link not working

Uggh - sorry about that link. Hopefully this one works.
http://kitchenplanner.ikea.com/US/UI/Pages/VPUI.htm?LoadDesign=046e5e3fad734ea7a912f4e4cdbfcaaf&UIContext=Kitchen&IsSharedDesign=1

Here is a link that might be useful: Ikea kitchen design

That page requires installing the Ikea design software. Perhaps you could do a screen capture and store that as picture format.

Kim545 - I just did exactly as cloud suggested; worked for me.

I do have the idea software installed, however.

But -- sorry -- I am no layout guru. Have you been posting layouts? So many are so good at this here! I hope they respond.

Ok - it's taken me a while but I learned how to capture images of ikea kitchen planner AND how to post multiple pics in my question. YAYYYY for me!!! :)

Here is the kitchen... The brown cabinets will actually be walnut slab doors, and the white cabinets will be either white gloss, cream gloss, or some custom painted color that goes super with walnut and white marble looking counters.

Kitchen floorplan

Pantry wall that has a pass-through to Dining Room. Some day we hope to have an automatic coffee maker and/or warming drawer to the left of the opening.

Sink wall with sliding door that opens onto patio

Island front. The far right cabinet will be a vegi sink. The middle cabinet will be almost useless as I have a telescoping downdraft vent there that uses most of the cabinet. So much for my pots & pan drawer :(

30" Thermador Fridge and Freezer columns with cabinet panels

I'm worried the right side of the island at 32" is too tight at that 16" wall. The island is 48" from main sink though.

Looking from Dining Room passthrough into kitchen

Looking from patio through kitchen sliding window

This is how the final shape of the island will be, with a waterfall counter on one side and overhang for seating on 2 sides. The waterfall counter will be on the side nearest the fridge/freezer. Seating will be on the greatroom side.

Just to be clear - from the edge of the island to the sink/patio window wall is 48", and from the edge of the overhang to the pantry wall and DR pass through is 32" (or 39" according to the drawings)? If so, that does seem problematic. It would be better in reverse - 32" (or 39") from island to sink, 48" from overhang to pantry. Do you expect traffic between the island and the sink, or is that space just for cooks and traffic will pass between the island and pantry wall?

The layout gurus will no doubt chime in with minimum distances, but 32" or even 39" seems too tight to me, particularly with seating. I have 42" between my island and the opposite surface, with no seating at the island - that is adequate, but 48" would have been even better. Lose the seating and the overhang and you're probably okay I think. How deep is the overhang?

The look is fine. The spacing, no way. You only have 18" between your prep sink and cooktop, which is way way undersized. You want 42"-48" there to serve as emergency landing space and prep space. Move the cooktop back on the wall and get better and cheaper ventilation and then use the island for all prep. Aisle spacing won't even meet the 36" code, and that's the minimum that you should plan for with a one butt kitchen. With multiple cooks, you want at least a 42"to 48" aisles.

Post the bare room layout as it currently exists.

No way do you have room for that island with seating behind it. You have only 39". You need another two and a half feet to be able to walk behind seated people, or for them to be able to move when someone is sitting next to them.

The 32" is a nonstarter. Not even code.

I just realized you have wall ovens on that pantry wall too, plus a small fridge? I think you have to really re-think the island, and the seating just isn't possible, the chairs or stools will constantly be in the way.

Is the overhang really 25"? If so, leave 12" or so, no seating, that would give you a 43" or 49" inch passage, big enough I think.

I might consider a raised overhang behind the cooktop to prevent accidental burns or sprays from the cooktop.

I'm not sure why you need a prep sink given how close the main sink is. If you could manage to shift the island a couple of inches closer to the sink run that would make for a more effective cooking space I think.

Not sure if the island should stay. It might be a much nicer open feel to the room if you get rid of it.

Could you put your fridge towers in the pantry wall and move the cooktop over to the current fridge run location? I might keep a much smaller island, perhaps with butcher's block for additional prep space.

Yes the ikea planner is limited. I couldn't figure out how to make countertop overhang less than 25", but in reality I will make it around 42" deep, to allow 48" between island and pantry wall.

Admittedly the 32" is so tight, but for just a short space and it's not the only entry into kitchen.... but probably I'm just fooling myself because I can't figure out a layout I like better.

The cooktop will be induction, so no burns and the popup vent will hopefully shield from the occasional spray.

Managed to make the island 42" deep and tucked some stools in to get a feel of the space. Wish I could stick some people in there to add more perspective ;)

I've thought of moving things around but this was always the layout I imagined so it's hard to open my mind to new layout. Problem is that the wall 32" from the island AND the pantry wall crept into the kitchen after my initial plans were drawn. You know, a few inches were squeezed in the drafting phase for construction cost savings, then a few more inches in the field lost roughing in the slab footers for structural purposes, and now I'm coming up short. I kept being reassured the kitchen layout would be fine with the changes, but now I'm not so sure.

Okay, it is much clearer now. I think we were all confused about which aisle was 32". Seating is probably possible with a 48" aisle, but still tight I think. Do you really need seating there?

Still not convinced you need a prep sink.

The 32" aisle, if it is short and infrequently used may not be a big deal. If you lose the prep sink could you manage with a shorter island, one that doesn't extend all the way to that bumped out pantry?

Sochi - I don't know that I need that prep sink either... but it would be nice to have a second sink in our family of 5 kitchen. The island seems the logical place to put it. Just a small 15" or so right on the end ... that will still give me 18" between the cooktop and prep sink. I also thought the pullout spout could double as a pot filler. :)

The seating will really be a breakfast bar, and an entertaining perch for guests while I'm cooking. Luckily (and not by my intentional planning), the ovens do not open up right behind the island, but in the walkway at the end instead.

The mini fridge in the pantry wall is just a wine fridge - so it shouldn't be opened that frequently while we are already sitting.

I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions as they are all valid and give me something to think about.

If you want a second sink for kids, I think it makes more sense to have the sink on the aisle side of the island, not the cook top side. How old are your kids? You don't want them constantly entering the 'cooking zone' between the cook top and the sink on the opposite run. Having a sink near the fridge, but in a place that won't interfere with the cook is a good idea.

Our kitchens are similar sizes, yours in about 2' wider though (from your sink/window run to the DR pass through wall). Traffic in my kitchen passes behind my island (so in your kitchen between your island and the DR pass through wall). This keeps traffic away from the cook and is safer I expect. Do you expect traffic between your cooktop and main sink/window run? If not, I think you should narrow that aisle to make for a wider aisle on the other side of the island, thus permitting both traffic and stools.

I would still think about raising part of the island behind the cooktop. The fact that it is an induction is helpful from accidently touching an element perspective, but putting potatoes in boiling water (or 100 other cooktop activities) could cause splashing boiling water, splashing oil, etc. I know most people here on GW don't like cooktops on islands for this and other reasons, but people have made it work. But you really have to think through the safety of those who might be sitting at the island, particularly if you have younger, and more unpredictable, kids.

If you must have seating at the island, could you consider swapping the cooktop and main sink location? I suspect this is difficult given your concrete foundation issue.

Maybe raising the seating area of the island is a good idea. And I may look into putting the prep sink on the seating side as you suggest Sochi. My kids are 4, 9 & 11, and I like the idea of keeping them out of my work zone unless they are in there to "work" ;)

Sochi - What do you recommend as a comfortable distance between my sink/dishwasher and the island/cooktop area? I had thought of pushing those closer together, but that makes the 32" opening even less as well. What are your clearances around your island? (I'll google your posts to see if I find it) Are you happy with your clearances?

I'm going to order my Ikea boxes, drawer fittings, etc. today so that we can at least get the ball rolling and start assembling the boxes. At this point, all the changes I'm considering can be done when we are ready to fix the island to the floor and specify how deep of a counter to have fabricated for the island. That will allow me to play with the island cabinets in the space, and determine the best distance between each of the two outer walls.

By the way Sochi - I just realized I've used your kitchen as an inspiration since 3/2010 when i stumbled across a photo of your fridge wall cabinetry. I saved the photo in my idea files but didn't think I'd really do anything like that in my Ikea kitchen - too complicated to pull-off and I never planned on white cabinets as my secondary color. Eventually I settled on walnut, and more recently on white (maybe) as the accent. Your beautiful kitchen also led me to the discovery of white quartzite which I'd never heard of before either! lol

So thank you for inspiring me with your creative and well-executed kitchen design :) And thank you again for your thoughtful suggestions regarding my kitchen.

You might want to start a new thread with the "layout help requested" in the title. It seems the usual layout folks haven't picked up on this thread.

My kids are the same age, more or less (just turned 5 and 8). I really do try to keep them out of the "cooking zone" which is essentially the area from my small island to the cooktop and the prep sink next to the cooktop. My prep sink is very close to my cooktop and the faucet serves as a pot filler, but I have lots of space on the other side of my cook top.

In the "cooking zone" I have a short 32" aisle. 36" would be the recommended distance probably, but I find 32" comfortable for one cook and no through traffic, and no appliances that open. This gives me 43" on the other "traffic" side of the island (no seating though). Here is my layout - ignore the triangular island, it is a rectangle now, about 38" across. It serves as the main prep area.

The island is missing here, but it is directly opposite the prep sink and part of the cook top.

The only thing style wise in your kitchen that is catching my eye is the walnut uppers next to the fridge columns. I'm wondering if they should be white too?? My kitchen is walnut and white too.

By the way Sochi - I just realized I've used your kitchen as an inspiration since 3/2010 when i stumbled across a photo of your fridge wall cabinetry. I saved the photo in my idea files but didn't think I'd really do anything like that in my Ikea kitchen - too complicated to pull-off and I never planned on white cabinets as my secondary color. Eventually I settled on walnut, and more recently on white as the accent. Your beautiful kitchen also led me to the discovery of white quartzite which I'd never heard of before either! lol

So thank you for inspiring me with your creative and well-executed kitchen design :)

Ikea's pantry cabinets come in 12" depths, don't they? Could you use those behind the seating area to give yourself another foot of room?

1. What a joy it will be to sit at that island and look out those sink windows! I can see why you do not want to give up the island seating. I would feel the same, and accept some problematic spacing as a result.

2. Since you are committed to the island cooktop with a popup vent, that point is moot. Good that you are using an induction cooktop. You seem to have considered your options carefully and be aware of the limitations of such a venting system. Probably no stir frying for you.

3. With the new dimensions you posted, the biggest problem I see is that short bit of 32'' passage. Since it looks like it will be seldom used and never used to carry food back and forth, probably not a problem.
In our present old home, we have a six foot long 32'' wide hallway past the pantry and leading to what was originally the DR but now is used as a TV room. The hall is not a problem now, although 2 people can pass only if one stands sideways. It was a PIA when we tried to use the room as a DR.

Your passage is MUCH shorter and does not have walls on both sides. I think if I were you, I would go for it, knowing that it should be wider, but accepting that.

4. Someone (sochi?) suggested making the cabs to the right of the fridge white. In my head, that looks better. Ditto the trim around the fridge/freezer. Or, I would make the cabs over the fridge walnut, as well as the trim and the cabs to the right. Easy to try both of these out on your computer.

5 Seating 5 at the island is a priority, right? If you can more or less center a small prep sink in the fridge end of the island and still seat all 5, I think that is a great idea. If not, a prep sink in that corner can still be accessed just fine from the fridge end without compromising seating space and still keeping youngsters out of the cooking zone.

I think a prep sink is a great idea if you can make it work. With a family of five your cleanup sink will be loaded with dishes and pots and pans as you fix a large meal. It will be SO nice to have an empty clean sink to rinse veggies and do other prepping work.

6. Is the space between the island and the storage wall too tight? Why not mock up a replica of the seating space along the storage wall? Start with a wall in your home, place a row of chairs in front of it, leaving the approximate width of the passage between them, and something, maybe another row of chairs to indicate where the base of the island will be. Try sitting there, getting up and down, and walking behind it with someone else sitting. I think it will be OK, but try it out.

7, I am pretty sure the small cab to the right of the sink is a trash pull out. You REALLY do want one.

8. Unless you feel certain a raised seating area is needed, I would not do it. I know the problem is the nearby cooktop, and the problem of a hot spill into laps only 15 or so inches away. I don't know how much the vent would curtail this possibility. But gosh, I personally would so much rather have it all one level. In our house, things would constantly be knocked off the edge by diners. Another one of those issues YOU have to weight and decide.

I really look forward to seeing your finished kitchen. I bet it all works out almost as you have dreamed it.

kim545 - it always makes me so happy when my kitchen serves as inspiration for others, thanks for letting me know. I thought many elements of your kitchen seemed familiar! :)

Like Bellsmom, I generally prefer island to be one level, but if you must have both a cooktop and seating at the island you should carefully think through the raised eating area possibility. This photo and the text below it are from an Houzz Idea Book I saw this morning.

[

[Traditional Kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by Toronto Design-build Schnarr Craftsmen Inc
4. How high should the counter be?

First things first: Determine your seating height. If you want to have bar stools at your island, you'll need to decide if it's 36 or 42 inches high. A 42-inch-high bar stool and bar tend to have a bit more flexibility � the island can be designed in two levels, with the working side set lower for prep work and the dining side higher to accommodate bar stools. The step in between is a handy place for electrical outlets, too.

A 36-inch-high bar provides for seating that's between a typical bar stool and a table seat. It doesn't allow for quite as much flexibility in design but can be a good choice for a defined eating area. Ahmann suggests leaving at least 12 inches of overhang for seating areas, but 15 to 18 inches tends to feel more comfortable.

Well of COURSE I have alternative views of different color options :D

Current kitchen layout plan

I originally thought to have all walnut uppers on fridge wall

Then I tried all light uppers on fridge wall, but was afraid this didn't tie into the walnut in other areas of the kitchen enough.

I also tried the reverse with light fridge wall and a walnut sink run.

Kim545
Your last post made me laugh loudly enough to bring my husband in to see what was funny.
As you said, OF COURSE you had looked at the options!! And how!!! (He couldn't see why I laughed.)

Do one more for me with white trim around the fridge wall cabs and white cabs on the sink wall.

Sandra

Bellsmom
My husband thinks I'm insane with how much time I spend deliberating over all these minute details of our kitchen. Deep down I think he's really thankful I have this board to bounce my anxieties off of so he doesn't have to think about it! :)

Here is all white...

I've pasted below an interesting thread LL started last year on the pros and cons of single and two level islands.

I like the walnut trim around the white cabs, but since I have this I may not be objective!

Would it be too precious to have to have the uppers above the fridge in walnut, and the upper most cabs to the right of the fridge in walnut, then white below? I'd like to see some brown over there I think.

Here is a link that might be useful: old tread on islands

I'll throw a couple of pictures into the mix just because my kitchen has similar elements as yours. I'll be using Ikea boxes with custom walnut drawers on the sink/window side and Abstrakt high gloss white cabinets on the fridge side. I chose that combination because I thought the glossy cabinets would reflect a bit of light back into the room. The room faces north and the window will be shaded by the 2nd floor overhang, so natural light is going to be at a premium. I also chose glass doors on the cabinets on either side of the window.

Counters are Caesarstone on the sink side, marble or a white granite on the island, and walnut butcher block under the microwave.

Sink/window wall:

Looking towards window:

Looking towards fridge wall:

Thanks. The all white fridge wall and sink wall, plus the white top on the island looks like an operating room! Of course, it wouldn't IRL, but I prefer, as I think you do, the others.

I agree you need some walnut on that wall, but walnut over the fridge and on the cabs on the right makes the top seem to loom over the bottom. . . . . Again, as I think you have decided.

Ahhh, endless decisions, decisions.

No help from me here, and probably no more posts, but I will be watching. You are going to have such a great kitchen. And I envy you those wonderful ''windows'' in the sink wall. Will you be able to climb up onto the cabinet, slide open the doors, and step out onto the patio? How about a pass through shelf outside the sink window with steps down if the patio is lower?

Ahhh, choices, choices

Food for thought....

I don't like sitting to eat where there is a large cooktop. When you put the cooktop on the island, it is not as functional as an eating place. You need to decide what is more important; eating or cooking.

If eating on the island is more important, then I would move the cooktop to where the ref/frig is and the island is freed for eating.

I simply don't think your pass through looks good enough in your kitchen. It really looks like a hole cut out on the wall because the house design was not good enough. i am sorry.... Do you really need this? Can you live without? How does it look in the DR? Does it look like a hole on the wall in the DR? These things never look very good, IMHO. Most pass throughs scream out "I was an afterthought because the initial design was so bad..." Sometimes, a well placed door looks way better than a pass through.

I am being blunt. But you have not started yet so this is the time. Can you spend a little more money and make it a peninsula or completely open up? Yes, they are expensive but if you are putting in Thermador columns, you have a pretty big budget.

The walnut trim around white on Sochi's kitchen is what give that kitchen the pop, the character and style. It is one of the elements that makes it work so well!

Annkathryn - your kitchen plans look really nice! I thought about throwing some glass front cabinets in as well, but in the end decided against it since we won't have a lot of upper cabinets (except on the pantry/oven wall).

What is the clearance around your island? I hope you'll post pics when you are finished.

Bellsmom- I love the window above the sink, but we won't have to climb on the counters to get out! lol

Here are a couple views from a similar kitchen window that we got our idea from.

View of window from farther away.

Sort of what view of kitchen/greatroom will be like from outside (although we have larger sliding doors to greatroom)

A bit of our floorplan before we reversed the house and closed off the doorway to the dining room that we felt was redundant. You can see the pocket for the greatroom sliding door that is creating that bearing wall sticking out into the kitchen. Oh well - it will be worth it :)

Those windows look fantastic, what a feature.

Thought I'd chime in and add that I agree with Kaismom about the dining room pass through, I'm not sure what it brings to the kitchen. They typically aren't that practical and are probably only worthwhile if they frame something picturesque.

My husband didn't like the pass-through idea on paper either, but it opens up the dining room to the kitchen window which is our view. Now that it's framed he's so glad we did it! It brings light through the house and is really quite large (5' x 6') - unlike how it looks in the drawing. I'm going to frame the entire opening with some type of sparkly back splash tile so it will be a feature and not just an opening.

And if it sucks - we'll just close it up with drywall and pretend it was never there ;)

Hi Kim - love your kitchen colors and that you're using Ikea boxes - we did our first kitchen with Ikea and it was fun, easy and got lots of compliments.

Are you planning to do most of your eating in the DR? I noticed you said that the island was primarily for breakfast bar and entertaining.

Our kitchen has similar dimensions except it's longer - enough so that we have a banquette where all meals are taken. We put an island in the center with a prep sink on the banquette side of things, just for kids to grab a drink and to help with fruit and veggie prep during dinner-making. As it turns out, for drinks we all use the water dispenser on the fridge (which is right behind the island) and the prep sink is mostly used for random hand-washing and some fruit/veggie prep, but not all.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Kim - you had asked about the clearance around the island. I think we have 40 inches between the island & the sink, and the same between the island and the fridge cabinets. I can't remember how much space is between the island and the range - maybe 36 inches? We have some leeway in where we place the island so we're going to mock it up once the perimeter cabinets are in to see if it feels better to move it closer to the sink to allow more space in the main walkway, which will be the area between the back wall & the back of the island.

I'm not an expert on layout but wanted to pop in to say you can resize the microwave in the ikea planner software to make an island countertop any size and thickness you want and set it right down on the cabinets in the 3D view. Can't change the color or texture but at least it's easier than puzzling together a bunch of pieces! HTH!

Thanks for the tip thirdkitchenremodel! I knew there must be a way easier than what I was doing, but I don't even have a microwave in my kitchen plans so never fell on that useful bit. The older versions of ikea planner used to be much more adaptable as far as resizing things and overriding cabinet locations when against the planner rules. Now it takes a lot more time to "trick" it into doing what you want lol.

Annkathryn - thanks for your info. When are you starting your kitchen?

We're doing a major remodel, the kitchen is just a part of it. The electric is being roughed in and insulation should be up in a day or so. All the cabinets are in boxes in the living room. We'll probably assemble cabinets for the sink wall in a couple of days. My contractor wants the floor down before he'll install the cabinets.

Sink wall:

Fridge wall (fridge will be recessed 6 inches):