By Jessica Wiant -- Daily Staff Writer

Gone are the days of the drop-in, stainless steel, double-bowl kitchen sink full of dirty dishes.

As dishwashers have evolved from luxury to mainstay, the function of the sink has shifted.

While years ago, sinks might only have been an afterthought in the design of a kitchen, today homeowners are turning to them to evoke a certain feel, to display a home's personality and to showcase their own style.

Ironically, one concept that has crept into magazines and kitchen showrooms supposedly takes its inspiration from days long before the dishwasher.

Apron-front sinks, also called farmhouse, farm or country sinks, are characterized by deeper than average bowls, and, more importantly, the fronts either hang over the edge of the kitchen cabinet, or the cabinets are actually built around it. Many of them consist of only one bowl.

Scott Dyke, co-owner of Cavalier Kitchens & Baths Inc. in Winchester, says his business has been working with them quite a bit and they are inspired by old-fashioned porcelain or cast iron sinks from old farmhouses.

"They've always been around," he says, but now they've become so popular that most manufacturers are making them, leading to more variety than ever. At Cavalier, fireclay, copper, china, cast iron, stainless steel and other materials are just some of the variations available — not to mention the color options, black, red and white among the many.

Like furniture-style vanities in bathrooms and glazed and distressed finishes for cabinetry, the apron-front sinks convey the old look that is so popular, according to Dyke. On the other hand, the wide variety of materials lets homeowners use farm sinks in modern kitchens, too.

"It's just incredible what is out there and available. It doesn't have to be old or quaint anymore," he says.

The sinks are still just sinks. They don't actually accomplish anything more than any other sink, he says.

"That look is just one of many things [people] can do today to achieve the look they want," Dyke says. "They are doing the older look and then they're doing them sleeker."

"I think it has to do with the whole thing of how the kitchen has evolved," he adds. "It's not just a place to prepare food. The kitchen is the heart of the home.

"I think it's fueled by consumers' desire to have a unique kitchen and have it personalized," Dyke says.

Kelley Miller, co-owner of New Look Kitchen & Bath in Front Royal, agrees.

"By and large, it's about the look," she says, explaining that 99 percent of her clients have a dishwasher.

Miller, who's been in the business for 26 years, says the farmhouse sinks have been available for years, but their popularity — and the popularity of other styles of sinks, for that matter — has gone up in the past five years.

Before that, she said, people's main focus in the kitchen was on cabinets and appliances, but there has been a shift to plumbing, sinks and faucets, in recent years.

"So many people are much more focused on the quality of what they put in, in terms of sinks," she says.

Another factor is the rise in popularity of TV programs about decorating, like those shown on the Home and Garden Television network, and the Internet, according to Miller: Whereas in the past, trends were largely pushed by designers, now people are seeing more choices and researching them on their own.

She estimates about one of every 10 kitchens her business designs ends up with a farmhouse sink.

"It's popular, but it is still a niche look," she says.

Every room, every kitchen, can and should have a "wow factor," Miller explains, and these days, the sink can be the thing.

"It really makes a difference," she says.

Cost

In order to make a farmhouse sink the "wow factor" of a kitchen, one won't be able to do it on a small budget.

There are some apron-front sinks available in the middle price range, but not on the lower end, Dyke says.

Dyke says the best choice will depend on the individual and the look they are going for.

"Every material has its good and bad points," he says, and for each material, there is a good, better and best model.

"They are [popular], but it's not for the weak of wallet, either," he says, adding that one can expect to pay a minimum of $500 for a quality farmhouse sink, comparable to other types of sinks with similar features and materials.

Miller estimates a price range of $300 to $2,800 for farmhouse sinks.

At www.homedepot.com this week, 28 farmhouse sinks were listed, with prices hovering around $1,000 — the cheapest being $684 for a stainless steel, one-bowl sink. The most expensive was $2,124 for a weathered copper one-bowl sink.

Design

Even if the price is right, Dyke strongly advises against going out and buying one on its own. Because of the nature of the sinks — and their size — countertops, cabinets and plumbing all must be coordinated in order for them to fit properly.

"It really needs to be coordinated," he says, so if you're not into the technical design, it's not a good idea to buy different pieces at different places and expect them to go together.

While the sinks are going to cost more and take more effort, the good news, Miller and Dyke agree, is that they don't expect the trend to fade, or the sinks to "date" the look of a kitchen.

"It's a timeless look," Miller says.

Inspiration

While the look may be "timeless," don't expect to find any authentic antique farmhouse sinks in these parts to add "wow" to your kitchen.

For one thing, retrofitting would be difficult, says Dyke. But more importantly, sinks from old farmhouses in this area would not look like the ones being marketed today.

While some New England farmhouse sinks, made of soapstone, might somewhat resemble modern ones, they would only be found in places like Vermont, says Patricia Failmezger, of Architectural Old House Parts Inc. in Front Royal.

But in the Northern Shenandoah Valley — a place that was a frontier for a long period — sinks in farmhouses, like everything else, were a very simple affair, according to Failmezger.

True farmhouse sinks here, she explains, were very shallow, usually only 6 inches deep, because they only needed to hold a small amount of water. This, because the only water farmers would have had would have been carried into the home from outside.

The oldest sink she's seen here was one that sat on top of a cabinet with a pump and was about 21/2 feet long by 16 or 18 inches wide and was 6 inches deep.

She does have two cast iron sinks in her store that have small apron fronts, but they are newer and were found in an apartment on Main Street in Front Royal.

Failmezger says she gets a lot of people calling or coming into the store looking for old apron-front farmhouse sinks — but she hasn't seen one here in her eight years in business.

"We do a lot of educating here, because people don't know," she says.

* Contact Jessica Wiant at