Kitchen island help much appreciated!
Hi everyone,
Delighted to have found this community on here. I am renovating the kitchen in our new home and although I've had some help and advice I'm finding it all quite overwhelming and struggling to get it exactly right. Would love some advice!
We're going with a Howdens kitchen, which needs to double up as the dining area too.. Fortunately we can put the washer and dryer in the utility room next door so don't need to make room for that.
I'm attaching the early designs sent by Howdens according to the layout I asked for. The kitchen is a good size but not massive (15' x 12'8) and I have had my heart set on fitting in a small island. I'm attaching the latest plans for the kitchen - we're getting nearer, but as I'm not that experienced I'm just concerned about space. Does this island look stupidly small? We've asked for it to be that size so that if we ever needed to fit more round the kitchen table we could squeeze in 8 with enough room. I keep reading that the minimum size for an island is 1m x 1m and this I think is a bit smaller than that.
Also just FYI we're going to put in two little banquettes in the bottom left corner to maximise space round the table, so that table design isn't quite accurate, just something the Howdens desgner has put in.
Thanks so much in advance for any help / tips! (We're currently a family of 2 if that helps visualise how much space we actually need, although we've moved here with the intention of starting a family in this house)
Comments (26)
minnie101
3 years agoThe island does seem out of proportion and I’m not sure the room is big enough with a table but not an expert 😢
just personal opinion but I would have an integrated FF next to the ovens. I assume that’s a larder so would use part of the dresser for that. I don’t think there’s room to stack washing up by the hob so I’d swap the sink and DW. I might also consider an induction hob for a cleaner look. I’d just have a base unit where the Ff is but consider adding shelves above to balance out the wall units.
if it’s in budget you could use the units for the banquette, I like this DeVOL one where they’ve joined it to the dresser
The Loft Shaker Kitchen by deVOL · More Info
Naomi P thanked minnie101Related Discussions
Kitchen island design help
Comments (13)Hi John, I think it's a clever solution you have come up with to allow the play/toy area you wish to be including within the space. As has been mentioned above, I would agree that the bar is on the wrong side as you'd be looking back into the room, away from the view... that said, if you were to open up the downstairs then this could be debatable. Looking at your the second picture you attached, have you considered a t-shape setup... losing the bar area all together? Having two seating areas next to each other won't be your best use of space. You could have a larger/longer island (more storage, front and back) with a decent table coming off adjacent, centralised to the island. Regards, SA Designs...See MoreHelp appreciated with designing a utility cupboard
Comments (9)Thanks for all your really helpful replies guys. It looks like the washing machine will find its way into next door’s ‘Garage’/ covered patio where it will be boxed in as you suggested Jules. You’re right this is quite a common in these parts of the planet. I also think something like a bespoke cupboard/cabinet would then be a good option including the Louvre doors on rails as Jonathan suggested. Blocking the window and loosing a fair bit of space is probably too big a sacrifice. Oh and yes, possibly move the fridge to the wall with the window where a fridge always used to be located before the renovation. I will sadly have to swop this little hot paradise for the cold UK again very shortly (well, I’m actually quite looking forward to going home) but will keep you posted on developments as and when. Not it in the least what will happen to our little family of birds in the ‘garage’. :) Had anyone noticed the nest?...See Moredesign help would really appreciate it
Comments (4)Am assuming you don't use the garage to park a car in, but still need garage space for storing bikes and stuff - so keep the front half of the garage as bike/storage space and then incorporate the back of the garage into the house and knock through from the kitchen. move the toilet into the middle of the house and also create a utility room there. That leaves the whole of the back of the house for kitchen/dining and leaves the Family Room as a snug/family room and the Lounge as proper front room (one of these rooms could also be a kids playroom, depending on ages of kids and how much separation they need). Glass doors can be added to the Family Room to separate it more but still be visible and let light into it....See Morekitchen island plug socket help
Comments (4)I have the equivalent of the sensiopod in my island. Couldn’t manage without it. I keep it down when not in use. When it’s down (retracted) you can’t access the power points because there’s not enough space for the plug to be left in the item when it’s pushed down out of sight (if that makes sense). If there was enough space then yes you could leave the plug in and it would still work....See MoreNaomi P
3 years agoThanks for replying.
I think this island they've sent me is 80 across and 60 deep, but they won't send me over the measurements until I pay my deposit. I've asked the designer to confirm the size of the island so hopefully they will, but yes I think it is too small as is.
I've seen small square kitchen islands that do work, or narrower slimmer islands that are a little longer but I suspect this is the worst of both worlds currently. Here was the original design which had a lip overhang but this felt too messy. Although maybe if this was moved further towards the oven so it comes in line with the larder. Or maybe a freestanding island might have to be the answer, although it does mean we lose some storage.
Minnie101 that's a great idea about the units for the banquette! And thanks for your other ideas, I wasn't sure whether fridge/ freezer next to the ovens was a good idea! I'm definitely considering integrated but also have a Smeg fridge freezer in mind too.
Naomi P
3 years agominipie
3 years agominnie101
3 years agoNaomi P
3 years agoNaomi P
3 years agoMinnie101, no don't worry you're not having a funny moment! (I think I am having a funny week / year!) Yes the 3.8 measurement is from the oven wall to the dresser / radiator wall. So I think that allows the following:
60cm oven unit90cm gap
90cm island
1.4m gap to the wall (with or without dresser)
The reason we're not making the island much longer towards the door is that it would encroach on table space. This was the original design where the island was much bigger and you would never be able to seat anyone else round the table:
minnie101
3 years ago😂 I think a FF is fine next to an oven nowadays btw. I did a great mock up 😂
justwondering if the back door could be moved, could you have a peninsular there and then have a table where the dresser is? If it’s just a 4ft extendable table it might work (I’ve run out of paper to try it!)
Naomi P thanked minnie101Naomi P
3 years agoEllie
3 years agominnie101
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoNaomi P
3 years ago
Juliet Docherty
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agominnie101
3 years agominipie
3 years agominipie
3 years agoOne further thought, what about turning the island around as the room is longer that way? Something like this. - although I have not got the dimensions quite right probably, the island and table would need to be further towards the dresser, but you get the general idea! In this layout the island is a little less useful because it’s not parallel with the main run, but on the other hand it makes better use of the room space IMO.
Naomi P
3 years agoJonathan
3 years agoSwapping the garden door and the window might not be as expensive as you think and would give you additional layout options
Naomi P thanked JonathanNaomi P
3 years agoHi everyone,
Just want to say thank you for all your advice and tips - in a dream world I'd be able to incorporate them all, but as we are moving into a new home with an existing kitchen the shell of it has to stay the same due to our budget (we can't move doors or extend, and we can't swap doors around as the window looks out onto an alleyway).
You have all really made me reconsider the layout in terms of ovens, fridge etc. And I've given up on the island and trying a U-shape peninsula as you can see from the photo. We still have a way to go with the design (the cabinets next to the radiator will go, and the sink may move and the cooker may change, plus the chimney piers may end up altering things ) but I do think this is an improvement!
I would personally love an induction hob and we had one at our old place, but my fiance much prefers gas hobs for cooking in terms of getting the heat accuracy you want, and since he does most of the cooking I let him pick it, but I might re-open that discussion.
Thank you for the recommendation of Karen from one plan as well!
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