Everything but the kitchen sink!
It was very hard designing a tiny kitchen for a tiny treehouse! Trying to fit as much function as possible into a small corner for washing dishes, preparing meals, and kitchen storage was a challenge for sure. Well everything but the kitchen sink! That was an easy decision! I knew from the moment we started dreaming about the treehouse what sink would be going in there, and that would be a copper sink from Sinkology! We have worked with Sinkology before for our own 1870’s historic farmhouse near Charelston, SC. Every sink in our farmhouse is a copper sink. We adore the company, and working with them is awesome. They specialize in handmade copper sinks and farmhouse sinks, and they are beautiful!!!
To see our 1870’s farmhouse master bathroom renovation also featuring Sinkology copper sinks click here.
Picking out the perfect sink
We reached out to Sinkology when we started building and luckily they were happy to work with us again on the treehouse project! YAY! Now actually narrowing down to just one of their stunning sinks was actually quite hard. Not just because they were all pretty, but we needed it to be compact, but still big! We wanted the biggest kitchen sink we could possibly fit in the tiny corner which if I recall the space was just 22″ Deep by 36″ wide. Plus sharing that space with a propane burner and having some countertop space in between…Tight fit for sure!
And we chose…
After narrowing it down we decided on the Sinkology HONOR Collection 17” Sisley Bar & Prep Sink in Antique Copper paired with the SinkSense 3.5 Kitchen Sink Basket Drain in Antique Copper. And gosh is it pretty! The 17″x15″ bar prep sink ended up being perfect. Because it is deep like a kitchen sink at 8″, and has a larger 3.5″ drain size like a kitchen sink as well, but took up less real estate in the countertop. Perfect! We were not going to have a disposal because this is an off grid treehouse, electrical is limited, so the drain basket was great for catching larger food particles to throw away.
The Install
Another thing we love about Sinkology is the ease of installation of their copper sinks. They provide clear instructions and we have installed 4 of these now, and have never had an issue! For the off grid treehouse we did have some hiccups however making our countertop! Gosh that was a pain! We picked up a 2″ thick red oak slab from a local lumber guy. Now red oak is known for being extremly hard wood, so great for countertops, but also hard to cut! Cutting the opening for the copper sink and propane cooktop was a nightmare! And that slab was pricey. So when it started to crack off into pieces from the cutting we were worried we would lose the whole thing. But nothing some wood glue and epoxy couldn’t fix after hours of frustration…That moment though when that shiny copper sink dropped into the pain in the butt countertop was awesome! We paired the sink with a beautiful carved brass kitchen faucet that matches our outdoor shower. The legs of the countertop are actually cut from a tree outside the treehouse. It’s just adorable and came together so well!
Off Grid Treehouse Kitchenette
We are calling the off-grid treehouse kitchen a kitchenette because it is tiny and just has the copper sink & cooktop, no oven or refrigerator or dish washer. Just the essentials. We are providing a cooler for keeping food fresh or frozen. We have a fold down dish drying rack. And there is an outdoor grill and our tiny wood stove for even more cooking options. There is a large 12′ long cedar shelf above the kitchenette for storage for our cute cabin the in woods plate & mug set. We have mixing bowls, utensils, a coffee pour over, copper teapot, and cooking pans. We also installed a copper rail with hooks to hang teaspoons, pots, utensils, scissors, dish towels, and other kitchen accessories.
Our tiny pantry was added in the space between the studs of the wall under the daybed, perfect for smaller things like cooking spices and canned goods. We built doors for them to cover the storage and keep things tucked away. Eventually under the daybed cushion will also be a huge cedar countertop! The drawers in the bed can also act as additonal kitchen storage for larger items. But the focal point in the kitchenette is definitely that beautiful copper sink overlooking the breathtaking mountain view!
Thank you Sinkology for working with us again on this off grid treehouse project. We always appreciate your kindness and patience!
To see more about the off grid treehouse or our 1870’s farmhouse in general check out our other blog posts here or come stay with us! We also host our farmhouse and treehouse to guests! Book those here