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A New Old Sink 
In 2009, we decided to be brave and replace the old sink. "Brave" because our plans were sketchy and a lot could go wrong. We couldn't find a vintage country style sink to fit in the tight space, so we bought a new one. The "country" sink is a weighty, deep rectangular basin made of fired clay. It has a more upscale look than the enameled cast iron utility sink because its lines are simpler. We bought ours online. No returns. Usually, these sinks are set into a cabinet. We wanted ours to be fully exposed. So we got some vintage iron sink brackets to hold the weight at the wall. But we needed legs too. After much searching, we found them at an antique architectual warehouse. But the legs didn't quite work because the brackets protruded to accommodate a different sink. 
We found a wrought iron bar that fit across the projecting brackets -- it made a handy towel rack.For a clean look, we painted the hardware white. We also removed the beadboard behind the sink and replaced it with vintage subway tile to give the corner a more finished look. We completed the job with a new vintage-style faucet. We're happy with the results. 
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The original sink in our kitchen was most likely a zinc basin tucked into the corner. Sometime between 1920 and 1930, this was replaced by a enameled cast iron utility sink (picture, left). You've seen these a hundred times, in every other old American house. Our sink, like most, was made by American Standard. It was servicable, nothing special. We knew we wanted to upgrade it but didn't know what to do because the sink space is small. So we lived with it for nine years (photos below: 2000-2009)
