Walk into any kitchen showroom from Vancouver to Halifax and you will hear the same debate at the sink display: one big bowl, or two? It is one of the few kitchen decisions that changes how you work every single day. Here is the honest truth: neither configuration wins outright. One of them wins for you, and the deciding factor is not style. It is how the dishes actually get done in your house.
The case for the single bowl
The single bowl has been winning converts across Canada for a decade, and the logic is simple: the dishwasher changed everything. If a machine handles the plates and glasses, the sink's real job is the stuff that does not fit in a dishwasher: stock pots, roasting pans, baking sheets. A wide, uninterrupted bowl lets all of them lie flat under the faucet instead of propped at an angle against a divider.
The workstation trend doubled down on this. Brands like Blanco, Kohler, Bosco and Zomodo build single bowls with an integrated ledge that carries sliding cutting boards, colanders and drying racks, so one bowl becomes a prep line: rinse, chop, and drop trimmings without ever leaving the sink. If that idea appeals to you, browse our workstation sinks to see how the accessories stack over the bowl.
Single bowls also suit smaller kitchens, which matters in a lot of Canadian housing, from Montreal apartments to Prairie bungalows: a generous single often fits a narrower base cabinet than a true double.
The case for the double bowl
The double bowl is not a relic. It is a workflow tool. Two bowls let you separate tasks: soapy water on one side, rinsing on the other. Soak a burnt pot on the left while a clean bowl stays usable on the right, or stack dirty dishes out of sight in one bowl when guests arrive.
If you hand wash most of your dishes, by preference, because you have no dishwasher, or because half your kitchen is cast iron and good knives that never go in the machine, the double bowl earns its divider every day. Washing and rinsing is genuinely faster with two bowls than with one bowl and a counter full of soapy dishes.
The question that actually settles it
Forget the showroom. Answer this honestly: what happens to a dirty frying pan in your house tonight?
- It goes in the dishwasher, or gets a quick scrub and dries in a rack: you are a single bowl household. Buy the largest quality single bowl your cabinet allows.
- It gets washed by hand in soapy water, tonight or tomorrow morning: you are a double bowl household. Separating wash and rinse water is worth more to you than laying a baking sheet flat.
- It sits in the sink soaking while life happens around it: also a double bowl household. A soaking pot in a single bowl takes the whole sink hostage. In a double, it occupies one bowl and you carry on.
Notice that countertop material, kitchen style and resale value never entered into it. Dishwashing habits decide this debate almost every time.
50/50, 60/40 and the low-divide compromise
If you land on two bowls, you still have choices to make.
| Configuration | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 50/50 | Two equal bowls | Dedicated hand-washers who want a full wash bowl and a full rinse bowl |
| 60/40 or 70/30 | One large bowl, one smaller bowl | Households that mostly use the big bowl but want a second for soaking, draining or the garburator |
| Low divide | Two bowls with a divider roughly half height | People who want separation most days but occasionally lay long pans across both bowls |
The 60/40 is the most popular double format for good reason: the large bowl handles most single-bowl duties while the smaller one covers the classic double-bowl jobs. The low divide is the true compromise sink: fill either side independently for washing, but slide a roasting pan across the divider and it behaves like a single. If you are torn between camps, the low divide is usually the answer, with one caveat: fill levels stop at the divider height, so deep soaking happens across the whole sink.
Garburators, drains and the plumbing underneath
If you run a garburator, the double bowl has a practical edge: mount it under the smaller bowl and scrape scraps there while the main bowl stays free. In a single bowl, the garburator shares the only drain, which works fine but puts disposal and dishes in the same real estate.
Two Canadian notes here. First, garburator rules vary by municipality, and some cities restrict or discourage them, so check local bylaws before planning one. Second, buy fittings certified for installation in Canada; our guide to CSA and cUPC certifications explains what those marks mean. Your plumber will handle trap and venting to local code, including how a double bowl's two drains tie into one trap. Matching strainers and flanges live in our sink drains and accessories.
The cabinet width reality check
Before you fall in love with any sink, open the cabinet doors and measure. Large double bowls generally demand a wider base cabinet than singles, and every manufacturer publishes a minimum cabinet size on the spec sheet. If reading spec sheets is new territory, our walkthrough on how to read a plumbing spec sheet will save you a return shipment. And if you have not settled on stainless, granite composite or fireclay yet, start with the kitchen sink materials guide, because configuration and material interact: fireclay doubles are heavy, and composite low divides are a growing sweet spot.
The verdict framework
- Dishwasher does the vast majority of your dishes: single bowl, as large as your cabinet allows. Consider a workstation model if you prep at the sink.
- You hand wash daily: double bowl, 50/50 if you wash and rinse in tandem, 60/40 if you want one dominant bowl.
- You are genuinely torn: low divide. It is the only sink that plays both positions.
- Small kitchen or condo: single bowl, no contest. Space is too precious to split.
- Large kitchen, busy household: consider a big single as the main sink plus a separate prep or bar sink on the island. Two sinks beat two bowls.
Whichever side you land on, we ship kitchen sinks across Canada, from single bowl workstations to fireclay farmhouse doubles, and pairing yours with the right pull-down faucet matters just as much as the bowl count.
Frequently asked questions
Is a single or double bowl kitchen sink better for resale?
Neither has a meaningful edge. Buyers respond to a quality sink in good condition far more than to bowl count. Choose for how you live now.
Can I replace a double bowl sink with a single bowl?
Usually, yes. The plumbing typically simplifies, since two drains become one, though your plumber may need to adjust the trap arm. The bigger constraints are the countertop cutout and cabinet: drop-in replacements must cover the existing hole, and undermount swaps in stone counters may require cutout modification. Compare spec sheets before ordering.
What exactly is a low-divide sink?
A low-divide sink is a double bowl whose centre divider rises only about halfway up the basin. Below the divider it works like two independent bowls with separate drains. Above it, long items like roasting pans can span both bowls, so you get most of a single bowl's flexibility without giving up task separation.
Which bowl should the garburator go under in a double sink?
Convention puts it under the smaller bowl of a 60/40, so scraps go one way while the main bowl stays clear for washing. There is no universal rule, though: put it wherever you naturally scrape plates, and confirm garburators are permitted by your municipality before you buy one.
