Kitchen Renovation Dilemmas
Help!
We need to order our new kitchen cabinets so that my current wall-less, ceiling-less remnant of a kitchen can be ripped out and replaced with a shiny new kitchen, with shiny new appliances that actually work.
It would be exciting if it wasn’t so damn difficult to make a decisions about something that costs so much money and can’t be changed later when you discovered you got it all wrong!
If you follow me on tiwtter you would have seen me tweeting about my kitchen dilemma over the weekend. I need to finalise our kitchen design now, and I can’t decide!
Do I go with the sink in a good spot but the fridge in a bad one…. or fridge in a good spot and sink in a bad one?
Someone… please… help!
Here are our two kitchen design options…
Kitchen Design 1
This design puts the sink under the window to the side which is where I’d prefer it, but it has the firdge in an awkward spot kind of in no mans lands.
Kitchen Design 2
This design streamlines the whole kitchen which I like, and the fridge is in a good spot, but the sink has to go in our ‘island’ (which is not technically an island since there is walls at each end) bench, which I am not sure about.
Some other things to note about our kitchen…
We will have no over head cabinets, but some open shelves.
But don’t worry about lack of storage because we have a walk in pantry this is much bigger than shown on my drawings above. The pantry will include a bench with power points for appliances like the food processor and bread machine, as well as loads of storage space for food etc.
The door to the pantry limits what we can do along that wall. In design 1 it is a sliding door, in design two it is a regular swinging door.
Our ‘island’ bench is HUGE… over 2.5 metres long and wide as well, so I am not super worried about lack of bench space.
My dilemmas…
I like the uncluttered look of design 2 but I am not sure about the placement of the sink.
If it’s in my main bench that over looks our dining table, will it look terrible to have dishes on a dish rack?
Will it look funny to have the sink at one end of the bench rather than in the middle like I’ve seen in all the photos and houses I’ve looked at?
If the sink is in the main bench does it need to be one of the ones that sits under the bench top? Are they easy to clean?
I love where the sink is in design 1, but I wonder if it is all a little cluttered?
Will it look funny to have the fridge in that position, especially when looking in from the dining area?
Will it be a problem to have the ovens so close to the door way?
Help!
I keep flipping from one decision to the other and back again… and I need to decide… now! So, dear, sweet, lovely, clever readers… tell me what you think?
What do you love or hate about each design?
Sinks in island benches? love them or hate them?
What’s the best place to put a fridge?
My husband has always been a fan of the kitchen island with sinks (actually, the kitchen island with sinks, and pretty much everything and anything else!). I’m definitely coming round to it (I originally thought it would be awkward and putting away stuff would be odd from there ) as I’m realising that, often I can spend a lot of time at the sink and being able to face everyone and everything would be incredibly useful.
that is a good point… if the sink was in the island bench I would be looking out over the dining table, into the family room and out to the back yard….
I like design 2 the best.
I love having my sink overlooking my dining area. All the prep is done at the sink and the bench and I can see the kids at the table or in our living room. It works for me and will be doing the same for our next house.
The island bench like in any kitchen can get messy whether there are dishes there or not I guess it depends if you are a ‘dishes on the sink’ kind of person. I have the dishes in the sink or otherwise they go straight in dishwasher. But it doesn’t really annoy me if there are bits and pieces here and there either. I always think that a kitchen is supposed to be the heart of the home and homes are lived in. Sure designer kitchens look great all neat and tidy, but that is never the case IRL!
I do like the idea of the sink looking out the window but agree the fridge will be in an awkward spot and I know it would annoy me.
I feel for you – a tough call! Good luck!
So do you have one of those under bench/in bench sinks? And do you have fancy taps??
We have one single round sink recessed into our stone benchtop, no drain tray. Looks clean and streamlined. We have a flickmixer type tap that has a long neck and is a square profile.
Having said that in our new house we are building I am just going for a normal single bowl sink with one drain tray and normal style flick mixer. It will still look good and be effective but less $$$ (learn the hard way some times) ;)
um, wowzer !! since I have no design back ground (but have built 1 house previously=lessons learnt!), here’s what I have thought:
Kit #1 – which way does your fridge door open? I personally get annoyed when our fridge door opens the ‘wrong way’ depending on where its located.
Kit #2 – fridge again – do you use the sides of the fridge for storage/timetables/paintings/reminders etc ? you wont be able to use the sides in plan # 2.
Kit # 1 – if the fridge wasn’t there, would you really need that extra bench space noting the size of the island bench?
Kit # 1 – you’ll have more storage in pullout cupboards (width-wise) and some under-bench space under the sinks.
Does your pantry have an opening-inwards door or is it a sliding-recessed one?
If the sink isn’t under the window, what will go (grow) there?? (ie, will it become a dumping ground?)
And if you do put the sinks on the bench, will you have built in dish-drainers on the side? that would take up more bench space.
Personally, I like the sink under the windows – not that you get to zone out much, but hey, better looking out if you can!
Just my thoughts, I wish you a speedy decision and subsequent build!!!
Lauren :)
oh the way the fridge opens is a good thing to think about… that just made Design 1 with the fridge there not work at all… damn!
You can usually adjust/change the way a fridge door opens on a single door fridge. We are in the very early stages of planning on re-doing our kitchen so this is really useful for me. I do agree and like being able to look out from where I’m working so depending on where you tend to spend most time in the kitchen would influence where I put things.
I’ve done this recently and know exactly how difficult it is to come up with a design and colour scheme you’ll be happy to live with for a looong time!
I really like Design #1. It has a more traditional lay-out (IMO). If you’re worried about the fridge looking like it’s in no-mans-land, then perhaps some open shelves next to it (ie: above the end of the benchtop) would help “tie” it to the rest of the kitchen. You can put some cookbooks, a funky clock, a cute vase, etc. there so when you’re in the dining room, you aren’t staring at the side of a fridge.
Design #2 looks very cluttered along the back wall with the fridge, oven and cooktop. But it does seem more streamlined and contemporary which I think would look good if you’re into clean pristine surfaces and can have the island bench clear with just some really funky tapware on display. However, if (like me) you aren’t the clean and pristine kinda person, then Design #1 gives more corners and nooks to store things like canisters and fruit bowls and bread bins.
I’m waffling, I know – sorry about that. I hope that I’ve actually made a bit of sense and not confused you even more!
not waffle at all!
I worry about the fact that I would like a clean uncluttered kitchen, but in reality that is just not me! So the sink in the main bench scares me a little… LOL
I would definitely go with plan 2 – I think the fridge will look better from there and am fine with sinks in the island bench, plan 2 looks more spacious – whatever you decide it will be exciting! once the new kitchen is installed :)
Personally I like the 1st design. More bench space. I have a under the bench top sink and its not to bad to clean. It’s also very deep so room for more dishes in the sink. I’d also put the dishwasher right next to the sink if their is room. My cousin has hers in the island bench it’s not to bad but I didn’t like it she had to always pack away her dish rack cause it looked cluttered.
I, too, like the more streamlined look of the second plan. But I love the sink under the window and I think it is more practical to have the sink near the cooking area.
We have our kitchen sink in our island bench like in your option 2 – and its the only thing I’d change about my kitchen. Unless I wash up after each and every meal it just looks messy. The first thing people see when they walk into my kitchen is my dirty dishes.
So i like your first option simply because the sink is off to the side and your island bench is clean. It also means the bench can be used for school work etc without having to compete with dirty dishes.
Good luck :-)
I really know nothing, but my Mum has a kitchen with a very similar layout to your first design and it drives her crazy. Nothing seems to work for her as well as she’d like it to and she has a hard time keeping the long bench clear- ie. it’s always covered in junk. Goodluck, it’s a tough decision!
Rambles…
I definitely think the first option is the best. It is similar to mine lol! If you want to come over for a visit to see mine, just yell, anytime is good!
I wouldn’t like any dishes left on the island, even if they are clean and draining, and I am not organised enough to have a clear sink all the time, so that would annoy me if the sink was in the island.
Also, I think the fridge in the 1st design is in a great space. Turn one way from the fridge and you are at the island bench space to prepare, turn the other way and you are at the oven/stove. Seems sensible to me!
I also like looking out the window when I am doing the dishes.
And I like the fact the the island is so big and so clear so your kids can do homework/craft/cooking from the other side. If the sink was there, that would disrupt that.
Your choice of course, but IMO, you would probably regret having the sink on the island.
How exciting anyway, new kitchen – whoot!
We LOVE our long island bench with no sink or appliances, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I think design one reflects that whole triangle principle of good layouts for kitchens – aren’t they meant to be more ergonomic or something?
oops, forgot to say, I think as far as I know, you can change the way the door on the fridge opens, so if it seems “wrong”, you can hang it the other way? Don’t quote me on that, but I think that is true?
I thought that was possible too, Juniper.
So Kate, have you thought about colours?
nope… our fridge you can’t change the way the door opens and it is only new so we won’t be changing the fridge any time soon.
And the problem is with the fridge next to the island bench (and no sink in the island) the fridge door opens away from the bench and very awkwardly… so I think that rules out the fridge there :(
Love number 2, have had a kitchen where the sink faces the dining/living and loved it! Ours was one end of the bench as well and never saw it as a problem. Although I hated seeing clean or dirty dishes sitting there, totally bugged me until I sorted it.
I prefer No 1.
I loved our kitchen twitter-thon the other day! My suggestions are, where ever you end up putting your sink, put your dishwasher next to it. Makes it easier if you need to rinse things before loading and you aren’t carting dishes across the kitchen. Having the sink close to the stove top is handy too if you need to drain off hot water or need to place hot pans out of the way.
With our island bench, I chose to have all pull out drawers on the kitchen side for storage, saves bending down looking into cupboards. My pull out drawers stay tidy, but the one cupboard I have, gets out of hand really quickly.
With design 1, can you put the pantry where the fridge is and then move the cooktop and oven along and slot the fridge in next to the oven? Not knowing your dimensions, I have no idea if that works? Looks like design 1 has more storage space under bench, that is always a good thing!
Otherwise, design 2 has all your cooking and food storage along the same wall, which is a good thing as long as you aren’t traipsing too far back to the bench to prep food. We left a gap of 120cm between our island bench and cooking/fridge area, which I find is ideal, as I’m not having to walk between the area I prep in and the oven/cooktop and fridge. I hope that makes sense? I can always share a link so you know what I’m on about.
So many factors to add in aren’t there! Good luck!
Jacinta
I like design 2, and prefer the sink off to the side as it leaves you with more bench room to work on. Also you can then have drying dishes discreetly off to one side also
I would go with plan 1 but why not change over where your oven and fridge go. I am presuming its a wall oven so the unit would “finish off” the bench space. A cabinet to house the fridge with a cupboard above and extend out the bench area where the cook top is so you get better bench space right where you cook. If you have plenty of space in your pantry then you don’t need the extra cabinet next to the oven. Still leaves you with a huge free bench space. IMO of course.
I currently have a double sink set into (slightly above) the island bench and I do like being able to watch the children playing while I do the dishes but I have to wash/dry/put away the dishes when we have visitors coming over.
Personally I like design No 1 better but in reality, I wouldn’t get to wash up as often if I couldn’t actually watch the children (ages 2 and 3). Looking out the window would be lovely but not practical at this time :)
I prefer design one personally. It would bug me having the sink in the island bench and I like having a window in front of the sink so you can look out and dream. I like where the fridge is too in design 1, and the more nooks and corners in a kitchen the better for me!
I’m all for design one. It has the triangle shape that’s suppose to help kitchen flow, and it looks like something I’d choose. Having a sink against a window is nice I think. And a big clear bench. Love it!!