Your island and the location of the frig, will require you to walk around the island for everything...right through the cooking area. I hate to use "catch phrases" but it is a barrier island. Imagine getting something from the frig, walk past the stove to rinse it, back to the stove to cook it. If someone is working there already, it's a bottleneck.

Hmmm. What if I flip flop the mudroom entry and refrigerator?

At minimum, swap Fridge and Ovens. Also, make your window at the Sink wall as big as you can - do a triple window - and do windows down to the counter. Not maxing out my windows is a big regret of mine.

Just so you know, you'll be prepping on that short end of the island. That's not so bad, as you probably have about 42" of space there. However, I've seen it mentioned that people prefer to have the range face the long side of an island due to the greater working area.

Your seating overhang looks kind of small. If it's counter height seating (36" high), it needs to be at least 15" deep to allow for knees to fit under it. If bar height (42" high), it needs to be 12" deep. Some contractors like to skimp on that, but bodies take up the same amount of space in the aisle, so you may as well make them comfortable by having a good amount of overhang so they can rest their elbows and eat over their plates without bending forward awkwardly.

OH wait... I thought the frig was at the bottom of the plan against the mudroom wall. Now I see it at the end of the run. Better...but not ideal. At some point there may be little helpers (and little helpers grow into big helpers) and you may want multiple zones. How do you see yourself using the island?

Thanks, Tracie.erin. If I have the room for an extra wide island, I will try to incorporate as this will also allow for greater working surface area in front of the stove. I thought about rotating the island but don�t think I have room to do so without adding square footage/depth to the kitchen.

The island will be used for some food prep, but primarily for entertaining (appetizer/buffet set-up) as well as kids having snacks, etc.

Thanks for the window advice as well, especially since I won�t have windows on two walls!

Remodelfla, you were right initially. Right now refrigerator is against mudroom wall. I was thinking about flipping mudroom entry with refrigerator until Tracie.erin had the suggestion of flipping the double oven (adjacent to range/stove) with the refrigerator.

So, what does everyone think? If I switch fridge and oven do you think I should still shift entry from mudroom down or just leave since I accomplished moving fridge?

Thanks!

Wow! This has to be the most popular forum on all of Gardenweb! I post a message and immediately fall to the second page! :-)
Anway, I am reposting my last question as I was hoping to get some advice from all of you!

what are your thoughts on the entry from the garage? If I switch fridge and oven do you think I should still shift entry from mudroom down? In other words, cabinets would be next to pantry versus entry from garage, and entry would be where the refrigerator currently is in the plan.

Thank you!

lnia: I have been following this thread because my kitchen layout is very similar to yours and I have been struggling with the same issue: where to locate the fridge and the ovens. The difference is that I don't have the wall of cabinets you have along your mudroom so you have more options.

Anyway, I was wondering if you considered leaving the ovens where they are shown on your plan and putting the fridge at the other end of the "L" (at the end of your sink run). Then you could put a beverage center against the mudroom wall. I know you didn't ask, but I would also add a prep sink in the island.

What about it, design gurus? Would this help?

With regard to your question about the entry from the mudroom - I would shift the cabinets left so they are against the pantry and move the door to the far end of the mudroom - less traffic through the workspace.....but again, I am not a planner, just a lurker who is still learning!!

I'm not a design guru, but I would still switch the oven and mud room door to minimize traffic through the kitchen.

Thanks for the input singu and honu. honu, I plan on putting in the The butlers pantry area-- which is open on my floor plan - a beverage "center".

Yes, I continue to see in this forum that many people find a sink on the island as ideal. For me it seems like a nice to have but not essential. Not sure why or when I would use island sink over regular sink....

Hello everyone,

What are your thoughts on the pantry? I am debating whether to square it off and eliminate the angle entrance. Just thinking about the aesthetics of the room with one square corner and one angled corner. If I square it off I would then elongate the pantry slightly and eat away so e mudroom space to be able to allow for the pantry door to fit. I think the pantry door would need to open into the pantry, however.
Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks.

I am NOT one of the design gurus - they helped me a lot though! I think you definitely need to move your fridge - imagine having an armful of produce and a package of chicken and taking it all the way across the room to the sink. That won't be fun. So moving it to where the ovens are isn't great, either, but better I guess. However, the fridge cabinet is going to be bigger than the ovens, so that will mean you need to probably move the cooktop down on that wall, too.

I know you said you didn't care about the sink in the island. I understand b/c, while I don't have an island, if I did, I don't see myself doing much prep at it. I'm a chop and drop kind of girl, so I like to work right next to the stove. I think I would use an island for making salad, kids' lunches, etc. So turning from the sink to the island wouldn't be a huge deal. BUT, if you have the space for the sink, it would be much more convenient. No dripping water, no risk of dropping clean stuff on the dirty floor, etc. Then in a few years when the kiddies are helping with things, you can each use a sink.

Also, I think you definitely want to change the mudroom door to the other side so people aren't walking into the middle of the kitchen and, possibly, an open pantry door.

Finally (sorry, my thought are all over the place!) - do you need the ovens. Some people do - it depends on your lifestyle. But if you don't cook much, couldn't you just use a range? It would free up some good wall space where the ovens were.

And the pantry - that's another. Could you make it smaller - more of a 'step-in' and use the mudroom for some overflow (paper towels, less used serving platters/appliances, etc. I'm not really sure what you mean by square it off? That would put the door on the other wall? So you'd have to keep the mudroom door where it is? That would really be an issue b/c people would run smack into the open pantry door - a pain when you are in there putting some of the groceries away while DH is trying to bring the rest in from the garage. But maybe I'm not understanding...

Thanks for the feedback KathyNY! I have definitely decided to shift the mudroom door down to be at the end of the mudroom. Appreciate your thoughts on the island sink and fridge as well.
What I was thinking about the pantry was redesigning it so that particular corner was at a 90 degree angle [similar to the side with the sink] versus looking at the kitchen from the nook and seeing one corner angled and the other not. I guess I was asking if you design gurus think both are just as nice from an aesthetics perspective or if one would look nicer. If I would change the angled pantry door, I would make the pantry slightly smaller and add a door that would directly face the sink side. There would as a result be more room for cabinet or fridge on the stove side. Make sense? I can try to post a visual! Thanks so much!..

Hi,
Below is a visual of what I am referring to as the "squaring off of the pantry" so that the corner it is in is a 90 degree angle versus the original plan where the pantry door is angled.

It can be more functional while remaining angled.
Make it as big as a large shower.
Reach-in.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dream Kitchen. Corner pantry neo-angle shape

Thanks, davidrol.

Based on comments on this site I forgot to switch my fridge and oven on my recent picture.

Few more questions. My kitchen is 16.4 feet from mudroom exterior wall to sink side by 13.2. Do you think I would have room for horizontal island versus vertical (as pictured)? What is the ideal clearance space between cabinets and island? In reading other blogs is it 42?

Again, many thanks for your input. Truly appreciate it as I am not very good at making decisions (analysis paralysis!!!) without doing research and consulting experts!!!

Your kitchen dimensions are almost the same as mine, 13'4" by 21'6". I am having the same layout issues. If you read my post titled "Kitchen layout crisis. Please Help!" it might help a bit with the aisle width situation. I don't know how wide an island you are planning on, but I had many helpful comments on there.

I agree with KathyNY76, depending on how much you cook you might want to think about a range. I have a dual oven slide in range that I love but I don't cook enough where I would need more than that. Just a thought.

My 2 cents, think about the way you cook. For me, my fridge is slightly in a bad location, design wise, but it's fabulous for me. I'm a person who grabs everything from the fridge in one trip and I bring it to my sink area. I only have the one (similar to yours now) and I prep right there next to the stove/sink. But the good part is that no one is walking through my prep/cooking area to access the fridge - especially great for me during parties. If I have helpers taking food out of the fridge, or putting food in, I can still be unbothered in my prep area.

So think about how YOU will use your kitchen. Then you'll have a better idea of what you need, and where.

put the full size fridge you already have in the next posted new drawing.

the back side of the pantry can be openable so you can stack it from behind.

i hope you will post a drawing with a reach in pantry instead of a walk in.

Thanks mrs brad, just read your thread and all the feedback on aisle width. Very informative.

Thanks buffet girl on the advice.

Davidrol,are you saying that a reach in pantry is better than walk-in? I thought from storage perspective walk in would be more ideal. Also, are you saying that you like the fridge on the wall with the stove or next to pantry? Thanks for clarifying!!,!