Kitchen layout help: 48' cooktop in 12' island proportional?

15 years ago

Greetings - visiting from the appliance forum! I'm trying to finalize everything before the builder and KD shoot me out of frustration with my never-ending re-designs/ideas/questions. We're building a new house with a very open floor plan. Style is contemporary/modern: cumaru floors, dark/espresso shaker cabinets, light granite countertops, lighted glass shelves on top cabinets. I'm aiming for sleek and striking yet VERY functional.

The kitchen walls are L-shaped with the corner of the L having a built-in pantry (5'4"x5'4"). The short side of the L (10' beyond the pantry) has the double ovens. Long side (13' beyond the pantry) has the 48" fridge. Ovens and fridge are butted up to the corner pantry. Clean up sink is centered on the remaining space on the long side of the L near the refridgerator.

A BIG island, roughly 12' runs parallel to the long part of the L with the work area facing outward into living area. This contains the cooktop (15" from the end near the ovens), and the prep-sink near the other end. If I do the 48" cooktop there will be 54" of space between that and the prep sink. If I go with the 36" cooktop there will be 60".

Anyone think this cooktop will look to big? The hood will likely be 51" Broan. I could go to 36" but would lose the grill (and save about $2K). The fridge and cleanup sink would be behind me as I'm standing at the island. Isles will be at least 45" all around.

Sorry I know it would be easier to post a layout but I don't have anything online and no access to a scanner right now. Any thoughts or suggestions you might have (I'm imagining people drawing sketches on paper trying to conceptualize what I've written!) are most welcome. I've dragged this design around and re-visited it at least 3 times and I know the KD is getting frustrated. I'm hoping to take the plunge and finalize my design and order the appliances tomorrow. Thanks!

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Comments (5)

rhome410
15 years ago
Anything's hard to answer without seeing the layout, but a 48"er sounds OK to me. The only thing I wonder about is why only 15" to one side of it and such a long space between it and the prep sink? It seems like it might look like it's hanging onto the end of such a long island, as well as the 15" spot being a pretty small space for working or for setting things.

If you really want the grill and give it up because of being afraid the whole thing might look too big (looks over function), I think you'll regret it. Looks are to be considered, but are secondary to the joy of great function...both in efficient layout and in a great performing appliance with features that you'll love using.
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racerdinah
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks rhome410. I actually did a mockup of the layout in Smart Draw but I have no idea how to include it.

The cooktop is pushed to the end of the island for 2 reasons: I want the maximum space between the cooktop and prep sink (right now I always find myself crammed into the corner between the 2 in my existing kitchen), and the ductwork for the hood must be over the center of that position - I'm a bit limited there. I had considered putting the cooktop in the middle of the island but it ended up having the hood right in the middle of the opening to the rest of the lower level, and pushing it off to the side opened it up a bit.
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MareLuce, I looked at the White Collar kitchen, it is very nice. Here's a lifestyle difference which may explain my location choice for fridge- 90% of our meal eating is at the countertop (we currently have a peninsula instead of an island and the only time I sit at the table is when there's no chairs left for me at the island). So in MY mind the ovens are 'out of the way' and the fridge is 'prime real estate' lol. In my mind if I put the fridge over there I will have snackers walking through the prep/cook zone to access the fridge. (I am frequently cooking dinner as the kids get home from school, and I serve dinner a couple hours later, it just depends on what it is I am cooking. Even a casserole or lasagna I prep early and put it in the oven later) Beuhl, thanks, I can move the aisle width. Is that 54" counter to counter or cabinet to cabinet? Thanks for the clarification, I hadn't noticed the counters were extra deep along BOTH walls, I just noticed it on the sink wall in your diagram. Yes, I did know the fridge had to stick out a certain amount for door operation. DW: I am familiar with prepping over a d/w as that is my current arrangement. Perhaps because we live in Michigan I don't mind the heat from it. Although I certainly won't be planning any prep over that 26" on the d/w side of the sink. I was planning for a 5foot prep space on the left side of the sink. Why does that seem too small of a prep space. On my diagram it's labeled 57" plus there will be 3" of counter at the sink because my sink is a 30" in a 36" base = 60" of prep space to the left of the sink. (left when I am facing the sink, so right as looking at the diagram on paper) Not enough? Other lifestyle things that matter to me: Toaster oven is an important appliance in our lives and we use it A LOT. One of our current bottle necks in our current kitchen is toaster oven close to the range. People trying to use the toaster oven to heat various items while I'm prepping dinner or breakfast. That is one reason I dedicated a good chunk of countertop for it (and the coffee maker). I really know that space will be used for secondary prep at least once a day while someone else is working at the other main prep area. mw drawer- I'm tall and I hate the idea of cleaning out a mw drawer that is at counter height. My husband is NOTORIOUS for not putting a cover on his plate of food and so I'm stuck cleaning up the splatters. Other than that I'm not opposed to a m/w drawer. As far as a pass through that's not possible- laundry room is on the other side (washer dryer back up immediately to that wall in fact). Several times you have mentioned dirty dishes on the counter. I am just learning that is something people do. We never do that. The thought never even occurred to me. Typically I have the d/w empty before I start prep. If there is a conflict, then the dirty dishes go right into the sink and I hand wash them. I still spend a lot of time hand scrubbing my pots/pans because either they don't come as clean as I like in the d/w or because they are not d/w safe (cast iron, non stick). Anyways, I'm going to continue to study your proposed layout. Maybe I'll even draw it out with chalk on our driveway. :) I'll show my husband some pictures of wall sinks. The main thing I hope you will still answer for me is addressing the prep space on my island. I really thought 5' was enough and that because of the depth of the island at 60" that the seating side could still be used for the rare larger projects. Please advise. much appreciated, illini.
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Cloud Swift
15 years ago
We have 12" to the left of our island cooktop with the main prep area being to the right of the cooktop. Its okay - enough room to set out ingredients prepared to go into the wok or pot. For our 36" range top in an 8' island, it was a better to have 12" on the left in order to have more prep area on the right. However, with 12' to work with, I agree with rhome that it would be better to have more room - perhaps 2' between the rangetop and the end of the island. Also with the prep sink near the other end you would have about 5' between the prep sink and the rangetop which seems a bit far. 2 and a half to 3' would be nicer - it would let you be close enough to wash, chop and add to the pan without having to move.

How deep (front to back) is the Broan hood? If you are going to grill on an island cooktop, very good coverage is desireable. People often think about the side to side coverage and forget about the back to front.

48" sounds reasonable in proportion to the other elements.

Here is what a 36" rangetop looks like in an 8' island.

12' will be a longish way to go when you want to get to the other side of the island. And it also means you will probably have a seam in the island if you want to use any slab material (granite, engineered stone) for your counter tops. Are you okay with that?
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racerdinah
Original Author
15 years ago
Cloud_swift - I knew I could count on this forum to evaluate what I'm doing! I really cannot move the cooktop over...it is now fixed in that location.

Perhaps I am over-compensating for the existing kitchen I work on (ugh...sink on one side of L and cooktop on other and I always ALWAYS cram myself in the corner between and then complain about it!). The only option I have is to move the sink in 18"...which gives me 36" in between. That has always seemed tight to me since I will be doing ALL of my prep there. I spent so much time at the KDs with a tape measure running around and "imagining" my layout I figured more must be better. You really think 54" is too much? If I do 36" that leaves about 18+" to the right of the sink....
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rhome410
15 years ago
It's easy to over compensate for the shortcomings we had before, and you have to make this decision for yourself, but I also think 54" is a long ways from sink and prep to the stove...A lot of counter top to drop things across and a lot of extra and unnecessary steps. Even a couple can get irritating when it's a lot of back and forth. 36" seems like a nice amount...But then it also depends on if it puts your prep sink at a good location in your kitchen otherwise. One change sometimes messes other things up...Or makes them better. You'll just have to look at your options and the variables that are affected and see what you think.
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Kitchen layout help: 48' cooktop in 12' island proportional?

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Kitchen layout help: 48' cooktop in 12' island proportional?

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rhome410

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