kitchen island sizing help

5 years ago

Hi, I am looking for some advice. I’m in a fortunate position of designing a kitchen of my dreams.

Currently, designed we have 1.2m all around the island, but was wondering whether the distance on either side of the island (circled black in photo) should be more eg 1.3/1.4m on the basis that they are also walkways through the utility/hallway doors (in which case we would make the island smaller) Would that give a much needed sense of more space?

But on the other hand would the kitchen be less cohesive because of the greater distance needed to get to the island from the fridge/main kitchen sink?

When is it too wide?! Thank you for your thoughts

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Comments (3)

PRO
OnePlan
5 years ago
I would say the distances. At 1.2m are fine if you are in England. Unless you have a wheelchair user in the house, or if you may have within the lifetime of the kitchen . Then 1.4m all around would be better.

I would suggest you consider cutlery and deep china storage drawers nearer to the dishwasher.
If you really need 4 seated at the breakfast bar then I’d suggest you change the 300 end cabinets for 150 ones as will be a squeeze for four in just 2.2m

Otherwise it looks a workable design !
Jonathan
5 years ago
I think 1200 is a good clearance- I have 1000 which is fine but they reckon that 1200 is right if you have two people in the space.

If you had a smaller island I think the island would look too small so I wouldn’t make the walkways bigger. In addition you currently have a foot hole for the stools that is 2200mm- in my opinion this is more comfortable for 3 stools than four so you certainly don’t want to go smaller. In fact you may want to swap the 300mm units and replace them with end panels.

I hope you don’t mind other observations too. To continue the symmetry I think I would centre the range to the wall and island. Perhaps 900mm drawer units each side of the range would fill the space and personally I would rather have drawers there than behind you when cooking. I think I would also swap the extractor hood for something more decorative since it is the only thing you see when sat at the island.

For me I also feel that the American Style fridge has had its day in high end projects and I would rather see two integrated appliances. You could have a side by side larder fridge and larder freezer that would have more chiller space than an American Style fridge or you could have 70/30 fridges side by side. You can get a 900(ish) wide integrated fridge freezer too but this is often a more expensive option. For visual interest interest you could fit this wall with a breakfront.

Personally I think the island is one place you don’t need symmetry. Personally I would put the prep sink at one end so the prep area is uninterrupted. I would also include a large pull out bin cupboard so you can easily dispose of recycling and food waste. The island also seems like a great place to integrate a microwave rather than having it cluttering a worktop.

Lastly I think I would probably add either some wall cabinets or paint the sink wall in the cabinet colour to balance the tall units at the other side of the room.
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If you have the space, definitely the first option, mine is 1200mm x 2300, I have no hob on island but it's definitely not too far to have conversation with someone on the other side :-). I'm just imagining it, if you have 900mm that is too close for guests sit, they won't have much space to put their drink down if the hob is right in front of them. Also it's a safety thing, if they are sitting down in front of you cooking they could potentially end up with oil on their face if it spits or having their face steamed lol. I'm not sure about having 4 seats in a row on the island, they do look nice in photos but what about when guests are sitting there and you're not cooking, everyone will be sitting in a row and it's hard to talk to people. I have 4 seats towards one end of the island, 2 on the one side and 2 on the other in a L shape, when I have people round, it's quite socialable as we can all see each other without turning our bodies or heads too much :-). Also as you have mentioned, lots of storage options in your first option. As clemfandan said, make sure you incorporate an overhang on the island on the seating area ( usually 300mm ) otherwise people will have no where to put their legs :-)
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Yasif
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you OnePlan and Jonathan (I can’t seem to reply to each post individually). Really grateful for your thoughts and Jonathan especially for considering other bits of the design. I think initially we will relook at the bookcase ends on either side and then plough through the other bits. Thank you again

kitchen island sizing help

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kitchen island sizing help

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