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Cooktop or sink on island? Wld love to hear from those who've had both

4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago

We are in the middle of a new build, and I am undecided on whether I want my island to have my cooktop (induction) or a large sink on it.

In our current house, the cooktop is on the island with a Bosch downdraft, and I like that pretty well, but I cook pasta more than anything else, and I've always coveted those wall-mounted pot fillers. I'm always afraid I am going to drop a heavy pot on my silgranite sink or my granite counter or the glass of the induction cooktop when I am moving it from my sink to the cooktop.

We put the cooktop on the island because there is a window in front of the sink, so it just made sense. This time, there won't be a window on that wall, so I am free to choose. (The layout is below.)

The Bosch downdraft is VERY loud and now is having a bit of trouble with the motor that raises it, and I have to turn it pretty much all the way on high for it to pull the steam from the side of the cooking items.

I would love to hear from people who have had both and which they prefer and why.

Thanks!



Comments (46)

  • 4 years ago

    Post your layout.

    oakrunfarm thanked cpartist
  • PRO
    4 years ago

    I never like sinks dierectly opposite stoves since those 2 spaots are alway busy in a kitchen. IMO pot fillers are just plain silly. It is not the pot of cold water that is the issue but the pot now filled with pasta and boiling water that creates the problem Honestly if making pasta is a daily think I would design the kitche to have the sink and stove on the same wall may 24” betwwen them. I am having problems reading the measurements so can’t comment on the actual space.I think down dfrat venting is poor at best so I never put a cooking appliance in an island unless you have a one storey house and can vent out the ceiling with no bends in the venting. If you post the plan to scale with all measurements clearly marked maybe more help will come

    oakrunfarm thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • 4 years ago

    Pot filler opinion- we use it multiple times a day. Love it. I put a water filter on mine. We fill all our water bottles, sports jugs, drink dispensers, coffee pot. It’s fabulous. We mostly serve from our induction cooktop so pot is always less full than when it started and as far as draining pasta- you’ve saved yourself one trip. Go for it.

    oakrunfarm thanked hutchgirl
  • 4 years ago

    Also another love for a pot filler!

    oakrunfarm thanked megs1030
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Do you have a well or do you have "city water"? If a well, don't do it. With a well, it's strongly recommended you run water for a minute or two before using it if the water has been sitting in the pipes for much longer than a few short hours. I suppose you could fill a couple of containers (or more) and use it to water plants, but it would be a pain in the you-know-what.

    Think about having a faucet with no sink/drain under it....overflows, drips, etc. Not a problem...until it is.

    oakrunfarm thanked Buehl
  • 4 years ago

    I dislike potflllers. My range is beside my sink, 24" from it. It's perfect for me. No problems filling a pot and moving it. If I really thought I could not lift it, I could sit it beside the sink and fill it with the pull-down faucet, and slide it to the range. But I can't imagine that ever being an issue.

    oakrunfarm thanked Chessie
  • PRO
    4 years ago

    I prefer to locate ranges and cooktops so they can be vented using wall-mounted hoods which are more effective than downdraft systems. For me, putting a cooktop in an island would be a real compromise.


    Our kitchen is modest in size, but it functions well for our family. We have a large double-bowl sink located in the island directly across from the cooktop (4 ft aisle between them) and it works well for both prep and clean up duty.

    oakrunfarm thanked Charles Ross Homes
  • 4 years ago

    Buehl, ah, yes. I had not thought of that. Yes, we will have a well. I might use a pot filler daily... or not.


    Chessie, next to, on the same wall, is probably a better option, but then I am not sure what I would then put on the island?


    Charles Ross, yes, the downdraft has not really been a great performer. It's just the two of us, and it struggles to get the steam (and odors) from front burner cooking. I will have a 4' aisle and am really considering the configuration you have.

  • 4 years ago

    In homes where I've had an island, I've had the cooktop in the island in 4 homes and the sink in the island in 1 home. Personally, I prefer the cooktop in the island as I feel more connected with my other family members/guests - looking out at them and the rooms the kitchen is open to rather than having my back to everyone.


    I spend more time prepping and cooking rather than doing dishes (or that's the goal since I dislike doing dishes ;-) I usually do my chopping, etc. next to my cooking surface and liked doing that on the island as well.


    The downdrafts in the islands haven't been spectacular, but adequate for my cooking. The over-the-range microwave I had when the cooktop faced the wall and the sink was in the island was not a spectacular venting experience either. I have a tall pasta pot and OTR microwave made it generally useless as the height between the top of the cooktop and the bottom of the microwave was very limiting for lifting out the colander insert. A dedicated vent hood would solve that problem, but that wasn't my setup.


    I have never had a sink just face a wall though, in all of the houses with the cooktop in the island, the sink faced a window.

    oakrunfarm thanked Kim T.
  • 4 years ago

    Our sink is directly opposite stove and we love it. Stove is on wall, sink in island. My mom has the opposite and it doesn’t work well for us. Whenever I’m at her house I wish it was like mine!

    If you have a good space in kitchen between the island and cabinet wall it is totally doable. I love the ease of filling a pot,emptying a pot, just being close to sink and stove easily. I clean as I go cook or leave in sink if need be. When we have company they are friends and family and I’m generally not worried if they see dishes. I enjoy them being in the space with us and they could care less about dishes.

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago

    I used to have my cooktop in my island and when we remodeled I moved it to the wall. I do love it so much better... and yes, I have a potfiller which is awesome. I don't use it a ton, but I do like to look at it and admire it often. :) I never thought my downdraft worked well and had plenty of nights of a stinky house from cooking.

    oakrunfarm thanked Mich
  • 4 years ago

    I'd move your ovens to the pantry area and put the stove where you show your ovens, or just move the stove to the pantry area, leaving the island clear. Your island isn't deep enough to use the stove with people sitting there. With a clear island, you can use it for serving, prep, etc. If you must use the island for the stove or the sink, I'd choose the sink so you're not looking at a blank wall when washing dishes.

    oakrunfarm thanked calidesign
  • PRO
    4 years ago

    Never locate a sink where a wall without a window will be within three feet of your nose while you are working at the sink.

    oakrunfarm thanked Mark Bischak, Architect
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    "I spend more time prepping and cooking rather than doing dishes"

    And that's why you put your Prep Zone WITH A SINK, at least 36" (with 42" or more even better) of clear workspace, and the trash pullout in the island, not the cooktop. (Assuming the island is the most desirable location to you, that is.)

    Kitchen studies have shown:

    • 70% or more of the work in the Kitchen is spent prepping -- cleaning/rinsing food, cutting/chopping, mixing, etc. This work is best done next to a sink
    • 20% or less is spent cleaning up, and that includes clearing/wiping counters & table, sweeping up, loading & unloading the DW, etc.
    • 10% or less is spent cooking -- actually watching food cook, stirring, adding ingredients


    So, which zone should be in the most desirable location? The Prep Zone

    Which zone should be in the most protected location? The Cooking Zone.

    If you have seating in the island with less than 24" of counter b/w the seats and the cooktop or less than 18" of counter behind the cooktop without seating, then don't do it. You also need at least 24" of counter on both sides of the cooktop.

    oakrunfarm thanked Buehl
  • 4 years ago

    Bar stools, children (grandparents), homework (papers, magazines, books)....cooktop...FIRE! Bar stools, people, devices....sink....FLOOD! In my personal experience. We are hard on surfaces.

    oakrunfarm thanked fissfiss
  • 4 years ago

    Add to that...steam billowing up and into the faces of someone sitting there. Grease splattering. Splattered by stirring.

    oakrunfarm thanked Buehl
  • 4 years ago

    Redesign the kitchen so the island is clear of appliances and the sink is at a window.

    No one should have to look at a wall when at the sink or look at a stove or sink when seated at the island.

    It astounds me that someone could miss so many opportunities to make this a functional and comfortable kitchen.

    oakrunfarm thanked res2architect
  • 4 years ago

    I think I will take the advice of someone earlier who suggested I ask for help with the design of the kitchen.


    RES2, I'm obviously not a professional, so that's why I am asking for help. I appreciate your feedback. If you'd like to tell me how you'd organize this space from scratch, that would be very helpful!


    I had the window area clear because I was going to put a table and chairs there.


    It's only my husband and me 99% of the time, so I don't have a lot of the same considerations others do as far as worrying about traffic.


    I had a galley kitchen with the sink on a wall in our previous house and did not have any concerns about that, but it is nice having a window over the sink here.


    I do like having the cooktop on the island because I can tend to what's cooking and my husband stands and chats with me while standing/sitting in my line of vision, and I don't have to turn away from what I am doing, but the downdraft issue is somewhat of a hassle. It's loud and not very efficient.


    I'm more confused than ever about what to do with the kitchen. :(

  • 4 years ago

    When asking for advice its wise to show all furnishings so we can understand how you are going to use the space. What will be big space at the lower end of the island used for?

    oakrunfarm thanked res2architect
  • 4 years ago

    Forget the cooktop on the island. As mentioned the majority of your time is not spent at the cooktop. It's spent prepping so if you want to talk to your hubby while preparing, put the sink there.

    Where is the dining area and the garage/mudroom in relationship to the kitchen as that will help determine where appliances should be.

    oakrunfarm thanked cpartist
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Also what is the distance from the edge of the wall on the left to the windows at top? Are they just windows for light or do they have another function? Can they still be changed?

    oakrunfarm thanked cpartist
  • 4 years ago

    I love having my sink in the island - good view of the pond out back, and of the family room. I have 12" cabinets under the island overhang, giving me more storage and more space between the sink and the island seating.

    oakrunfarm thanked jkm6712
  • 4 years ago

    What does....

    Never locate a sink where a wall without a window will be within three feet of your nose while you are working at the sink....

    mean? 3 feet of your nose?

    oakrunfarm thanked carolanneboyle
  • 4 years ago

    I believe it means you are standing their cleaning staring at a wall which is not ideal

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago

    Nope, staring at a blank wall while washing dishes is not ideal. But when this was the setup in my townhouse many years ago, I hung a pretty mirror above my sink so that I could see what was happening in my family room. Just a thought.

    oakrunfarm thanked megs1030
  • 4 years ago

    Of course If it is how your house is you deal with it. The point was, I believe, that in designing a new kitchen, you would choose to avoid it

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago

    @oakrunfarm "I am not sure what I would then put on the island?"

    Keep it open! It will be a great prep space, and will be useful for serving drinks and buffet dishes, kids doing homework, on and on. The only things you need are outlets (that's code, plus you'll use them for things like your mixer or kids' laptops), and maybe a prep sink.

    Also remember if you put a cooktop there, it could limit your ability to use pendants; certainly you wouldn't want a pendant over a cooktop.

    oakrunfarm thanked chicagoans
  • 4 years ago

    Oh wow, you have a great space for an L-shaped kitchen! Put your cleanup sink on the back wall with a triple window behind it, and put a prep sink in the island. Then, try to move the door from garage to the kitchen to a mud area. That'll give you more length on the kitchen wall adjacent the garage. You can then place your fridge and a ovens side by side and center your cooktop between the corner and the fridge/oven. If you can't squeeze in a walk-in pantry, I'd do pantry cabinets or a reach in pantry closet on the wall adjacent the stairwell. Lastly, you can make your island wider (and maybe longer). I'd do at least a 48" wide island. Make sure you keep at least 48" clearances in all your walkways. I don't have Photoshop on my new computer yet or I'd have drawn it out for you :)


    Pot fillers are personal things. Some like them and some hate them. I've never had one so I have no opinion. Some here always mention potential leaks but I think you could put an access panel in the garage in case it ever did to be able to repair it easily.

    oakrunfarm thanked shead
  • 4 years ago

    Not sure what you would put on the island?? I have nothing on mine. It's a workspace, and a serving area. I have outlets on each side. I can't imagine having a sink or a cooktop there - it would look nowhere near as pretty in my kitchen, and really would not be anywhere near as functional, for me. But you need to do what works for you - not others.

    oakrunfarm thanked Chessie
  • 4 years ago

    Another homeowner with nothing on her island. Just a lot of space to work on. :)

    oakrunfarm thanked megs1030
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    Functionally, an island will work better as a Prep Zone with a sink, preferably a prep sink, not a cleanup sink. But, you also need sufficient workspace -- at least 12" of clear space on one side of the sink for landing space/splash mitigation and at least 36" on the other side for prep space (at least 42" is much better).

    Some people cram small islands in their space, so a sink may not always fit.

    It also works best if the range/cooktop is behind the long end of the island, not the short end.

    With the current "everything has to be wide open" craze, many Kitchens don't have enough perimeter space to have a Cleanup Zone separate from the Prep Zone, so if you need to include both the Prep and Cleanup Zones in the island, then you need a lot more island space so one side of the sink is the cleanup side (with the DW & dirty dishes) and the other side is the prep side (with the trash pullout and the lion's shar of the workspace --- bare minimum of 36").

    Just keep in mind that a Cleanup Zone in an island means dirty dishes front & center and on display for all to see as well as "in the face" of someone sitting at the island (assuming seating).

    I've had both in various settings (range w/telescoping downdraft in peninsula, not island, but same thing). Based on my experience (including one of my children getting burned by splattering grease -- and that was with a raised seating counter), I would never have a range/cooktop in an island or peninsula!

    Cleanup Zone, if no other option, but I would prefer not. But, the Cleanup Zone is preferable to the Cooking Zone in an island (or peninsula).

    oakrunfarm thanked Buehl
  • 4 years ago

    Alternatively one can clean as they go and chat with friends and company sitting at the island as they do so. Dishes front and centre, what a horror, can simply be rinsed and put in dishwasher or even sink.

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago

    This is our kitchen. It works beautifully for us. We have 54” between island and oven wall.

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    There is still SO much room for architectural improvement. This is the 150K kitchen that ate the rest of the house. But, with the limitations of the space shown, here’s a start to a big improvement.

    I forgot to put the prep sink in the island, which is 100% needed, but this gets a cleanup sink under a window, a focal point cooking zone against the garage wall, and room for people to gather and enjoy eating. Not perching birds on a wire.

    The space is still double the size and cost that it needs to be though.


    oakrunfarm thanked User
  • 4 years ago

    I thought it might be helpful to see photos of my current kitchen. The space is almost exactly the same size, but it would basically be taking what I have now and rotating it by 90 degrees to the left, making it long where it is currently wide, which causes problems because I am basically losing one of the two long walls I currently have.


    On this plan, I left the space open in front of the windows for the table and chairs shown in the photo, but truth be told, we don't use that table and chair set all that much, so I suppose it could be eliminated since I have so much space where the island could be extended for seating, or even put the table in front of the island instead. (I also am planning to add 2' in depth to the island, and make it 5' x 8' instead of 3' x 8'.)


    I am mostly concerned about reducing the size of the 3 large windows to put a sink or counter space under them. I'd like to have as much light in there as possible.


    What I like about my current kitchen:

    The way the fridge, the cooktop and the sink are all in a triangle that are close/easy access to one another.

    The three very large windows next to the table and the window in front of the sink.

    The separate bar.

    The butler pantry area with the pantry on one side and microwave on the other with a nice sized counter in between.

    Plenty of counter space.

    The "tall" things - fridge, pantry, wall oven/microwave - do not encroach on light from windows and space.

    Plenty of room between cooktop and sink.


    What I DON'T like:

    Not enough space in the raised seating area on the island between it and the adjacent counter for seating.


    So, what I really want to do is incorporate the things I do like, and change the thing I don't.





  • 4 years ago

    Your new kitchen seems more open than this? Can you share your plan more so we can see what is near the kitchen.

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago

    In the house I sold in November 2020, I had a cooktop on the island with a downdraft. I loved the cooktop there because I could look into the family room. For the last two years in the house the downdraft was broken. In my new home, the island faces pantry cabinets so I don't have the same sight lines. Given everyone's recommendations here, I put my cooktop on the wall with a good hood. The ventilation is far better than what I ever had with the down draft.

  • 4 years ago

    I had a kitchen sink on my island and disliked having dishes or pots and pans in the sink when guests were sitting at the island. Also takes away from serving and prep area. My current house has a small prep sink. I love it!

  • 4 years ago

    A S, here is more of the floor plan.


    Thanks for the help, everyone. I am reading all of your comments and appreciate your input!



  • 4 years ago

    Now that is see this I think your stove top should for sure be on the wall where the sink currently is. The island should be wider to have proper seating. The island could have a sink or not. That would be personal preference. For sure you should extend cabinetry under the windows and jace the main clean up sink there though. I would have your pantry storage be on the wall that is below the word kitchen on your plan. And not by the window.

    oakrunfarm thanked WestCoast Hopeful
  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    OK... I have been thinking about this for hours and it kept me awake last night.

    I've been working on it all morning, and here is the latest version.

    I am pretty excited about this version because I now have a nice landing area/mudroom to come in from the garage area to. I like being able to come into a space other than right into the kitchen.

    I like the flow a lot better and I like the open airy space in the work portion of the kitchen instead of forcing everything to revolve around windows in front of a dining set that we rarely even use. Some of the measurements are a little off because I completely changed everything.

    I took a lot of advice from everyone, and I really appreciate your taking the time to look at this and give me feedback. Any other input or advice, please keep it coming!

    Where should I put that prep sink on the island? Is that OK? More to the right?

    I think I may need to move the island slightly right to keep 4' off all of the counters.

    Thank you!



  • 4 years ago

    Inn the plan above I would switch the refrigerator with the pantry, and eliminate the prep sink. It's just not needed. The kitchen will be so much more open that I don't think it's an issue to raise the window height.

  • 4 years ago

    I'm a fan of the kitchen triangle. I think having the fridge on the other side of the room away from the sink is stressful. This is my new construction design the fridge and wall oven are going to be flipped. I respect all the real designers but I like the cooktop on the island had one for 20 years

  • 4 years ago

    OP has started a new thread with kitchen design

  • 4 years ago
    last modified: 4 years ago

    IMO there's no point in trying to redesign this kitchen without seeing the entire floor plan in a higher resolution, not to mention the rational for the design.

    The prerequisite for successful collaborative design is the dissemination of sufficient information that everyone has an equal chance of success. Anything less is chaos. There are too many ways a redesign of this partial plan could cause a problem elsewhere or eliminate a feature the owner doesn't want to give up.