Kitchen layout

[intheningnangnong]

We are having a new kitchen and with rather more time on my hands I'm looking at the layout and wondering if there is something different that might be a better layout. The architect did it and I've followed and so has the kitchen company. The island is more central in the actual layout.

Would anyone else do something different? It's going to be a full height stack on the left vertical, counter top and cupboards across the bottom of the 'U' just counter top at the sink area.

Anyone suggestions?

Add a prep sink closer to hob. Dangerous as it's drawn right now. Imagine that walk with a pan of just boiled pasta to be drained !

That’s a good idea Wehaveafloater Thanks

I have my hob on the island and then just turn around for the sink on the wall. I also have a sink in the island as well. You will have your back turned on your breakfast bar when cooking. Some people don’t like hobs in an island, but I love mine there. Is your fridge a very long way from your sink. Will it be a trek for veg prep? Why not have a sink at the end of the island near the fridge?

Make sure there are sockets for use near the breakfast bar. (Away from any sink obviously). Will the breakfast bar stools be very close to the dining chairs? Is there plenty of circulation space when chairs/stools are pulled out for use?

I'm definitely going to add a prep sink, can't decide if next to hob (hot water tap and near drink prep), or island. I will mull it over.

The space from the island to the doors/wall is 4m min so even with chairs out (500mm, table 1200mm, stool 500mm should allow easy passing. I think that it's that stools and chairs near each other that's making me question the layout.

I don't want a formal dining room as I just don't feel we eat and live like that (we will use the space for something else), but I wonder if stools and table seem a bit excessive.

Thanks for your comments by the way, I realise it's rather self indulgent ruminating. I just don't think I'll ever do this again so want to get it right.

Have you drawn the working triangle? Fridge, sink, hob/oven. Should be no obstructions and nice and small.

The kitchen looks too big actually IMO!

And you should ruminate for a very long time!

If you measure up and work out a scale you can use a piece of paper and cut out scale pieces for each of the units and appliances. Move the pieces of paper around and have a play.

It’s not a case of just sticking in sinks and appliances wherever you fancy. There will be an existing drain and gas/water supply which has undoubtedly influenced the placement of those items. I was unable to have an extra sink in my island because it would have meant putting loads of expensive plumbing under the floor to connect the water and the drain. My hob had to be located in a position where the ceiling cavity has sufficient height to accommodate an extractor. An electric oven has to be located a certain distance from the on/off switch on the wall so I had to have my oven in a certain spot otherwise they’d have had to rewire and move the switch. Have a chat to your architect and designer, they will explain why appliances have to go in certain locations.

I've inherited a kitchen with a sink far away from the hob and kettle but it's fine really, doesn't bother me much and when we redo the kitchen will keep the same set up roughly. I also have a DD3 so just extra aware when I have a pan of hot water etc

Can I just say that stools and chairs rake up a lot more than 500mm when pulled out to allow sunrise to sit on them. Go to your current dining chairs and pull them away from the table in order to sit down. How far away from the table are they before you sit down? Then you have the same distance for the bar stools. I might question if you need the breakfast bar. Would you like storage facing the dining table for example? I have storage on both sides of my island. Mine is long enough for seating at one end though. How long is the island?

This kitchen isn’t too big. What is the space to the right of the dining table? Is it a door to the patio? Could you use this space for dining?

Water can be moved and so can electrics. So can drains. Just costs more! If it’s an extension then you really can start from scratch.

Depends. My kitchen has a solid concrete floor, there’s no way to run pipes through it. My extractor can’t be vented through the roof at the back so the hob had to be positioned elsewhere. And if the sink is too far from the drain the water doesn’t run away effectively, it just sits in the long pipe and stinks. Yes in most cases you can do anything with enough money, but most people need to consider the cost and choose the cheapest route. If it costs £££ to move the sink then it has to stay where it is.

@PippaPegg I think the need for a prep sink is clear from the triangle. Decision made thanks. Rhodri's point on where though is pertinent.

@Rhodri I'm not sure if the services influenced the layout, but I should ask. There is a lot of building work happening though so it may or may not be possible.

@BubblesBuddy - I'm assuming 500mm sat down, there is 900mm space beyond that for each to move into.

Yes to the right are doors, I really have no idea what the oval shapes are I think they were supposed to show a chair space, but I've been ignoring it.

The island is 3100 x 1200. I'm wondering if I cut the seating on the island down. We always use the dining table, it's just when people are chatting to me that I want them to have somewhere obvious to sit. My last house people used to follow me around into the kitchen work space and it was a total pain!

Where do you enter the kitchen from the hall/garden/house?

Sorry for typos earlier! You got the gist.

Yes I do understand that people chat when you are cooking but you will have your back to them when you are using the hob. My Island is roughly the same length as yours but we have a circular seating area on one end. Could you move the dining table nearer the oval section and nearer the external doors. I’m guessing bifolds? Wouldn’t it be nice to use this space and look out? Maybe use the wall above the oval for a static built in bench and table? This frees up circulation space and getting to the lounge area from the kitchen would be less cumbersome.

I’m not sure if you already have this kitchen built and services installed. However don’t spoil the ship for a ha’peth of tar! Talk to the architect about what you need and how it can be accommodated. Not having it could annoy you for years and you might end up wishing you had extended that water supply!

We come in from the hall NotMeNoNo. The doors are to the left of the utility.

I’ve realised that I’m usually so busy that I’ve not really given this enough headspace. Time to do a bit more planning I think

Get a good kitchen planner? Talk it through. I think it looks quite good, it’s a great size kitchen. We used different objects to lay ours out in the garden and what I thought would be a long walk from the sink was really 2-3 steps not much...and I’ve 3 children’s and a huge family so island seating, dining room and a snug is essential.

I think it's too big actually. I've seen a kitchen where an L shaped island zoned off a more compact working area with the seating area slightly to the side, will try and find photo, that might work

Country Life magazine is good for inspiration. I guess the kitchen should be proportional to the size of the house. I like a big kitchen it is the hub of our home as long as all the space is functional and useable.
Those seating areas on the end of islands look lovely as do the barrel type ends on islands for a bar area. So overwhelming planning the perfect kitchen!

We've just done ours and it's wonderful. Went for a bank of tall units including larder, cooker and fridge along one wall (built up to the celling so no gaps) then a huge peninsula for hob cooking and sink. And a downdraft hob so no cooker hood is needed - gives a lovely clean line.

It means that you are always facing out into the room when cooking and prepping. The peninsula acts as a serving hatch into the eating area, as well as a breakfast bar if needed. You can hand dirty dishes from the table straight across to be located into the dishwasher. It feels very spacious and is a dream to work in - everything is to hand. Our room is smaller than yours - peninsula 3.3m long and is big enough for us (I was worried it would dominate the room but it doesn't).

We used to spend our cooking time looking at the wall,, we now look out onto the garden or to people. It's really changed how we live.

Annotated on your plan - yellow is floor to ceiling and the red peninsula is double depth (so 1.3m deep). The optimum gap between peninsula and wall cupboards is 1.3 m to allow 2-3 people to comfortably work in the space at any one time.

In your design you have to ask what the island is for?

I’m struggling to see the dimensions on the kitchen plan does it say it’s over 6m? If it is it may be a little too big and the island may feel like an obstruction. You have tonnes of worktop space-possibly too much?
My understanding is the convention of working triangles in kitchen design has been slightly altered to be looking at zones-a prep zone, a cooking zone etc with these clustered together.
Think about what you are going to store where-IME you can not really over plan a good kitchen design-I spent months fine tuning ours and I’m glad I did...

@lightlypoached that’s amazing thank you. Rather turned my thinking around so a great option.

@NotMeNoNo that would’ve great thanks

I think laying it out in the garden is a really great idea too. Thanks

Another hint is to think about what you actually do. I spent weeks miming and muttering to myself as I walked through options of making a cup of tea, cooking a meal, laying and clearing the table etc . I looked like a nutter but it paid off. If you can do that with the layout in the garden to get actual space ideas then even better.

To make tea now, fill kettle (6 steps to sink and back), turn round get tea from larder drawer (oooh the larder drawers are amazing!) get cup from larder (no steps) , get milk from fridge (6 steps there and back). Drink tea.

I'd also advise to challenge your thinking. Why can't cups and mugs go in the larder if that makes sense? - glasses don't have to be in a glass fronted cabinet, for example.

We keep tea and coffee with the jam and marmalade in the same larder drawer as they are often used at the same time.

Here, from my trusty Terence Conran book. Note fridge and larders tucked away on other wall but with under counter fridge in work area. I love the two level/serving shelf bit,