kitchen with 1 island

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen with 1 island

kitchen with 1 island with ref next to oven

Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen with 1 island with ref next to oven

Sorry...I have to say that with the space, I think you could do better. The first 2 have terrible work paths for making a meal. Get veggies, etc. from fridge - take to sink - prep - then to stove - maybe run from stove to fridge and back in the midst of cooking to get other ingredients to add. If you draw that path, you can see how much running around islands you'll do.

The last one is better, but crowds all the work areas together while leaving the one side of the kitchen with plenty of counter space and storage, but out of the loop for utilizing it.

Can you give a broader view of the floor plan, so we can see better how the rooms relate to each other and traffic works?

How about something like Plan 3...with the fridge by the oven, but with only a prep sink on the island and the cleanup area with main sink and dishwasher by the pantry?

OR

Range on the wall where you show oven and fridge, main sink where you have the range, and the fridge and oven on the wall with the pantry?

In regards to the powder room size, as long as you can comfortably go in and shut the door, I would personally not give up space I would rather have for a pantry. It's "only" a powder room. Your kitchen space will be used more, and is more valuable. Suggestions from a designer can be helpful, but always go with what YOU truly want.

You could think about a pocket door for the powder room. There are many new kinds of bathroom sinks- look around and find something that would fit the space a little better than a micro vanity.

If you are a primarily one person operation, the last plan is an ok place to start. Sometimes a tight work area makes a happy chef.

Other ideas are maybe to take the long empty run of counter and turn it into a baking center, maybe complete with a sink so it could also be bar-coffee bar or snack area with micro. These are alternate uses equally valid if you move the main cleanup located on the pantry side.

Sometimes, I don't like cleanup being on the other side of an island from the main work area - depends on how you cook, how you entertain, how many people cook when, etc. If somebody else can or will do the dishes while you cook, its very helpful to have cleanup be a bit remote. But if you are chief cook AND cleaning lady, it might be more efficent to have it nearby.

You might want to look at the barefoot contessa's kitchen - House Beautiful kitchen of the year for 2009 if I remember rightly.

Powder Room...Our PR is 4'6" x 4'6" and it's plenty big enough for a PR. No one is going to spend much time in there, so why take up space for a room that doesn't need it?

I will look at the kitchen next...(b/w running reports...I'm working today!)

Thank you for your responses.
Usually when I am cooking, I do the cleaning. After dinner, DH does the dishes and he does not want to look at a wall while doing dishes. All 5 of us (with 3 kids) usually help with the cleaning after dinner - cleaning counters, sweeping floors etc. I mostly do the cooking and if my mom is visiting she helps me. However kids are in and out of kitchen eating snacks.
If I put the cooktop where it is then it may be vented to the side wall from the top. If I put the cooktop on the wall where the oven is then it would need to be vented down into the basement and out near patio wall. Does it make a difference as far efficiency of venting the hood either way? I do a lot of frying with Indian spices and that does stink up the house and I would need a powerful hood.
I don't like to have oven and microwave in the traffic way because I am taking hot stuff back and forth then.
The designer says it is not recommended to put oven next to refrigerator because of hot and cold. Hence I put a tall cabinet in between but that makes the counter next to it smaller. I usually do my prep work on the left side of the cooktop.
Also I would like a standard depth ref because I need the space. But designer does not recommend it.
So Confused! Building a house has been a complete nightmare so far.

Sometimes, I like playing devils advocate.

If the clean up sink in on the island or on the pantry wall, the view of the pantry wall is pretty similar. I do understand that the view of the TV might be different. We dine kinda late usually, and 6 months out of the year its dark when we're doing clean up. Also for us, cleanup averages around 5-15 minutes unless I burned something! This is explaining why I don't give a view from cleanup a lot of priority. I'm not certain where your dish storage would be - in the corner between range and ref? If that's what you're thinking about, the only way for others to set the table is to cross either through your cooking area or your prep area.

With the third plan the main prep area would be in front of the ref on the island. With

I wanted to post earlier but I am battling severe anxiety and depression over this new house. The builder does not give us advice in our best interest but what is best for his profit margin. We hired a designer who is a little flaky. She is essentially against any idea that does not come from her. We went to another kitchen designer who was no help but charged us money for his time anyway.

Here is link to original floor plan. We added 4 feet to width of kitchen by taking 2 ft from utility room and 2 ½ feet from garage.

We are a family of 5 with 3 kids, ages 16, 11, and 9. I have my mom visiting me for extended periods of time and she will likely have to move in a year from now. She has a disability that has caused couple of falls in the past and required wheelchair. Right now she is slow but mobile.

In the kitchen, I am usually the cook. If mom is visiting then she helps. Sometimes DH helps with the cooking. Kids are in and out of kitchen snacking. After dinner, everybody helps in cleanup. Dh usually cleans dishes.

I cook Indian food so need good venting. If I keep cook top where it is now then it will be vented out through the side with 2 turns. Any other wall will need to be vented down to basement and out near patio. I am not sure if it is possible to vent up through roof as there is 2nd floor with bedrooms.

If I keep ref next to oven as in plan 3 then I would make the space near pantry as snack bar with sink, microwave. The small counter on the same wall on the other side of pantry, I am thinking of making it a dry bar area with wine rack , glass cabinets and under counter fridge.

By keeping the ref next to oven, I am reducing the work space next to cook top and also interfering with island but it would be less walking. I canÂt have oven and microwave too far as I start a dish on the stove and then transfer to microwave or oven and hate taking hot stuff across the room. If I keep ref as in plan 1 and 2 then I am afraid I am going to do a lot of walking back and forth. The 2 island plan has unfortunately smaller islands but does separate the cleaning center.

I am debating between a 31" induction cook top with 15 " wolf double gas burner or Kitchenaid 36" gas cooktop. Both would be an upgrade from my 12 year old electric coil range. I am very attracted to the ease and speed of cooking on the induction. My cooking can get messy with grease splattering a lot.

I like the Samsung 26Â standard depth French door ref but I donÂt know if I have space for it. I like the dual cooling system and Samsung does not make counter depth without external ice and water dispenser. My current standard depth ref is full. My freezer in basement is also full. Hence I am wary about losing space with a counter depth fridge.

I am thinking about getting one full size dishwasher and possibly single dishwasher drawer (not sure).

DH wants to look into hearth room while cleaning and he does take his time cleaning. The hearth room will be like a small family room. We could put sink on wall of great room with opening on side however cooktop will have to move to other wall and venting would be down to basement and 30Â run to patio door. DH does not want to put oven and ref on wall of current cooktop as it would block beautiful view of windows and yard from great room windows.

I was ok with a plan with a peninsula which really did not require me to take space from garage but designer said that the traffic path is not straight. Also the island would have been small. DH insisted we need to go into garage so construction could proceed and we would have more options with the kitchen layout. The garage went from 27Â 9" to 24Â 9" for 2 cars but to 21Â 6" for one car and that is where the steps are. Also there will be 2Â x 2Â framed out space for the venting for the bonus room so space will reduce further.I was ok with the peninsula and preferred to keep garage space for storage. But dh insisted we need bigger kitchen and we may regret not going into garage when we could have.

The walls are framed but builder is waiting for final kitchen layout to start plumbing. He gave us deadline of May 7 but I am still confused as what to do. Most days I am so depressed that I canÂt function. We are novices and the builder has taken big time advantage of us. The builderÂs allowances are very inadequate and the additional costs keep rising. The home prices in our area have dropped 20% in 1 year and there are similar sized homes available cheaper. We have picked a few areas where builder has cut corners but donÂt know sufficient to pick out everything. Wish I could turn back time and undo this miserable experience.

Please help as to where you would put ref, oven and dishwasher with 1 island plan. Also what is most efficient way to vent a hood?

Thanks a bunch for your input

here is link to a plan with peninsula

I can see that you are really wrestling hard with all these decisions! I am sure that the time pressure does not help.

Have you considered doing a gas range with oven underneath? Then you could put the refrigerator back where the oven is marked in your hand-drawn plan, or in the plan with one island, and you would have a reasonable distance between fridge, stove/oven, and sink. If you need a second oven, you could put it outside the work triangle.

It also sounds to me like you need to decide whose kitchen this will be. DH may think things might look funny, but if you spend four times as long in the kitchen as he does, then I think what will work for you should count more.

If you want opinions about the gas range vs. induction, I would post a short question about that in the kitchen forum, but in a new thread. I don't have induction, but my understanding is that the sealed-burner gas stoves are very easy to clean. We moved from a house with a gas stove to one with electric, and I really miss our gas stove.

Namaste.

I'm really sorry this has all been such a nightmare for you. I have problems with depression, so I know how crippling that can be.

Your powder room looks perfectly adequately sized for a powder room to me. They can function perfectly well in a tiny space, and I agree with you that you'll get more out of that footage put towards the pantry or the kitchen.

I've lived in apartments so small that there was no place for the stove/oven to go *other* than right next to the fridge, and (other than wishing that I had more space to work with), I never had any problems with it. I think that the warning against cold (water) and hot (fire) adjoining may be a Feng Shui concept. Not to insult or belittle anyone who adheres to Feng Shui precepts, but if you're not yourself committed to those beliefs, then I don't really think you have to worry about that. I would want more "landing pad" space between the two myself, but if you find that your layout works best with the fridge and the oven right next to each other, then I really wouldn't worry about the hot/cold issue.

What are your opinions about the plan with the peninsula? Are peninsulas not popular anymore? Would a 3'5" x 2'5" island be too small?

Can I get a poll?
1) kitchen with 1 island with ref next to oven
2) kitchen with 1 island with ref on pantry wall
3) kitchen with 2 islands
4) kitchen with peninsula and small island

Any other layout advice would be welcome.

Appreciate all your thoughts.

No opinions :(

bump

Basically, I think more like below so its hard for me to have any appreciation for the other plans.

This is kinda what I think are some of the considerations for this house. The aisle between the prep-cook area of the kitchen and the ref-pantry wall is important and will likely be the most used path to the dinette and family room. The kitchen will be dark - in terms of having actual daylight. The chef is somewhat cut off socially (unless doing cleanup). The house has big formal spaces and a family room - its hard to tell which will be used for what purposes right now.

The main critiques I have of the posted plans - too much counter space in the wrong places, work and social pathways that are... confused. In simple words, stuff too far apart and the islands are mostly in the way.

It's hard for me to envision what you have for gear or need for space, although I enjoy Indian foods, I've never made anything but the most basic curry. I don't feel I have a good grasp on what you'd need.

Lack of knowledge has never stopped me from taking a guess tho - character flaw. This is a concept sketch, not a finished plan - which is the polite way of saying it needs more work!

{{gwi:1822222}}

Hi Jessica, I am so sorry to hear abt the terrible time you are having with your new home. Having built my home and a a recent kitchen renovation, I understand what you are going through.
I would like to offer my moral support and take away some of the anxieties you are feeling! sending cyber hugs!!!! Feel free to email me if you need someone to talk to.

Please allow me to offer some suggestions or comments abt your current plan.

1. Powder room - I have a similar size powder room, I have a pedestal sink, so the space is adequate. I think I could have put a vanity (cabinet and sink) and it would still be ok. So, don't worry abt the size being too small!

2. Garage. I have a 3 car garage, on "my" side of the garage where I normally park, there are steps leading up to the house (sticks out abt 48") I measured to the back of my parked car (RX330) and I was right at 21', I do have some more room in the front (20"?) before I reach the steps. So, yes, it will be a tight fit, unless you have a huge SUV, an average size car will fit. So, again, don't stress abt the 21'6" in the garage. If you worry abt parking in that space, make your husband park in that space! I will park in the larger space :)

3. The range. i just went through a kitchen reno (new granite, appliances, sink etc). I was also debating btw an induction and a gas range (I did not have the option of doing an induction/gas) I am not the cook in the house, just the "cleaner" so I have to clean up after dh, so I was leaning towards the induction for ease of cleaning, but when I polled my friends who are great cooks, they all voted for gas (which I already have) They all cook great indian food btw!!! So, I ended up buying another gas stove. I bought one with stainless steel top, cleaning is easier than I had expected! If I had the option of both induction and gas, like you do, I probably would have picked that option!

4. Refrigerator. Don't settle! Get the biggest fridge that you want! You are building a new home! Make that work!! All you have to do is make some adjustments in your layout. I would strongly urge you to seriously consider getting the largest fridge in your kitchen. You will not regret it! I have a Samsung (french style) RFG297 29 cu ft (I think) and we love it!!!

5. Placement of oven and refrigerator. i will attach a pic of my sis-in-law's kitchen. She has the oven right next to the fridge. This will give you an idea of what it would look like. It may be an option for you. She did not have the cabinet in between the oven/microwave and fridge.

6. Which Layout. Of all the layouts that you are considering, I like the one island w/fridge next to oven. If I were you, the island is quite large, I will sacrifice the size so that I can get a larger fridge in that kitchen. In order to accomodate a larger fridge (depending on whether you have a built-in look) it may stick out, just make the aisle wider to accomodate this.

7. Dishwasher. I don't know abt you, I am right handed, so I work more efficiently with the dw on the right of the sink (maybe it's out of habit too?) but think abt how you do dishes now and see if you would mind having it on the left (don't want you to have regrets later on!) Also, if the reason you are putting it on the left is due to space issues, again, why not extend the aisle a little wider? The island would still be large enough.

8. Extra sink. That's a good idea to have the extra sink with maybe another dw?

Hope I have helped and not cause you more stress with some of these comments! Good luck!

Will have to post the pic of the kitchen next. I am afraid I will lose this and have to start all over!!

Jessica,
Here's the kitchen with the oven/microwave next to the fridge. You may want to consider this layout for your kitchen.

Thank you for all your advice and encouragement. I have been so down that I dont have energy to get out of bed these days.
It has been very difficult for us as this has caused tremendous strain on our personal lives, marriage, etc. What makes the situation far worse is the drop in prices since we signed the contract. I had urged DH to wait as I had anticipated a drop in price and DH did not believe me. The builder himself dropped the price on his spec home soon after we signed the contract and just sold the house for 20% less. We still have such a long way to go that just the thought of it brings about severe panic attacks. Plus there is a possibility we may need to move in 2-3 years so we need to get the house right.
Sclee, thanks for posting the pic of your SILs kitchen and all your advice. Does she complain about oven and ref next to each other? Also bmorepanics point about cutting into work space in island is valid if I do have ref next to oven. Im afraid Ill have regrets either way. If I have the ref on pantry wall, I may wear out walking back and forth. If I put it next to oven, I may regret the traffic jam it may cause at the island. I do see your point of increasing the aisle space. How much should I increase it to?
The reason DH would like the sink on the island or breakfast bar is for the ease of cleaning. Kids just have to slide the plate near sink and he can just put it in dishwasher. But I am again afraid that I am going to regret the congestion it will create between cook and cleaner. Also I dont think I like having the dishwasher behind legs at cook top. But if I put it to the left of sink then it is in direct view of great room and the 1st thing guests see as they enter kitchen is dishwasher. Either way is not ideal, I am just confused as to which way to go. We are right handed but currently our dishwasher is on left and we have been ok. Do you think it is much better having the dw on the right?
Thats why I wish we had not gone 2 ½ into garage and we had just gone with the peninsula. Then I would not have had any dilemma regarding ref or dishwasher placement as there was only 1 way to go.
But designer said straight path is important and then we got confused. While we have to think what is convenient for us, we also have to take into account resale value.
Bmorepanic, the family room will be our messy room. Here kids can have toys, games, magazines, video games, can eat on sofa etc. The great room will be our clean area where guests can sit without looking at our mess. That is why we dont want the kitchen to be fully exposed to the great room. Our kitchen is not like in the magazines and I dont like to expose our mess to guests, like parents who come to drop off kids for play date and come in for quick chat. I cant usually cook and entertain at the same time (cant concentrate on both), so I usually cook ahead of time when we entertain. When we do entertain I have to tidy up family room also but for everyday when the doorbell rings and someone pays a quick visit, Id rather they sit in the tidier great room. We will have a TV in the great room and sit there as a family but we will aim to limit the mess to the hearth room/family room.

Thank you again for your advice.

I will leave the layout plan to the experts here, the only comment I have is the bathroom. You mention that your Mom may live with you in the coming year and in a wheelchair. Is the room large enough for her to fit in comfortably with the wheelchair? What happens if she needs help in the bathroom while in her chair, is it large enough for that? Not trying to sound negative, but just make sure it's large enough for her to be in there with another person if in future years she needs help in there.