And the plans.

Good morning Olivia,

Minimum distance between the wall units and the island should be 900mm all around. 1000-1200mm is most efficient and comfortable if you have more than one person working within the space. The diagonal distance could also go down to 900 or 1000mm so it looks like option 2 should work fine and you could move the island a bit more towards the pillar and make the kitchen island 1400x900, which could give you island with an overhang or units on both sides.

However, best approach would be to think about the overall design of the kitchen area and how to make it functional and beautiful. There maybe other options possible.

I hope it helps.

Kind regards

Inga Kopala

If you need extra storage why not look at swapping the table at the side of the kitchen for more storage?

Have you considered a square island? This could be in proportion to the L shaped run you currently have and the same distance from each run of units. We did not design our kitchen but the square island we have works well in the space and is very practical for cooking and serving.

I would make the island as big as possible and square 1300mm by 1300mm.

Hi Olivia

We are almost in a similar layout while doing extension I was thinking to maximize island and bring cooker or sink on island and utilise the whole wall as storage anyways what ever you go with plz post your completion it's always good to look at different ideas good luck for your project.

Thank you all for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.

Amberth - we’ve plotted out your measurements which has been really useful.

Jonathan - I know, I know! That table is both a love and bane of my life! We bought it when we first married and have dragged it around the world with us and now we are home THIS is the only wall it (almost) fits along.

Hu - such a good idea re open ends not impeding access or flow with doors. Lots of inspiration! Yes, I agree about the light coloured top - I think we’ll put a white quartz top on all the counters (maybe with a grey vein) which I think will brighten the room too.

Shakti - I would love a wall of storage but my husband is super keen on the range cooker! Good luck, too! I’ll post photos. Please post too!

Janet and Jackie - we hadn’t considered a square island! It seems odd that we hadn’t so thanks so much for opening our eyes to that.

We also wanted to maximise storage when we moved from a peninsular arrangement. We ended up with a more or less square island with shallow back to back 60cm drawer units and 2 narrow shelf units - overall it is 120 x 98cm. We mounted it on large, lockable casters so we can move it out of the way if we have a large crowd of people or if we just feel like a change. It is also more flexible with space between it and the fixed units.

Hi Olivia,

Making sure you have sufficient room all the way around the island is very important for flow of the kitchen (especially with the children always by your side). The minimum distance all the way around would be 900 but ideally 950+ if possible.

I really like the Option 2 as is feels like the island is made to the suit the shape of the kitchen.

I would also suggest lovely big pan drawers on the new island, and this will give you much better and more efficient use of space. You could even consider bar stools on the back, to create a social area or a place for the children to sit and do homework whilst you are preparing dinner.

We are a London based kitchen design company and would be happy to discuss further, please feel free to get in touch. My email is lj@pad.london

Libra

Hi Olivia, using drawers in the island instead of cupboard will maximise the efficiency of storage. Also, rotating 90 degrees so that it runs the other way should allow you to make this longer and deeper, potentially even adding casual seating. I would anticipate being able to get Upton 2 x 800 drawer units and 2 shallow depth units on the reverse.