We have one main sink in the island and no prep sink, from the sink you look out to the yard, over the bfast table....to the left (where I was standing when taking the picture) is the family room and tv.....it was the best layout for the overall space and I would do it again. There are dishwashers on either side of the sink. There is a compactor to the left of one sink and a double trash pull out next to the fridge that I use more than the compactor.

Good luck with your build, we built and now have been in 4 years.

I like it centered but can also see the advantage in placing it on the side and getting more free counter space on the sitting area side.
There is an interesting ideabook on Houzz's home page today that you should read. It is about having the main sink in the island. Good Luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: [Main sink in the island[(https://www.houzz.com/magazine/kitchen-solution-the-main-sink-in-the-island-stsetivw-vs~120060)

I saw that Houzz post today and clicked here to post it but looks like Emma beat me. I love island sinks. My brother and sis in law have an island sink and love it. I think if that is what your space calls for than go for it! I am not one to leave dirty dishes out so that wouldn't be an issue for me (I've heard that con before).

I have no expertise or knowledge about your sink placement but I would prefer that the dishwasher be next to the sink in the island.

We have the exact same island config as lv_r_golden described above, and love it!

I don't know think it makes sense to push the sink to either side. Yes, it gives you a larger single work area, as long as no one needs in the dishwasher while you're prepping or vice versa. The advantange to having the dishwasher at the end is that you get a cleanup zone separate from the prep zone.

Is there any way you can make the island slightly longer though? With a sink at one end that gives you 24" + sink for cleanup which is good, but only 18" plus total counter space (plus sink) for prep which is quite tight ... I think you may come to hate that over time. It appears you have the room to scoot the island down another 12", maybe even 24". Might be something to consider.

Or perhaps I'm missing something as I don't quite see how the middle of the sink can be 3'3" from each end the way you have it in the drawing, assuming a 24+ dishwasher at one side?

I have my only sink in an island and I love it! We are beginning our reno in a few weeks (new cabs, new floors, countertops, etc.) and I am moving the sink further to one side. I find that I use the one side of the island not only for prep but also for serving and I can't wait for the larger area! Good luck!

2005 I remodeled my kitchen, and because I have a small kitchen, I had no choice but to place the only sink in island, and on the left side of the island to allow as much room to work on the island as possible.

Fast forward 6 years of living with this set-up, and I assure you I absolutley love it. Very user-friendly, lots of room to work whatever on the island or entertain friends or whatever.

Here are some photos to help you see how it looks.

Thank you everyone for the comments. We feel much better now about our decision to stick with the island sink.

Looking at our drawing again I think we should be able to make the island at least 7'. If I'm thinking correctly that should allow the sink to be centered in a 36" base cab with the DW to one side and an equal amount of room on the other side.

beth4, how do you deal with your dirty dishes, pots, pans, etc. since you have no room to the left of your sink? Do you put them to the right side of the sink, or do they tend to stay on the perimeter until you are ready to wash at which point they go straight into the sink?

Finally, what do you think about the isle ways in our current drawing?
1. What should be the minimum distance from the front of the FD fridge to the edge of the island?
2. Minimum distance from wall counter to island counter, considering the need to have either the oven door or DW door open at certain times. Will often be two of us in the kitchen.
3. How far should the edge of the table be from the end of the island? When you sit on that side of the table I wouldn't want it to feel like you are almost in the kitchen.

Thanks again. You've helped reduce a fair amount of stress :).

Oh, and just for reference, it will be approx. 24.5' from the wall that the fridge is on, to the bay window wall by the table.
The house walls started going up today so we can finally start to see our home taking shape. Also gives us the opportunity to actually measure and tape things out.

lv_r_golden - if you happen to read this thread again, where did you get your pendant lights over the island?ÃÂ They're exactly what I'm looking for.Thanks.

yttocs3,

Dirty dishes aren't a problem...and I cook a lot!...because the sinks are so deep. I've always washed from Left to Right, so I put dirty dishes in the deepest and largest sink on the left. I clean as I cook, so it's a snap to either load the dish drawers or wash the dishes/pots/pans in the left sink, then transfer them to the right to dry. My counters are always free of dirty dishes, so the kitchen always looks presentable. This is the first house where I've had the deep sinks and I really love the feature! Keeps everything presentable until you get a chance to clean up.

Regarding minimum distance between your island and the rest of your kitchen, I can only speak to my small arrangement. There are a bit less than 36 inches (maybe 33"?) between the island and the refrigerator and row of cabinets. Enough for the large refrigerator door to open 180 degrees.

While I worried about the small aisle space while the kitchen was being remodeled, now that I've lived with it for several years, I actually love the arrangement. It takes very few steps to move around in my kitchen, from fridge to stove to island/sink. I wouldn't go back to the huge gourmet kitchen in my last house for anything, now that I've had the luxury of cooking easily with few steps, few wasted movements.

Thanks a bunch, beth!

drdannie: The lights are made by Troy - the Owens Mill collection (or something similar to that) - they are outdoor lights. They are still be on their website.
Happy to share.

I want to put my main sink in an island also. My question is how wide does the counter have to be to accommodate the sink and also seating on the on the other side...so as to not feel like you are sitting in the sink? This would be a single level island.

mercymygft, are you talking an island layout similar to what I posted in my first post? We are planning for seating as well.
If so, I'm thinking you would want about 3'6" minimum for the depth of the island. We are going to shoot for this or maybe a couple inches more, depending what things are looking like once we go over the final layout with the cabinet maker.

Someone a lot more knowledgeable then myself will probably have a better answer for you.

yttocs3...Yes, very similar to your post. I was thinking 3.5 feet or more maybe like 4 feet. Thing is, I have a 3.5 foot peninsula now, no sink (we're moving and doing a new kitchen), and I can't imagine a sink being in my peninsula without feeling like I'm sitting on top of the sink. That is why I was thinking of going wider.