Erika,

That looks like it will be gorgeous!

Out of curiosity, why will you drop the counter height for the hutch? Though you have a nice long surface on your island- you might also wish you had a long counter on the sink side, especially when there's more than one cook in the kitchen. Or is to keep out kitchen clutter from a serving area?

Hi Raehelen,

My thinking was by putting a different material on the hutch countertop and lowering it, it would make the hutch look more like a separate piece of furniture. I have 4 feet of counter to each side of my sink, not including the hutch. Because the hutch has sides it breaks up that run of counter to the right of the sink no matter what, don't you think? Do you think 4 feet to each side of the sink is enough?

Your kitchen design looks wonderful and marble is a really pretty stone, but I've always heard that it's not the best option for a kitchen because it stains easily. Have you heard this as well and if so isn't that a concern for you?

I think it looks wonderful. I have lots of different surfaces...soapstone, teak, marble and butcherblock. I don't think you will have to many at all as it appears you have lots of other features to tie it together. You are going for the unfitted look and the change in surface level will make that look perfect...IMHO. I would think 4 ft on a side was PLENTY. Bigger and spread out is not always the way to go...there are lots of posts to show that . Marble has it detractions but the beauty and patina outweigh them I think..either you love it or not. Your space looks divine. c

Hi lukkiirish, you're right that marble isn't usually recommended for kitchens in the U.S. My KD tried to talk me out of it. It's a softer and more porous stone and will etch and stain more easily than granite even with careful sealing. I'm getting my marble honed which will help hide the etches, and I don't mind the patina that marble develops with much use.

C, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging comments. I love your kitchen and value your opinion highly.

Not too many! A kitchen as large as yours would be boring with too few! My sister is a gourmet cook and they often have different surfaces for different projects. Marble for rolling dough and making candy, soapstone/granite etc for durability, butcher block for chopping a hutch to store her coffee seutp, IMHO, it's a terrific idea since your kitchen is so large, breaking it up with the hutch will make it feel more charming and inviting than long slabs of uninterrupted "something". Plus, the hutch will look like a piece of furniture, so it won't seem odd, I realize this might not work for you but I would even paint the "hutch" a different color or make it from stainable wood to make it really look like an antique. RE the sink - I have 4 college aged children and ALL their friends hanging out in a kitchen nowhere near as terrific as your layout so our kitchen is busy. I think 4' is PLENTY! Especially since you've got that great island. Just a thought, I never thought I would use a pot filler faucet near the stove but find it very convenient. I live in an old house so I'm "layout challenged" but your design is one I see in my dreams. Good Luck!

cinthia, thanks so much for your vote of confidence! I had originally planned to stain the island either espresso or black, but when I looked at it in 3D on my computer screen, it looked like toooo much because of the island being so long. My KD also agrees it may be too much of a good thing. So now I'm thinking of making the dish hutch or the pantry next to the ovens a different color. I love love love the black hutch in the photo I posted above. My pantry will be shallow like that but will be 45 inches wide and will have glass doors instead of open shelves. I'm leaning toward the black as opposed to espresso, and I would carry it into the dining room's built-in china hutch. What do you think?

You and I seem to think alike because I will also have a wall mounted potfiller and a small chef sink like this one to the left of the cooktop:

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I like kitchens that look like something good to eat was or is going to be made there. Instead of flowers, I buy pretty gourds in the Fall and fresh lemons etc in the summer or a fresh French bread. It's no more than flowers and makes the kitchen look inviting. Brilliant idea for the pot filler sink. I would definitely have installed one if I could do it over. I also like black more than espresso. It's very country French, without being "foo-foo". I hope you post photos when it's finished!

erika...I"m going to vicariously live in the large open expanse of kitchen of yours! SPECTACULAR!! Absolutely positively NOT too many counter spaces materials. Some of everything you love? What can be better then that?! I'm planning on doing the same thing and I'll have a small kitchen. Great great job.

Love the kitchen and all the surfaces and colors you've chosen. Black vote here.

Re the prep and main sink being too close: In my last kitchen remodel, the prep sink ended up being just across the aisle from the main sink. I waffled for months about the necessity of it, and ended up LOVING it. It was much easier to prep on the island with the little sink, it helped provide space for a second or third cook, and it was used at least as much as the main sink. I would not worry about them being too close if the placement makes sense to you (especially next to that wonderful butcher block for prep, and marble for dough--should be fabulous!).

Thank you Elyse for your continued encouragement. You're a sweetheart.

claybabe, thanks so much for setting my mind at ease about my prep sink placement. :)

I want to lend you my support....but I asked my husband to give his opinion and we both agree. Too many surfaces looks "house poor". Like you couldn't afford to buy it "all" at one time. Like you had to keep picking up bits and pieces and fitting them together to make up a whole.

Yes, your two sinks are too close together. Not having to turn around is not the purpose of two sinks.

I hope this gives insight and perspective. Best wishes. JMHO

Well, I do see your point, but I'm not very worried about my kitchen looking house poor considering the materials I'm using. The unfitted look definitely isn't for everyone, but it appeals to me.

I agree that the position of the sinks isn't ideal, but I haven't been able to figure out a way to center my sink under the windows otherwise. Let me know if you have any ideas. =)

erika... I believe there are no longer "rules" in regard to kitchen design. You go with what works for you and how it relates to the space you have to work with. I personally, see no reason why you have to have the sink centerd if it's not the best thing for the design. I believe balance is important but not everything has to be entirely symmetrical. Would you consider switching the sink to the other side of the DW? You'd still be under the window if you like the idea of looking outside (I know "OUTSIDE" is driving every plan I come up with ). It would be so convenient to the coffee center by the hutch as well. It also give you yet another glorious uninterrupted expanse of that beautiful marble.

And.. FYI.. my kitchen will be half your size and I consider myself fortunate that I can afford to put whatever material I want wherever I want and that will include some kind of blueish granite, edge grain BB, and MARBLE

erikanh, I think that your pot filler with the chief sink is one of the most sensible things I have seen. I never have trouble with the cold pot of water, the hot one is the difficult one. And as Trailrunner said she has different counter surfaces and her kit is beautiful as well as very functional for a serious cook.

Elyse, I totally agree about not being constrained by traditional kitchen rules. I don't think I'd like the DW on the left of my sink; however, I can move that 2-foot bank of drawers and slide the sink 2 feet down to the right. That would leave me 24" to the right of the sink. Do you think that's enough?

I've tried every different window size and shifted those base cabinets around and around, but no matter what I do, the sink placement looks like a mistake unless I center it.

" house poor"...I am not sure that anyone would think that unless you were doing a mish mash of surfaces as I saw today in a rental...never fear...your space will look wonderful and elegant and like beautifully thought out furniture. If you think the sink looks like a mistake unless centered then it needs to be centered. You are the one looking at it day after day. Also I have been taking a ton of pics of interior rooms the past few days trying to "decorate". I look at the pic and think...well that is not how the room looks ! So the final judgement has to be yours. After a while you just have to "know" that you are right. And you will be....it is your Kitchen. c

As long as your hutch is styled to look separate, like the one you show in the photo, having a different counter on it is a great idea. If it's not connected it sure doesn't have any reason to match any of the rest.

You definitely don't have a mishmash...You have marble with an inset butcher block, and stainless at the stove. Appropriate for the uses and high end stuff. I'd like to be that 'house poor!' Picking things up here and there is what 'unfitted' is all about and the look you wanted, so I guess you must be headed in the right direction!

I initially loved that idea to have the potfiller over the sink and do dbl duty...but when I look at the rendering it looks like you'll end up prepping to the side of the sink and having to lift prepped food over the sink to get to the stove?

But wait...Why the chef sink and a prep sink? If the prep sink is more for salads and such, and people other than the cook, why not move it closer to the big fridge? (Which, I think, is on the other side of the hutch?) Have you done a rendering to see how the hutch looks right up next to the fridge?

Hi Erika,

First, I love your design ideas and layout. The mix of surfaces is great (definitely not too many) and very similar to what I'd like to do. I do think your sink should be centered under the window, especially if you are concerned about it now you will not be happy when it is installed. We obsessed about this in the design phase of our new kitchen so much that we added a third window to that wall to be able to center our clean-up sink under it. My layout is similar to your's with the long island, although my sink (centered under my 3 windows) would swap places with your range. I have a lowered baking center in the same place as your butcher block area.

So instead of moving the placement of your large sink - For your prep sink, have you considered putting it at the other end of your island? It might be nice to have a sink down at that end of your kitchen, for entertaining, serving drinks. I think it would look great down near your hutch as kind of a "bar" sink. I don't see where your fridge is but it's always nice to have a sink close by. And a sink at that end would be great for use as a "prep" sink for washing veggies etc for that extra person (guest or not). That extra person would then not be bumping into anyone near the clean-up or cooking center. Your larger sink (I call mine the clean-up sink) seems close enough to your baking center (which I also have in the exact location) and easy enough to turn around to get that measuring cup of water you need for your recipe or to pop a batter bowl into the sink for washing. At least that is my thinking for what would work for me. And did you also say you have a chef's sink close to the range. Sounds like a lot of sinks in that end of the kitchen, it would be nice to put one at the other end. Just my thought anyway, you need to do what works for you and the way you cook, prep, and entertain.

On the mix of surfaces - I loooove it. So many KD and "cabinet people" I talked to told me similar things like "it looks like you couldn't afford it all at once" etc. I told them the point is to make it look like I did not get this brand spanking new kitchen all at once. I want it to look like it has evolved over time. I know that doesn't work for everyone but you need to do what you want, not someone else. I am mixing cabinet colors (painted periphery cabinets, stained cherry island) and also mixing door styles as well. My take is if the island is different (i.e. stained cherry) it might have been from a different time period than my wall and base cabinets around the kitchen periphery. I have seen kitchens like these and they are truly beautiful and very period looking.

Hope this is helpful to you. Everyone needs to do what works for them.

I can't wait to see your finished photos.

garden18c: Wow, it really does sound like our kitchens are very similar. Are you all done with your renovation? Have any pics to share? =)

You've given me food for thought regarding moving the prep sink down to the right. I'm putting fridge drawers next to my cooktop and my big fridge will be to the right of my dish hutch. I'm gonna go fiddle with my layout and see how it looks.

Thanks so much for your input!

erikanh

Beautiful kitchen.
What color are your floors? In the computer picture they look cherry. In the other photo they look like red oak. I have that color cabinets, and I am now looking for floors.

Hi Nettie! That free software I use is very limited color-wise. Right now the floors are unstained red oak. I'm planning to stain them darker something like this:

{{!gwi}}

Hi erikanh,

I don't have any photos other than inspiration ones - lots of colonial period kitchens, beams, wide board floors. I do have a layout that I did, it's not great but I could email it to you. Can you accept emails here through Gardenweb?

garden18c, oops, I missed your post. If you ever do take photos of your kitchen I'd love to see them, and yes, you can email me at the address on my page.

rhome, if you ever check this thread again, I just wanted to let you know that I read your suggestion in drjay's thread about the cooktop being 36" from the island so that no steps are required, just swiveling. That makes so much sense to me, so I'm changing my layout to make my island closer. After making this change and tweaking a few other things my sinks are no longer back to back and my sink is centered under the windows. =)

Glad to be of help, even indirectly! ;-)