Does anybody want to critique my kitchen plan?

[edibletreats]

Hello,

After months on the DIY kitchens planner and a cheeky consultation with Wren, this is what I have come up with.

The red box on the plan will be microwave housing. One set of double doors are from the hallway into the kitchen and the others are pocket doors from the kitchen to the dining room.

The larder unit at the end of the run will be a breakfast station like this containing kettle, toaster coffee machine, cereals and a larder unit at the bottom. cdn.humphreymunson.co.uk/uploads/2017/11/Oak-Lodge-Norfolk-Humphrey-Munson-Kitchen-Low-Res-9.jpg.

The overhang on the island will drop down to allow chair seating rather than stools and will be in oak. Something like www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/51932201938099893/

Would love to hear your thoughts. I think I have got the basics correct - dishwasher next to sink, pull out bin in island between sink and cooker. Washing machine and dryer are in the utility.

Welcome any thoughts and thanks in advance!

Is the side window position fixed or can it be moved?
How will your extractor fan duct to the outside, from the back wall?

I feel the fridge is bulky where it is as you come in the door, also not that accessible from your cooking areas so will be a pain when going to get ingredients.

Ideally I would put the fridge freezer where the hob currently is, as it will be least bulky there ans also very accessible when cooking. Build full height storage around it. Put your larder/breakfast cupboard where fridge currently is - larder is less bulky and nicer looking than fridge so works better there. Then put sink and hob along the side wall. This only works though if you can move the window to one side a bit to make room for the hob as well. It’s less expensive to move a window than you might think...

I would also consider making the island a bit longer, and possibly wider (though this means using shallow cabinets behind the bar stools so they wouldn’t be that useful).

PS if you move hob to side wall this also means you can duct the hood to the outside easily

Oh just saw your comment about the dropped breakfast bar. I wouldn’t do that personally - it will mean each level of the island is very small and a bit useless. Also looks weird IMO. I’d just have a normal breakfast bar like in your mock ups.

Last comment! I wouldn’t have double doors to the kitchen personally, just one door. This means you can have a longer run along that back wall. If you have a longer run there, especially if it’s full height as I suggest above, you may be able to shorten the side wall run which may mean you could fit a table in (if you wanted).

the island looks small - you could make it wider & have a bit more worksurface. I would definitely have all one level not drop-down.

have you got space for rubbish and recycling? and space to have a hand towel and dishtowel?

I would move the fridge freezer e.g. to where you have the tall cupboards and then you have a clear run between the two sets of doors. Then you could make the island much bigger and have storage on both sides. If you need the tall cupboards they could go where the current hob is.

Yes, I’d think about having the fridge closer in, it would drive me crazy having to walk around an island to get to it.

think about changing the position of the handles - so all handles below waist height are horizontal and centred - looks much neater and very easy to get used to

Is the extractor on an outside wall? If not, check the maximum run for the ducting.

Looking at the length of the run to the kitchen window, I think you might be close to the maximum.

Thanks all.

The window might be tricky to move but I can ask my builder.

I initially had the hob and sink in the same run but found it almost impossible to get any wall units in this space due to hood and window.

On the drop down we would like to have chair seating around the island rather than stools. Think it will be more practical given we have young children. Any other ways of achieving this?

I have one of those breakfast units, I love it.
I also looked into having the island drop down into table seating.
I went for a table in the end, just cos it’s a bit more flexible, I can take the table out for extra space or if needed outside.

This is mine

We’ve actually found that the kids sit on the stools and the adults take the table! But our kids are teenagers

I would change the doors by the cooker to a single door, and have a run of units along that wall. This would give you a U shape kitchen, albeit interrupted by a single door.

Then I would remove the island and have a small kitchen table in the middle of the room.

You don’t have to have your sink under a window. Do you have a dishwasher? If you do I would have a much bigger island and put the sink in it so it is more accessible. You can always have a really small sink put into the long run for food prep and/or filling the kettle or even better a boiler tap to get rid of kettle altogether.
With a bigger island you could have deep drawers to store pots and pans. Drawers are so much easier to access for pots and pans, cupborards are a pain in the arse.

Our kitchen is laid out in a very similar fashion (only our sink is further from the cooker and the island is a table) and I’m afraid it drives me up the wall on a regular basis. We don’t have a decent run of worktop. The cupboards are all horrible awkward sizes which should be capable of fitting far more than they are. I am forever walking around and around the table to get to the fridge. There’s always a door or a window in the way of how I want it to flow and I just hate it. If you can move the fridge to be more a part of the kitchen it would help- especially as you don’t have the same problem that we do in that we have an oil fired range AND a cooker for summer to fit in so even less worktop to work with.

I also second the suggestion that if you want table seating in the kitchen you should have a table rather than an island. If you drop a level on the island you’re going to make it a far less useable space than having it all one level (be that table or island height).

I had loads of these type of pics

@Veuvestar that looks amazing. How big is your island?

@Angrymum22 dishwasher will be next tot he sink. Not sure if I like the idea of sink on island as feel it will always look cluttered? Definitely agree on the drawers though. I have all cabinets currently and HATE them

It’s about 3m x 1.1
It has little cupboards on the underside

I wouldn't put dink on the island.
In the drawing the island doesn't look deep enough to do that drop down- it looks only 600mm.
Are you planning on having proper table or do you you have a dining room? A table would be better than island sitting if you have to chose one or the other.

Think my kitchen is a similar size is 7.1m x 4.1
I lose a bit where the chimney breast comes out

I like it!

I would also definitely have the island all one level and not drop the worktop. They won't be little for long and you might regret it I think. Can you get some sort of harness to go onto a bar stool?! I don't know.

Your bar stools need rotating as they are on sideways, just to give you a better idea of how much they will stick out. You could have a longer island and fourth chair along side the others then you could get more storage in.

www.robertdyas.co.uk/child-home-evolu-2-chair-natural-and-anthracite?gclid=Cj0KCQiAnKeCBhDPARIsAFDTLTLP57IAtdrGOb3W2ELgm-V3S7ry1VkZ7wffCgr0PxVDcawUQmdxl0UaAsmrEALw_wcB

I don't know if this is madness?! We're having a similar set up to you (ish) but a dining table so I was just assuming my son would sit there but I guess you don't have a table in the kitchen. They could sit on the sofa though if you're just prepping etc?

We don’t have an island anymore but when we did the DSs used to sit at it in their Tripp Trapp high chairs.

We had a similar layout in our last house. The dishwasher was next to the sink which seemed a great idea in principle but in reality, it became a nightmare to navigate e.g. when it was being unloaded, we had to walk around it numerous times to put things away in the various cupboards and drawers. Similar if you were trying to stack it after a meal and someone else was trying to get to something in the kitchen, it really got in the way.