People Are Just Discovering Why Kitchen Windows Are Always Above The Sink

A homeowner has taken to Reddit to ask for advice after pondering whether to move her kitchen sink away from the window - and people have a lot of thoughts.

In fact, it's prompted many to wonder why the kitchen sink always seems to be positioned under a window in the first place.

"Planning a kitchen renovation, and realised we can easily move the kitchen sink away from the window to give us more usable counter space," they wrote.

"Then I realised, I’ve never seen a kitchen sink that isn’t in front of a window. Is there a reason for that? Is staring out of the window while washing up just a British thing? Or am I crazy in even suggesting a sink with no window?"

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One person pointed out that the reason why the window is often above the sink is because it's on an outside wall, which, for plumbing reasons is the most effective option.

Kitchen design website KDCUK explained: "The simple reason why kitchen sinks have traditionally been placed under the window is that the window is, obviously, on an outside wall. In terms of plumbing, using as short a waste pipe as possible from the sink to the drains is not only the most effective but also the cheapest, solution.

"People who have moved their sink further away from the wall have had to lay extra piping under the floor, which means if there’s a problem or a blockage, it is more likely that they’ve had to dig up the floor in order to get to the pipes, which is not only messy and inconvenient, it’s also extremely costly."

The Redditor added: "It's also because it's where the most natural light comes through. Plus if you wash by hand plates dry quicker. This is a hang over before the dishwasher."

The original poster responded: "Makes perfect sense. Thankfully, the opposite end of the kitchen also has drains and plumbing, just no windows."

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Others pointed out that some people like to look out of their windows while washing up, to pass the time. One disagreed however, commenting: "Used to have a sink in front of the window. Now, after an extension, no, as we moved it to create a more open plan kitchen/diner. Do I miss looking out of the window when using the sink? Er, no... Did take some use of additional lighting to help the ambience though."

Another person pointed out two other 'important' reasons, explaining: "There's 2 more important reasons other than just convenience/plumbing.

"1 - light - you've got to have decent light when you wash up so you don't miss bits and daylight from a window is great for that because your head doesn't get in the way of it when you lean over the sink.

"2 - wall space - if you do have a window in your kitchen you can't put anything on the wall eg cupboard or shelves. You wouldn't want to waste this space by having worktop there as you can't then have a cupboard above a sink (unless it's really high) because it just gets in the way."

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Hmmm, what do you think?