Classic Laundry Room Sink

One single-bowl 30-inch laundry room sink has defined the style for high end homes.

A special laundry room sink — and first cousin to the kitchen farm sink — has become a favored fixture for its ample size, accessibility, classic appeal and installation flexibility. Made by three different manufacturers in essentially the same size and configuration, this 30-inch vitreous china sink has a sculptural look and a unique feature: the integral backsplash pre-drilled for a wall-mounted faucet. This 100-pound-plus sink looks good in any laundry room, from retro to modern, and the design permits it to stand alone on any type of support or simply hang on the wall. Most any wall-mounted kitchen faucet can be used.

Kohler’s Gilford sink [top] is best known and leads the pack since it comes in two sizes and four colors. Measuring 30 x 22 x 8-5/8 inches, the smaller version is 24 inches wide. American Standard’s so-called Country Kitchen Sink  [photo #5 below], in white only, has the same dimensions but the depth is slightly less at 8-inches. Correspondingly, the bowl has a more shallow look, the back is slightly lower and the lip more prominent. Whitehaus’ Countryhaus sink is a sleeper and almost indistinguishable from American Standard’s sink. Also white only, it has a slightly more angled lip. While the Whitehaus sink has little advantage pricewise, it is sold at Home Depot.

In a highly refined laundry room, the large Kohler Gilford sink [top] was set into a custom cabinet. While that’s the most conventional way to install the sink, it’s also very kitchen-y. Here, the thickness of the backsplash pushes the sink forward so it hangs over the front of the cabinet —essentially the sink is bumped out to show off the graceful front. The sink is also made to sit well above the counter — one reason a cabinet ins’t really necessary although larger laundry rooms often want the storage space. Pale blue-green and white is getting to be the default laundry room color scheme. Rabaut Design, in Atlanta,worked up a coastal colors look using Sherwin Willliams Rainwashed (SW6211) green for the walls and Snowbound semigloss white (SW7004) for the cabinets and trim.  I cannot fail to mention the handsome custom drying racks with beadboard backs used in this laundry room. They immediately caught my eye — so practical and attractive! I was surprised (and pleased) to learn that Ballard Designs sells very similar racks in a variety of sizes. Additionally, Improvements sells a similar rack with a plain back. I have a perfect spot for one of these in my laundry room!

The designing husband and wife team of Steve and Brooke Giannetti placed their Gilford laundry room sink in its own niche, with artwork above. So lovely. The Barber Wilsons 2020 spoke-handle faucet with hooked spout is a fabulous match for the classic look.

Architect Steve Giannetti devised a support for the sink that’s nothing fancy — just a thick, painted wooden base with a linen skirt below. This base shows off the sink beautifully, plus it’s budget wise.

A painted salvage table was cut down as the base for this Gilford. Cheap, easy and oh so cottage-y. A remnant of an old green-painted fence post below acts as a screen of sorts. I’m not especially a fan of dark finish faucets but this one was chosen to coordinate with the cabinet and door hardware

The small Gilford can be stunningly sculptural. Installed in a dark niche by renovation specialist Rafe Churchill, it has a pair of support brackets to replace the base. They show slightly against the dark walls but the sink really pops.

One additional detail could be important to anyone shopping for a laundry room sink. Kohler markets what’s essentially the same sink by two different names. The Gilford Utility Sink (K-12787) is 8-5/8” deep is listed as a “bracket-mounted scrub-up/plaster sink. The same sink (available in 4 colors) also is sold as a kitchen sink at a substantial mark up.

Installed against the wall and in a cabinet cut out to accommodate its curves, American Standard’s laundry sink is more zaftig than the Kohler. With a slightly lower back and retro style faucet, it pairs well with the countrified milk paint look on the cabinet done in Amy Howard One Step paint. I had never heard of Amy Howard paint but this is one of her colors, called Credenza.

Placing the laundry sink between the washer and dryer is ideal from a usage standpoint. This American Standard beauty holds her own in a Florida laundry room — again with green-painted cabinets (Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay). The nearly identical Whitehaus sink would look no different. Marble subway tiles dress up the backsplash and coordinate with the silver-tone Whirlpool washer/dryer pair. The chic E.F. Chapman Boston wall sconce, from Visual Comfort, has adjustable arms allow it to be light up the sink any way necessary to battle those stubborn clothing stains that require pretreating — another laundry room refinement.

(Source: Rabaut Design, Giannetti Architects, Lewis & Weldon Custom Kitchens, Rafe Churchill, Instagram, Urban Grace Interiors)

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