Will your DW be left or right of the sink? That would be the place for dirty items to go as you finish with them during prep. Hopefully, it will be empty and ready to load when you start the prep.

@decoenthusiaste Hmm. Well, the way our current kitchen works, dirty dishes go on the non-DW side and drying dishes (all those pesky top row plastics that don't dry well), along with stuff that can't go in the DW due to size, sit on top of the DW on a drying mat. Some of that stuff really can't be fully towel dried, like tupperware lids and thermos tops, so it will need a spot to dry completely. UGH I think I'm going to miss my wall sink.

To answer your question, the DW is at the end of the island to the right of the sink away from the prep space. I have about 4.5' of counter next to the sink to the left.

How does the island relate to the dining/eating area? If a dish storage drawer is on the dining side and you have room for the DW beside it, that is convenient. Or the drawer and DW can flank the sink, with drawer closest to dining. Some would rather have a trash pullout to one side of the sink. In my case, I'd need a scrap receptacle so the prep cuttings could be saved for the chickens. lol

HA. I would LOVE to have all drawer bases but in the production build world, which is what I can afford right now, it is not an option. I added pullouts to the base drawers opposite the DW but I don't think they'd be great for dishes. They'll probably live in upper cabs, which is fine for me. I get a drawer stack under the rangetop but I'll be putting pans in those. I have another drawer stack next to the trash, which I will use for prep tools and bowls.

The layout of the house is actually NOT great for dining-kitchen proximity, so placement of plates/dishes will not be convenient to the dining room regardless, but we will have a beverage center on that side of the kitchen as well, so at least plates can be grabbed with beverages (sink will have a RO faucet as well). Plates will likely live in the upper cabinet across from the DW. I typically serve in the kitchen, anyway, so we don't usually set the table. The kitchen as it is will function well for cooking at least, IF I can develop a system for keeping the area around the sink clear. We don't intend to use the dinette as a dinette (we extended the island 2' more from the standard 8' so won't have room for a table there).

I guess my question was more about how people handle the cycle of dishes and prep when they both need to happen at the same space. I have never actually prepped next to my sink so whether it was surrounded by dishes didn't really matter. And of course, all photos of island sinks show them totally clear, not how they'd look in the midst of every day living.

We're doing the same thing as you and that was also a concern to me. I am going to get a workstation sink to help the process and if needed I'll throw a cutting board to the left of the sink during prep. My mom has it this way now and it's extremely nice when I'm cooking over there. I usually put dirty dishes in the sink (or if it's after prep is done can use the space where the cutting board is) and then I plan to put the dishes that are drying on the drying rack over the sink (Franke sells a generic one that rests on the counter and goes OVER the sink) or putting things that need additional drying from the DW directly above the DW (it's to the right on my plan as well) on a drying pad. We go through a LOT of dishes in a day and based on our current setup and my mom's I think my plan should be doable. Hopefully it helps you and definitely check out the Franke drying roll (easy storage!).

@Andrea I actually have one of those drying mats now - those are great, but I usually need extra space!

I think I'll just need to get my DH to get everything put away in the morning, otherwise I'll end up cleaning up before I cook which I don't want to have to do (I already do all of the cooking so cleanup is supposed to be HIS responsibility ;).

Wash as you go. I have a drying mat next to the sink and wash each prep dish as I finish with it, or put it in the DW. The same goes for the pots and pans used for cooking. I usually have most of prep cleaned up before I put a meal on the table.

Drying mats are great. A double drawer Fisher Paykel dishwasher may help. Can always have one drawer ready for dirty dishes. LOVE FP dishdrawers.

And yes, they are expensive, but not much more than a Bosch, and you get two dishwashers in one space. And, frankly, Bosch seem to be having problems these days.

I've owned 2 FP Dishdrawers (two different houses) and cannot say enough good things about them. Totally helped me keep my kitchen neat and clean. Better than any other dishwasher I've owned (including a Bosch.... ).

Good luck!

@Sherry Brighton I think it would take me longer to cook if I did that! I use a lot of dishes when I cook (almost everything is from scratch, so I mix a lot of sauces and dressings), so cleaning everything up is a big task. Plus, what would DH do? (I already take the bulk of home tasks on myself, so I'm not really ready to take on more).

@User our appliances are sold as a package through the builder. I suppose I could try to sell our new dishwasher and replace with a double drawer FP - but I will still have dishes around my sink.

Sigh. This is kind of just confirming my own belief that clean up sinks on islands are bad ideas. At least I was able to get 2 extra feet of counter space on mine. Bottom line it sounds like we're just going to have to become more diligent about putting away dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

@anj_p I'm with you completely, I'm always cooking and cleaning up and the last thing I want to do is look at the dishes drying! The only way I can see doubling what we have for space is by using the new over the sink drying rack for stuff I hand wash and continuing to use the microfiber drying mat for things like the lids that just don't dry in the DW. This way I essentially have two drying areas and as a bonus any dirty dishes I put in the sink would be under the drying rack and hidden and leaving the rest of my sink open for food scraps, getting water, etc. Hopefully you can find a solution too, it's definitely not just you having this problem even with all these crazy modern accessories available! Good luck with your project!

ps- this is sort of what i'm envisioning except flipped and instead of having cocktails and pickled foods i'd have my microfiber drying mat there (i know, glamourous).

@anj_p I make everything from scratch too. Granted I waste a lot of water, but it only takes a minute to wash the prep bowls and measuring cups etc. I get nuts about dirty dishes and clutter, and find that taking the time to clean as I go reduces stress. I am one for mis en place so I have most everything ready anyway.

@minimommy so glad you mentioned the FP double drawer dishwasher--I've had my eye set on them since I started planning my kitchen reno for the exact reasons you stated--just flow throughout the day. Small load--no worries just start it, as dinner is cooking you can unload and then load the next one. My only concern is large dishes or prep bowls fitting in the drawers. No where near me stocks them in person!

They are difficult to find in-person. My first one I found at Lowes and it was a display. . I then bought a brand new one in about 2018 that was even nicer. They are fantastic for keeping things neat. Never have anything sitting in the sink! Kitchenaid I think also has the drawer dishwasher though I have no experience with that brand. I think you can get 2 tall drawers -- not sure. I had all size dishes, pots, and pans and didn't notice much difference between what would fit in a regular dishwasher and in a drawer... of course can't speak to what would / would not fit for you. One thing I did discover is they don't need much detergent-- it was why I had cloudy dishes. I backed off the amount and all was good. I always wonder why the little drawers for detergent are so big when it only needs to be about 1/4 full. Good luck!