What is this cut out bit in this kitchen for?

[welcome2021]

I've been browsing a catalogue today and found this picture of this kitchen. What's the cut out bit in the island for do you think?

Why did I click on this thread? This is going to annoy me all day!

It’s obviously something the people who designed the kitchen felt it was worth sacrificing worktop space for.

The gap down the back makes me think appliance or simply unfinished.

Wine fridge?

It's too low for anything like a microwave and too high for a toddler step-up

It's not going to be for a coffee machine or a microwave unless it's aimed at a child, very short person or a wheelchair user, which would be a bit pointless as the rest of the kitchen is not equally accessible for them.
Agreed. It’s such an awkward height and I’m a short arse.

It’s the weird side that doesn’t come up to the same height as the work surface that is bothering me. Things like a dog / cat bed / feeding station wouldn’t need a side (and way too close to a food prep area for most people surely?!).

@PheasantsNest

It's been very badly made. The end panel isn't flush with the worktop.

I think that's deliberate, otherwise it would look as if they'd just forgotten to fix on a front panel. My money's on a place for cookbooks.

But surely it wouldn't be in catalogues or websites or promoting a business on Houzz if it was unfinished? It's really annoying...why? Why? 🤔

Maybe some sort of commercial kitchen equipment? Like a hot cupboard with bain marie or gantry?

I can see any other commercial kitchen appliances in there, but it might be useful if it was being run as a B&B for example.

Maybe someone was playing the long game, and installed it merely to perplex mumsnetters at a future date ....

Somewhere to plonk shopping bags?

Somewhere to dump the crate of groceries when you have done an online shop?

We looked at a house that had a steam oven fitted in the island unit around that height but as far as I remember it was under the counter top.

It does look quite odd.

Junk/laundry pile holder?

Half eaten cereal box graveyard? Place to empty school backpacks away from main food prep area?

Place for a 24 pack of Monster Munch?

Mini fridge, books, a seat

Unloading takeaways?

Whatever it is, it's ugly. It looks like that bit in a cafe where they keep the trays.

OP please contact the company and enlighten us ASAP

I think it's so you can kneel in it and actually reach the centre of the island.

(I don't really, I expect it's for an appliance, but that is a huge counter top where you probably can't reach the middle!)

For a huge whicker basket to keep the oranges

I've shown this to my cat, and she has told me it doesn't meet her exacting requirements. She would prefer it to be fully self-contained.

I've shown this to my cat, and she has told me it doesn't meet her exacting requirements. She would prefer it to be fully self-contained.

🤣🤣🤣

@TheRealHousewife

I’ve never worked out how to do a reverse photo search. Is it easily explainable? Please share 😬🙏

I'm on Google Chrome and I just right click the picture then "search google for this image".

This is the website with the full picture - here

Still no idea though - it looks bloody awful, whatever it is! I agree with PPs that it looks like a place that you'd put a pile of trays in a cafe.

I don't like that there's a gap behind the cupboards beside it either. I can only imagine the dust/crumbs/crap that would end up behind there.

I thought it was for cookbooks, but why would you not continue the worktop over the top of it? Surely that end panel is not going to take much pressure being unfixed on two sides (we all know how kids like hanging off of things whenever possible).

Elf on the shelf performance space?

I'd be worried about the end panel getting damaged

Afterthought compact dishwasher or wine fridge?

Not quite enough height so they bodged it by taking a chunk off the island worktop?

Defo a bed for the cat. They don't like to be too close to the floor. Just needs a nice little bespoke fitted cushion.

The side of the island with the mysterious space and drinks shelf seems different from the rest of the island units. The handles, the profile of the doors... Looks to me as if someone's built that bit at a later date, possibly building it under the worktop overhang where a set of stools previously lived. Maybe before the orangery extension the worktop was all they had as an eating option in the kitchen. Then it was massively extended and they were able to fit a dining table, so someone who doesn't have much of an eye added a few poorly-adapted units to fill the space.

I'm sure it all made sense to them at the time but obviously it looks awful now and it's bizarre that the agent chose to photograph it so clearly. Must have been a man: any woman would have looked at those gaps and the mismatch and winced.