I was thinking it would have been useful in the bar - oh well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Blanco Sigranit II Diamond Basin Prep Sink

This post was edited by akcorcoran on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 15:23

I haven't seen the new Cinder color either, and it better not look better than what I've chosen since I can't find it anywhere! Anyway, I have on order a Rondo prep sink and a Vision (rectangle, 22x15 interior) main sink - both in truffle. So I chose two different shapes and will join your club if you go that route. My prep sink is going in a corner cabinet and I liked the size of it over the other smaller sized sinks Blanco offered because it was the largest in diameter.

(FWIW, Breezy and Oldbat2be were two big deciders on Silgranit for me too!)

Initially I was going to say that you don't need to worry about matching your sink shapes. But then you said
Should I not care if I have curves at sink (Diamond) and angles at prep sink (Performa?) Or go with the Rondo? I know it sounds crazy but I notice little things like this every day.

If you notice and care, you notice and care. If it's going to bug you every day, we're not going to tell you to do it! You have to know what you'll like and what will make you cringe. You don't HAVE to match shapes unless you really want to, and then it's perfectly OK to do so, even if you have to compromise something that matters less to you.

Is the 15 x 15 the inside dimensions or outside? If inside, that's an OK size. Mine is approx 14 x 16 inside...or something like 14 1/2 x 15 1/2.

Any double basin sink that fits in a 21" cabinet has 2 basins that are TOO SMALL. (Looks like they're about 11 x 10 1/2, and 5 1/2 x 10) Draw that out on paper and think of working inside those spaces. I'm pretty sure that's why it's discontinued.

Color: If the counters are different colors and you want the sinks to disappear, it's perfectly OK to get the sinks in different colors to accomplish that. It's also ok to have them all match.

Cinder color info linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cinder pics, & described as warm charcoal gray

Hi again, Alexa.

I have the Performa prep sink in an 18" sink base. I was worried about how angled it looked in pics, but it's very gentle IRL. Most of the time I forget that it's not completely rectangular.

I have a wacky love of straight lines and wanted completely squared off sinks. In your situation, I think you're fine to mix shapes. I'm more about function than form though on most decisions. Your sinks want look strange.

Random thoughts.
1. Sounds like you're planning a double bowl for the cleanup sink. Not to make you think about yet another assumption, but almost everyone here who has a prep sink prefers a single bowl sink for the cleanup. You have two DWs also so I'd reconsider the double bowl sink. There are many, many threads on single bowl vs double bowl if you want to look around here. A large single will allow you to store lots of dirty dishes and to be able to lay large items like sheet trays, produce drawers, and cooktop trays flat for easy washing. I have the Precis and love it!

2. I find you get the most usable space from a square or rectangular sink than from a round one.

Good catch, Breezy!

I see that the only Blanco Diamonds with arches are either smaller sinks or doubles. I made the mistake of putting in a double, not taking into account that my prep sink would be my 2nd basin, so I don't need a divided cleanup sink. From the moment of moving into the kitchen 5 yrs ago, I've been considering a change to a single basin sink. I have a 1 3/4 style, so the bowls are large, but not large enough to fit my stove parts, oven racks, and my largest broiler pans and skillets. That was an OK compromise when I had only 1 sink, but not necessary and a little frustrating now. I encourage you, also, to go for the single basin.

rhome410, they need to make a commercial like the Old Spice one with the most amazing guy in the world but with you and kitchens as the "smartest person in the world." You just have all the info and expertise!

That Cinder is kind of pretty - and might work with the granite I was looking at b/c I didn't want to go too dark. Was considering the metallic gray b/c of breezygirl's. Wonder if I can see them somewhere close by?

On shape, I hadn't really taken into account that the undermount really somewhat obscures the "hardness" of corners and blends it in - you'd have to stand over it to realize that it's a slightly different shape than a normal rectangle (to breezygirl's point.)

So then, between the Performa rectangle or the Rondo round - I do think rectangular makes more sense for usage - I just like to soften all the angles up with a little swerve and curve here and there. That said, I have a curve on the end of my island and this would be going the opposite way so maybe that's a good reason to skip the Diamond 15" one?

Doing the math - 15" prep sink bumps me down to a 18" cabinet (moving up the storage next to it to a 36" drawer set) - that gives me 46" of work space (to the left of the prep sink) to end of the island (but that's the overhang, not the actual end of cabinet.)

The Performa gives me a 17 1/2" prep, 21" cabinet gives me 43" but the bigger sink.

If I eliminate the overhang - it's obviously 10" less (overhang goes 10" to 14")

So, question is whether that could inches is better IN the sink or ON the countertop.

I'm hoping y'all will tell me - but I'm guessing you're going to turn it back on me...?

Thanks as always!

P.S. I'm learning and becoming more aware that being silly about form and noticing things is something that I have to work on. And, not listening to others. To that end, giving up my dream of an ice / water dispenser in my fridge was a big step. I've wanted one forever and just kept hearing why I shouldn't - hubby wanted the big Elux set of all fridge/freezer and why not? Now I'm happy with that plan. See, baby steps!

I don't think you'll notice 3" difference on the 43" or 46" counter, but you will notice it in the sink. Also, 33" are pretty good-sized drawers, so going up to 36", IMO, won't be much of a gain compared to what you'll have in the sink.

I'm confused about the overhang. Do you mean you might eliminate it and then you'd have only 33" of workspace to the left of the sink? That's still not terrible, although approaching the minimum I'd want. My island is 51" x 60"... on the top, not cabinets. So facing the stove, to the left of the prep sink, I have 31" of prep space. On the baking side, I have 37 1/2" of workspace to the right of the prep sink.

I may have linked my kitchen for you before, but in case I didn't, I'll link below to pics of the island, so you get an idea of those distances.

Here is a link that might be useful: My island

Hi - In terms of the overhang, I only meant if I didn't count it as "prep space" - I guess, for example, if someone was sitting there so I didn't feel I should put the ingredients to dinner in their face or risk a carrot flew in their wine (likely with my friends!) :-)

In the end, our island will look remarkaby like yours in size, rhome410, with the exception of the diffeent orientation of the prep sink (well, actually I can't tell - you have a corner faucet but where is the drain in your prep sink, facing the stovetop?)

It is 51" wide and will be 62" long at the sides of the island and 66" at the center, longest point. It's nice to know that you can work happily at that size space since I look at the photos on here and some people have like a 10 ft long island! :-)

where is the drain in your prep sink, facing the stovetop?

I'm not quite sure what you mean. I put the faucet on the diagonal so that from either the end or side of the island we would feel like we were in front of the sink.

The longer side of the sink faces the baking area, and the shorter side (obviously, I guess) faces the stove. From that direction the drain is in the back, so technically, the side facing the stove was meant to be the front.

I hope that helps.

Hi rhome410 - that does help. Thanks!

From the photos, it looks like your sink is closer to square than rectangular, and I thought it technically was supposed to be facing the ovens with the faucet in the corner. It sounds like it really works either way b/c of the shape and faucet placement. That Silgranit Performa sink I'm looking at, on the other hand, is much more clear in it's direction - more rectangular in shape. Do you think you could put the faucet on the corner of that or it would look strange?

I'm frustrated again b/c the cabinet gal emailed today that by making the prep sink cabinet 21," I bumped down the bank of drawers from 36" to 33" and the peg storage set comes only in 36" or 30". Should I order the larger and cut it to fit? Or order the smaller and just store something beside it? I'm assuming that keeping the prep sink cabinet larger is still preferable?

My mom is redoing her kitchen in her 1929 Tudor and is telling me that silgranit sinks are "too modern" for her style - my house is a 1917 Colonial so a generation before! I feel like all the styling I've chosen with traditional painted cabinets, hardwood floors, etc are pretty traditional. And the appliances are stainless which are modern, but a metallic gray or the new cinder Silgranit doesn't SCREAM modern and out-of-place, does it?

argh!

Undermount sinks are so hidden, and I'd think you'd want them to kind of disappear, so I wouldn't worry about them contrasting with the age of the house. You are going for traditional styling, not strict authenticity, because going for sinks of that period would mean a whole new plan. ;-) I'd worry, perhaps, about faucets to match the rest, because of higher visibility where modern lines might look out of place.

In person, my sink is rectangular, and the faucet in the corner still works, because like in the pictures, you rarely look close enough to notice it's not exactly square. I've considered changing to Silgranit sinks and I wouldn't worry about rectangular or not. I just would decide the size and function are more important than that look.

I'm sorry to not be of any help with the peg set. I haven't used those or ever even seen one. What are you keeping in that drawer bank that will benefit from pegs? Usually, I've seen pics between dishes, but your dishes will be closer to your cleanup area, I assume?