Layout help - sink on Peninsula or by the window

12 years ago

Hi,

I will make a flat surface peninsula, 36x88, parallel to the counters by the window. I can have sink by the window, which is facing the front entrance fence gate directly. The issue is

1. I can not have eye contact with my kids who will be hanging out by the dinning table. My back will be facing them if I wash dishes or do prep.

2. It is facing front gate so anyone walks in by the gate sees me immediately if I'm there. Nice to know who's coming, but also not much privacy, unless I keep the blinds closed.

So I thought about moving the sink to the peninsula. It is great thought with such disadvantages:

1. the space on peninsula is small. With a 33" main sink added, it is almost all work space

2. splash issue. Will the water splash my kids a lot who might sit on the peninsula

3. the plumbing disallows me to put dishwasher by the wall. It has to be at the open end of peninsula. It might block the narrow way and make it cramp.

If you have any input, please let me know.

Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: Layout drawing

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Comments (6)

lisa_a
12 years ago
I clicked on your link but got this error message: Sorry, that page was not found.

You'll get more views and responses if you embed the image in this thread. Instructions can be found in the thread linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Posting pictures
bahacca
12 years ago
How old are the kids? I mean, there isn't THAT much time age wise where you NEED to have your eye on your kiddos, so to me, that isn't a reason to not have a sink somewhere. In a year or so(well, depending on age), it will be a moot point. For the privacy issue, I THINK there is film you can put on the outside of windows so people cannot see in, but you still get light.
And, as my mother in law says "It's my house. Just because I'm home doesn't mean i have to answer the door."
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I agree with Stan - it's something we always recommend. However, if you are set on doing all this b/f you move in, then I suggest you stop thinking about "where should the peninsula be" and start thinking about the layout as a whole. Figure out what you would like for your kitchen, how it will be used, etc. We also need a fully measured layout of the space in question. This is were our Layout Help FAQ helps - it discusses the information we need from you that will help us come up with a layout that meets your needs and is still functional and a joy to work in! (It also contains a sample layout to show you what measurements we need.) How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include? http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2767033/how-do-i-ask-for-layout-help-and-what-information-should-i-include .
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Why did you post this again.
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Thank you all for the inputs. Sounds like the general consensus is the space is too small to comfortably fit a peninsula, without the more drastic changes I was trying to avoid. And get the DW next to the sink. @herbflavor Ha! I didn't even realize I made the windows different colors. Glad it made it easier to identify. 12in deep cabinets is an interesting idea. And pantry cab would help ease my lack of a peninsula. @Patricia Colwell I agree there is a difference between KD and cabinet folks. I even paid a KD for an initial design, but wasn't happy with the result, which in some ways led me here. Perhaps a different KD could have been better. As for Cabinet Joint, I agree with @eam44 that they are a reputable company and sell a quality product. I actually already designed, ordered, and assembled a vanity cabinet with drawers from them. Very happy with the experience/product which is why I intend to stick with them for the kitchen. @sinaarchitecturaldesign If only there was another place for me to put the back door! The other wall with a window on it is over a 2 car basement garage. As for the DW/sink on same wall, I want to work this in. And @wilson853 suggestion of either a 18in DW or a 30in sink base should do the trick! I need to go to the store to have a look at what I prefer more between the two. I wasn't even aware of 18in DWs before this. And yep, if no peninsula, I would like to incorporate a pantry cab to the right of the fridge, or even a cabinet-type pantry door that leads into an even-deeper-than-whatever-I-have-now pantry.
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@tonoplast In my opinion, since you asked, I think the two-tone scheme you have in mind would be lovely. It is somewhat of a trend that is past its peak, but I can see it working well in your kitchen. If you really want to lighten up the space, you could keep your wood tone cabinetry and just add glass fronts to the uppers on the back wall. That's generally the way people get a more airy, open-feeling space in the uppers unless you went to shelving which is also on the wane due to maintenance issues. Your cabinetry design is more modern, but you can still get uppers with frosted glass. I'm thinking of something I've seen in the Poggenpohl showroom in Dallas where the uppers were all frosted glass on one display area, and it was simply beautiful. Most companies would offer something similar. I love windows and would never recommend doing less. I have a tiny kitchen right now with huge windows all around it, and I love it. It depends on your personal aesthetic. Having windows brings in a lot of natural lighting so that I rarely need to have lights on during the day for cooking. As for the comments saying the kitchen is too small for multiple cooks, I've personally have several families among my extended family relatives who have kitchens smaller than that where multiple people manage to cook together on a regular basis, so not to worry if this is the layout that you're tied into, which it sounds as though you are already. There have also been a few comments about the gap between the refrigerator and end of the peninsula. I have the exact same scenario in my current kitchen with less space there than you would have, and it works fine for a two-adult household. You have to shuffle to get past if someone has the refrigerator door open, but it's not an unworkable situation if you have no other design layout options. Your walkway there looks to be 40" which is more than decent. Mine is less than 30", and I have a side-by-side refrigerator, and it still works fine for us to have it that tight. We will not be reducing the peninsula in our current remodel because we cannot afford to lose the storage space. Don't assume your designers are leaving enough corner clearance. The drawers should open with a minimum of 1/2" clearance to each other, as another poster pictured above. You would not believe the number of times we hear about in-home installations or even see in kitchen showrooms drawers that won't open due to negligence on the part of the designer. Double-check that before your cabinetry is ordered.
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elizahu
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks! My kids are young. I have 4 of them from 0-9 yr old. Very good point, bahacca, about this. They will grow and I won't need to watch them. And how long will I spend at the kitchen. Haha I should request the window film, too.

Let me try this:
From Kitchen
From Kitchen
lisa_a
12 years ago
Can you make them larger? I can't read either of those well enough to give you any advice. Maybe someone with better (younger) eyesight can help you.

btw, I clicked on them, hoping I could enlarge them that way and I got the error message again.
elizahu
Original Author
12 years ago
Try posting a larger picture:
From Kitchen
From Kitchen
Buehl
12 years ago
Some questions...
- How extensive is your remodel? Are you "gutting" the kitchen? Down to the studs?
How flexible are you on moving/changing walls/doors/windows?
Is the hand-drawn pic your current kitchen?
I'm assuming the dining area is to the left of the new peninsula shown in the first pic (the computer-generated one).

Is that your only DR? Or, is it more of a "Nook" for every-day eating and a formal DR elsewhere? If so, where is the DR?
Do you have a basement under the kitchen? Crawl space? On a slab?

I wholeheartedly agree with Bahacca! Do not plan a kitchen around young children. They grow so quickly (I know *sigh*)! You will spend far more time with them as children/teens old enough to not only not have to be monitored constantly, but also old enough to start helping around the house and kitchen. They will be learning to cook and cleanup and then, maybe, taking on some of these tasks themselves. So, do your best to plan for a kitchen where 2, 3, or 4 people are working...prepping, cooking, cleaning up...all at one time!

BTW...think "work zones" instead of just "work triangle". There are three primary work zones:
- Prep Zone...where 70% (or more) of the time is spent while working in the kitchen [sink (prep or cleanup), trash, workspace, located next to or across from Cooking Zone]
Cooking Zone...where 10% of the time is spent while working in the kitchen [range/cooktop, trash, workspace and emergency landing space, located next to or across from Prep Zone]
Cleanup Zone...where 20% of the time is spent while working in the kitchen [sink, DW, trash somewhere nearby, separated from Prep & Cooking Zones - even if only by a sink]

There's an interesting discussion about work triangles and work zones in the thread I've linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Thread: Death to the Work Triangle??

Layout help - sink on Peninsula or by the window

Comments (6)

lisa_a

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Layout help - sink on Peninsula or by the window

Comments (6)

lisa_a

bahacca

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elizahuOriginal Author

lisa_a

elizahuOriginal Author

Buehl

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elizahu
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