Help with kitchen floorplan

[kbkids]

I'm not even sure how much can be changed at this point, as the floor plans are now at the county and permits being obtained. So, it may be too late anyway.
But, I'm having second thoughts on the island cooktop.
What are your ideas?

On the bottom wall, that's the pantry to the far left, and the wall ovens directly next to it.

 

[Beth76]

What are your "second thoughts"? The only thing I would change about that would be to add a bar to the side (closer to the oven). I would raise it up a few inches just to seperate the bar/stove top. I'm not sure I've ever seen an island stovetop that didn't have some space behind it. If you had little ones, I would be afraid of them sneaking around the back and putting fingers up there.

 

[clarabelle]

I am assuming you know that you will have to get some kind of downdraft right?
Aside from that and also what beth mentioned about usually there is some kind of "space" it looks good to me.
I have an island sink and the cooktop is about where your sink is.

 

[thelionqueen]

Is your island just the cooktop? Is there no room for seating or any additional counterspace?

I would suggest expanding the island to include seating. I love our island mainly for this reason. I can seat 5 around while I cook. My boys love to watch and I'm the center of attention at family gatherings. Also, I agree with PP, make sure your cooktop is away from edges well enough to avoid little fingers as well as pot handles sticking out too far.

 

[kbkids]

Yup, that's my second thought! I've seen it done this way - a friend of mine actually has it, and she likes it, but I'm just a little nervous now. I wish I could make the island wider, but there's only 3 1/2 feet on each side now, and I'm worried about leaving too little space. Our last kitchen was only 3 foot on either side of the island - could get too cramped at times, especially when oven doors or dishwashers were open.

 

[kbkids]

I am assuming you know that you will have to get some kind of downdraft right?
Aside from that and also what beth mentioned about usually there is some kind of "space" it looks good to me.
I have an island sink and the cooktop is about where your sink is.

That's exactly what I'm considering swapping. Sink and dishwasher in the island.

 

[kbkids]

My other thought was moving the cooktop to the peninsula area. There is a raised bar there with barstools and then just leaving the island as open counter space.

 

[Sandy22]

I agree with the previous poster. What's the point on an island if you can't have people sitting there? I would add a raised counter ledge - maybe 18 inches deep - behind the cooktop. Then you could add a couple of barstools for sitting.

I see you already have a breakfast bar in the nook. Is the passage way behing the cooktop and main passage to the rest of the house? If it's going to be a high volume passage, then I would consider switching the sink and the cooktop or just moving the cooktop to the same wall as the sink. I personally don't like the look of a range hood in the middle of a room so I would always place my cooktop next to a wall.

 

[luv2nascar]

I hate my island and will never have another one if I can help it. I prefer eat in kitchen with table where island would be. You need a really big kitchen for that though. I don't have a cooktop on my island. I do have two bar stool on one side. I just find the whole thing a waste.

 

[kbkids]

I agree with the previous poster. What's the point on an island if you can't have people sitting there? I would add a raised counter ledge - maybe 18 inches deep - behind the cooktop. Then you could add a couple of barstools for sitting.

I see you already have a breakfast bar in the nook. Is the passage way behing the cooktop and main passage to the rest of the house? If it's going to be a high volume passage, then I would consider switching the sink and the cooktop or just moving the cooktop to the same wall as the sink. I personally don't like the look of a range hood in the middle of a room so I would always place my cooktop next to a wall.

Our kitchen really isn't going to be wide enough for seating within the kitchen area - it would just get in the way. Our last house had an island which was used as a prep area, and I really liked that.

Wasn't planning to use a range hood - we'd be using a downdraft.

 

[Lisa F]

My personal opinion is that if you're going to have a mean little island like that (it looks 2' wide by 5' long to me) with only a 3-1/2' aisle around it you might as well not have an island at all. I had a kitchen once with the same setup and it really just cut off one side from the other, I always wished it wasn't there. If I were you (and I'm not) I would eliminate the island, center the cooktop on the run of cabinets left next to the wall oven (and put a decent range hood over it, a downdraft is virtually useless) and enjoy a more spacious feeling less cut up kitchen. You have a TON of prep counter space around the sink and everything and that would still leave you plenty of counter space to land things on and off the stove/ovens on the other side of the kitchen.

 

[kbkids]

My personal opinion is that if you're going to have a mean little island like that (it looks 2' wide by 5' long to me) with only a 3-1/2' aisle around it you might as well not have an island at all. I had a kitchen once with the same setup and it really just cut off one side from the other, I always wished it wasn't there. If I were you (and I'm not) I would eliminate the island, center the cooktop on the run of cabinets left next to the wall oven (and put a decent range hood over it, a downdraft is virtually useless) and enjoy a more spacious feeling less cut up kitchen. You have a TON of prep counter space around the sink and everything and that would still leave you plenty of counter space to land things on and off the stove/ovens on the other side of the kitchen.

It's an option we're definitely considering. It is 2x5, but I absolutely can't stand doing prep work on a counter with a cabinet right in my face - it drives me ntus! That's just me. We have that now, and I hate it. We had a small island like this at our last house, and I really miss it during prep time. It initially did get in my way, but I got used to it, and it really didn't bother much after then.

I have thought about moving it to that bottom wall, but my concern is things looking off-center. Like the sink is definitely the focal point on that top wall, so shouldn't the cooktop be centered on the other wall??

My architect would die if she knew I was considering changing this again. I can't begin to tell you how many revisions we went through on this kitchen!!

 

[Nicolepa]

I wouldn't put the sink dishwasher on the island. There would really be no way to stack (or in my case pile) dishes beside the sink. I'd be worried about things falling off while you are washing and breaking. Also you want your dishwasher to be near the cabinet where the dishes will live. Trust me on this one, it is a pain to have to walk across the kitchen (or even just turn around with the dishes in your hand).

I might move the cooktop by the bar area and just leave the island solid so that you have a place to put things. It would make a great buffet area etc. Or another idea would be to make it a rolling island so that you could move it out of the way if you needed to for any reason.


I do think how it is now is a bit odd. The island (at least the way it is pictured) is too small to have a cooktop. Also I would consider a 5 burner cooktop. I didn't think it would make a difference but I love it. The extra burner is great for simmering sauces, or to put hot pans/cookie sheets ect. I would never be w/o a 5 burner stove again.

 

[kbkids]

http://www.kraftmaid.com/rooms/index.cfm?navigationid=212XX&specieid=4&roomsceneid=401

This is the look it would be similar to if we leave it as a cooktop island. And yes, it will definitely be a 5-burner stove.

I do like the idea of the rolling island, except how "stable" are they. Honestly, it would probably be in the kitchen more than not. We do alot of entertaining, and that island got used ALOT!!!

 

[Lisa F]

The island is not too small for a cooktop (30" wide is the standard) but it does rather seem like "we'll get an island in her no matter what it takes." There is enough landing space on each side (15"). I have 15" to one side of my stove and it's plenty when I put something down there (I have much more on the other side of my stove).

Regarding not wanting to prep with your face in a cabinet, you have no windows there so the nicest prep space is the peninsula anyway which actually faces some natural light rather than the island anyway.

IMO there is absolutely no need for you to line up the cooktop with the stove. The only place that you will perceive that it is lined up is if you look at a floor plan. In reality it's more important for the individual sections of your kitchen to be balanced as individual pieces... ie your cooking wall is nicely composed and your sink wall is nicely composed. Think about standing in the kitchen, there is nowhere you can stand in there where you can understand that the sink and the stove are directly across from each other. From outside the kitchen you will be looking at things at an angle anyway. Symmetry can be good but too much isn't good... functionality is WAY more important than some artificial relationship across the room between the sink and the cooktop.

Just the opinion of another architect .

 

[pattyT]

you should be able to change it - no prob
we changed ours significantly from the plans...

Personally I would put the stove on the wall to the right
and keep the island open for prep...seating etc...

the island doesn't look like very usable space but more a sloating cooktop!

 

[Lisa F]

http://www.kraftmaid.com/rooms/index.cfm?navigationid=212XX&specieid=4&roomsceneid=401

This is the look it would be similar to if we leave it as a cooktop island. And yes, it will definitely be a 5-burner stove.

except that they have about 4.5' of space between the island and the counters behind (and no counters in front where the camera is, looks like an upholstered chair or something) whereas you have 3.5 feet of space on two sides. The feeling will be fairly different, you're talking about "only a foot" between the cabinets but that foot gives the picture 30% more of an aisle.

 

[kbkids]

except that they have about 4.5' of space between the island and the counters behind (and no counters in front where the camera is, looks like an upholstered chair or something) whereas you have 3.5 feet of space on two sides. The feeling will be fairly different, you're talking about "only a foot" between the cabinets but that foot gives the picture 30% more of an aisle.

I was meaning the island itself for those who couldn't picture it. Like I said, I've seen it in a kitchen exactly this size, and it doesn't look strange, but I am concerned about the safety aspects of it.

 

[Lisa F]

I was meaning the island itself for those who couldn't picture it. Like I said, I've seen it in a kitchen exactly this size, and it doesn't look strange, but I am concerned about the safety aspects of it.

No, just to clarify I had that in a kitchen and it didn't look strange. Functionally it was not the best. Downdrafts do virtually nothing (you might as well not have anything unless you have a really expensive fancy retractable one) and yes, there is a safety issue of someone coming around behind the cooktop. Also if you have splatter it's going to go all over the floor and cabinets rather than against a backsplash (there's a reason you put things like tile and granite back there). I just think it interrupts the flow in general but it won't look strange.

 

[kbkids]

IMO there is absolutely no need for you to line up the cooktop with the stove. The only place that you will perceive that it is lined up is if you look at a floor plan. In reality it's more important for the individual sections of your kitchen to be balanced as individual pieces... ie your cooking wall is nicely composed and your sink wall is nicely composed. Think about standing in the kitchen, there is nowhere you can stand in there where you can understand that the sink and the stove are directly across from each other. From outside the kitchen you will be looking at things at an angle anyway. Symmetry can be good but too much isn't good... functionality is WAY more important than some artificial relationship across the room between the sink and the cooktop.

Just the opinion of another architect .

That makes sense. But would that side of the kitchen be overbearing? I mean, pantry, wall ovens, cooktop and hood and then other side - just the sink. I guess I'd have to draw it out and see.