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Design DilemmaKitchens
mama2cs

Kitchen Center Island

7 years ago

Hi! I'm looking for advice. We're planning to remodel a kitchen this year or next year (2020). The kitchen currently has a gas cooktop with a downdraft in the center island. Switching to a range with a range hood along a perimeter wall would be a more expensive renovation, as it would require running ductwork to vent to the outside of the house. However, I am concerned about a couple of things:


(1) Is a cooktop in the center island an outdated look? Does anyone put cooktops in center islands anymore?


(2) Would the kitchen be less of a "luxury kitchen" or less of a "chef's kitchen" if we put the cooktop in the center island instead of installing a range with a range hood on the perimeter wall? I ask for the sake of potential resale and what buyers would be looking for in the Washington, DC area.


Any advice you can give would be appreciated. Thanks!





Featured Answer
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The only way that a cooktop on an island is a “chef’s kitchen” is if the island is at least 4’x10’, with a prep sink, and a real, externally vented, adequate overhead vent. With the needed make up air. That takes a HUGE kitchen.

    Those tiny little unsafe things from the 70’s are rightly seen as inadequate burn hazards. Big drawback to resale.

    A perimeter cooking zone is a heck of a lot cheaper than an island cooking zones. As in, by thousands. You just haven’t priced out island vents and all the rest.

    Comments (10)

    • 7 years ago

      Thank you. Any thoughts on a Wolf range top with downdraft?

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    • 7 years ago
      last modified: 7 years ago

      Downdrafts are useless. Even more so with gas. It pulls the flames away from your pots. Ditch the cooking island unless you have a huge space. And can do an overhead vent.

      If if you’re going to be looking at a Wolf level remodel, hire a good kitchen designer like Jennifer Gilmer, get ready to hand over your 130K, and ride that carousel. . That’s DC level entry costs for upscale. Maybe more.

    • 7 years ago

      Yep, isn't living in DC great?!! Actually, we're in the suburbs and looking for contractors. Sounds like you're local. If you have any good names, it would be appreciated. Hoping to keep it under $130k :)

    • 7 years ago

      You need a designer before a contractor. They’ll have good vetted contractors that they work with. http://www.gilmerkitchens.com/. Top notch people.

    • 7 years ago

      Thanks so much!

    • 7 years ago

      I’d only put an induction range in a center island, and only if I had no other viable options for putting it on the perimeter

      I’d prefer nothing on my island, but if pressed, I’d rather have the sink

    • 7 years ago

      Thanks for your input.

    • 7 years ago
      last modified: 7 years ago

      I live in the DC area and a cooktop or range in an island would be a deal-breaker for me unless...

      • I was able to lower the price to be able to re-do it right (i.e., move the range/cooktop to the perimeter w/overhead hood and prep sink in the island -- not cleanup sink, prep sink)

      --or--

      • The island was a "chef's island" that included an overhead hood (at least 6" wider than the range/cooktop and 27"deep) --AND-- at least 18" of space + at least an 18" wide prep sink + at least 42" of workspace + cooktop/range + 24" of workspace --AND-- the island was at least 44" deep with no seats/50" deep with seats.

      .

      If you're willing to spend a lot of money on appliances, why are cheaping out on the rest, especially around here? Sorry, I know, I'm being blunt...but I'm being honest with you. Others will tell you, "do whatever you want" -- they don't have to live with what you do and they won't be looking at your place to buy, so what do they care? Listen to Live_Wire_Oak, she knows what she's talking about!

      .

      BTW...I've used downdrafts, hate them! Noisy. Ineffective. In the way.

    • 7 years ago

      Just did the math...what I posted above is basically 10', as Live_Wire_Oak stated. (Adding in the counter overhangs and it comes to 10'3".)

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