Any ideas of how to design this kitchen space?

[Wantarest]

Hi

Would you help me solve a design issue?

Originally we were not planning on having an island. However, things have changed a bit, which means it would be a sensible addition given a change to how the space now works.

The issue we are facing is about where to locate the fridge, freezer, hob and sink.

Currently we have them as per the second image but the position of the fridge and freezer seems a bit obstructive when you enter the room. We want something less jarring on that left hand side wall. We are struggling to arrange the hob, sink and fridge/freezer in an efficient triangle without having to make a journey from one side of the room to the next (like we currently do).

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

I'm not an island fan, so I'd scrap the island, and have an L shaped kitchen using the run with the hob and then across the wall labeled dining room.
Is that actually a wall? Or is is open plan to the diningroom? If it's a wall, the freezers can go there.
Where is the window?

Apologies, for my rubbish drawing. There isn't a wall where the dinning space is. It is open plan and the far wall in the dinning room is glass doors leading to the garden. The kitchen space is the space I have drawn and the dinning space is opening onto the garden - large glass sliding doors.

We're not huge island fans either but it seems the best way to get counter space. The crowding of the doorway into the kitchen is what we are most worried about.

Bump 😥Please give me some ideas.

I wouldn't have the sink on the Island, unless you are a very tidy person .... we've got the hob on the Island and the sink just behind it. So you can pile stuff up in sink and not worry about it looking dead messy and also leave stuff to drain and dry and the Island looks nice.

I'm not a tidy person.

I think the problem is if you put the fridge and freezer anywhere else they'll get in the way when the doors are open. We had a fridge that blocked the pathway in and out of the kitchen whenever it was open. That was a pain,

We've got a long run now so the fridge isn't that close - but it's not really an issue.

Basically I'd swap the hob and sink but apart from that looks ok.

We also put a small beer/wine fridge in at the other end of the run so that anyone (DH's kids) just after alcohol can fill up without getting in the way of cooking.

I personally like the island top clear to give a nice chunk of counter space. I have my sink and hob on the long wall. I then have an L shape with the door to the utility ‘hidden’ as it looks like a kitchen cupboard and the fridge freezer is integrated so it looks like a run of cupboards

I’d have an L shaped kitchen with breakfast bar - have an integrated fridge and freezer (one of each) under the breakfast bar bit - I hate my island - the sink is in it and it’s always a mess!!!

I have sent you a PM with our layout as our space is similar to yours.

Thanks everyone and sorry that I've only had the chance now to read. I have been away and snowed under with work. Thank God it is Friday, as they say.

I will consider not putting the sink on the island. It is a great observation about the untidiness of dish-drying and full sink of stuff. I was advised though that the hob should be against an external wall to make extraction easier. Did anyone receive that advice? Also, what are your thoughts about not facing an outside view when doing the washing up?

One other thing, I wanted a range cooker rather than an integrated cooker. Would that change your design concept?

We don't have an outside view when washing up, I slightly worried about it, but frankly most stuff goes in the dishwasher.

The extraction point is a good one, we got an integrated hob and downwards ventilation, so a duct had to go under the new floor and the ventilation unit takes up about half the cupboard underneath.

I looked at ranges as I like the look, but tried out my sisters, and maybe it was just hers, but the oven compartments aren't very large...

I prefer my double oven and combi set up.

I much prefer hob on the island IF you can get a flush ceiling extractor to work - not always possible, depends if you can run the ducting through the ceiling to the outside or not.

Fridge is right where it is. You will have a door into the kitchen anyway I presume, so the door folds back against the side of the F/F. It doesn’t feel obstructed as you walk in. I’ve seen lots of kitchens with this layout (victorian terrace with side return done) and 95% of them have the FF in that position because it works best.

I know your drawing isn’t to scale but it looks like your island is a long way from your ff, if so this will drive you mad. I’d aim for a gap of 1.2-1.3m between fridge and island and about 1.1m between island and wall run. Have a bigger space between the island and the pantry, pantry is not part of the triangle and that is also the main entrance/exit to garden route

I prefer oven and sink on wall and the island kept clear so I have a lovely big surface

I wouldn’t put a range in an island. But then, I wouldn’t choose a range ever again having switched to induction and separate ovens.

. I was advised though that the hob should be against an external wall to make extraction easier. Did anyone receive that advice?

We’re doing downdraft hob on island and sink under window. Long run along that wall, with dishwasher, drawers, glass-fronted wall cabinets.

then on perpendicular wall, tall units - pantry, fridge freezer, ovens. Other 2 doors have French doors and opening to dining room.

Can you mark windows on plan?

I agree don't put sink on the island if you can avoid it.

My sink is side on to a window (tiny kitchen) doesn't bother me, I'm usually listening to radio/podcast when washing up.

Fridge/freezer are in the best place in your plan, I think. Will they be integrated?

Your problem is the two doors. It will make your kitchen a passageway (I speak from experience). Can the utility be accessed from the hallway? If it is a utility for laundry/cleaning etc it doesn't need to be opening to the kitchen. The other option would be to relocate the kitchen to the dining area and have the dining table by the doors (no need to close off the utility door then).

Costly perhaps, but might be worth a consideration if your budget will stretch.

My drawing is definitely rubbish. There will be a space of around 1.5m between the fridge/freezer and the island.

I had not thought much about the (dis)advantages of a range vs integrated cooker. I will look into the issue of the limited space in the range versus the integrated hobs.

And thanks so much for the advice about the position of the fridge/freezer. It made me realise that I need to change how the door opens. You are so right. Opening it towards the fridge/freezer would help. That's not how it is as the moment so I will definitely get that done.

Wonderfully helpful insights shared by all of you. Thanks.

@Whataretheodds unfortunately there are no windows except the wide open space and roughly 9m of glass windows/sliding door onto the garden (about 5ms of that will be seen directly from the kitchen, the other 4ms is seen from the separate living room).

@KitchenSinkLlama we did consider having an access from hallway into the living room. Unfortunately this would have deprived us of a downstairs toilet or we would have had to use the utility room to house a toilet and the space is simply not enough to allow this comfortably.

Also, there is a door that leads out of the utility room into the side walkway.

@Wantarest that doesn't sound like an issue window-wise

How wide is the room and how wide is the space for fridge/freezer?

Thanks @Whataretheodds we had thought about windows somewhere where the hob is currently drawn but it would reduce wall space and we would be looking at the concrete/fencing that goes along the side access.

@Bruisername in terms of the size. The space we have allocated for the kitchen is 3.7m by 5.3m approx. The wall space where the fridge/freezer would fit is about 2m. They will be integrated into cupboards.

I feel very encouraged by the door swing position idea. Such a little thing but it may just be the solution to having the peace of mind about possible obstruction on entering. Still need to think about hob vs sink.

You mumsnetters are fantastic problem solvers.

Oh. I meant not having a window sounds fine - you'll have plenty of light from the other end

If you're worried about clutter from dirty dishes, I highly recommend having two dishwashers. Then you'll always have somewhere to hide dirty things. If two full size don't work in the space, then two slimline ones are still MUCH better than one full size.

Re. what to put on the island, we were initially going to put the hob there, but eventually decided to leave the island completely free as a workspace. It also works really well as a serving area for big dinners or for parties, as the dining area is on the other side of the island from the kitchen. Our kitchen is a wide U-shape, with the hob and sink on perpendicular arms of the U and pantry cupboards that don't need to be accessed too frequently on the third arm.

I would really like to leave the island free of hob or sink but where would I put both the hob and sink so that I have an easy triangle between fridge/freezer, hob and sink?

I think the easy triangle thing can be overstated. We've never really had that and it's not that much of an issue. More important to me was having enough work surface around the hob....

I wouldn't get too hung up on having a perfect triangle. Our fridge freezer is at one end of the run with the hob on it, opposite the island, and the sink is at right angles. So it's a rather flattened triangle, though it all works well.

In your case, the layout might be complicated by the doorways interrupting the runs of units around the outside. If you want ideas specifically for your own kitchen, I'm afraid plan that's more to scale will probably be needed. What are the units marked "4" on the second plan, please?