Hard to read the dimensions, make sure door into pantry is wide enough to get the freezer in and out.

If you don't put a prep sink on that island, most of your prep is going to be done in the corner between the sink and the range. Also, if you want to use the island as your main prep space, it works best to have the long side of it parallel with the cooking zone. Right now, it's a giant ring around the rosy around the continent.

There IS such a thing as a too large kitchen for efficiency. Reduce the size by at least a third, and re-orient the major players.

Thank you! I forgot to add that we are not adding a freezer in the pantry since we will have a big combo in the kitchen and another one in the basement.

Just some basic stuff...I would put the frig on the end of the top run and put the DW on the other side of the sink. Then I'd put the freezer on the left end of the bottom run...maybe 4' of counter or so (hard to figure exact dimensions) and then double ovens. You could use a prep sink toward the corner of the bottom run by the peninsula, especially is you're a baker.

"If you don't put a prep sink on that island, most of your prep is going to be done in the corner between the sink and the range."

Thanks for the input! We don't have a prep sink on our island now which is 4.6x8 and I still do all my prepping on it. I thought it would be nice to have a prep sink opposite my kitchen sink for when I am on the other side of the kitchen.

With 5 children and 45+ cousins that live near our new home we opted for a larger kitchen area. We also have an orchard on our new property and will be canning and cooking a ton with family.

Thanks again for the input! I truly appreciate it!

Thank you remodelfla! My architect had the dishwasher on the other side but then I moved it to the left side because I have no cabinets on the right side of my sink. I wanted to be able to have the dish cabinet and washer in close proximity.

I was also thinking that I would put the fridge/freezer combo on the short side next to the hidden pantry entrance. That makes a lot of sense.

We start our build on March 1st but we are meeting with our builder in January. Time flies by when you are trying to fine-tune everything. Especially when you live 3 states away!

Double Post

This post was edited by robynstamps on Thu, Oct 3, 13 at 18:00

I think the double ovens should be on the same wall as the cooktop....I would flip flop the fridge/freezer and the cooktop/ovens. Typically you are at the fridge/ sink more often than the cooktop and oven so it makes sense for them to be closer together.

That's not a downdraft, is it? Nah, couldn't be.

I might put the ovens on the other side of the fridge/freezer to have them a little closer to the cooktop but I really don't mind them being far away. Some people like a closer run for moving things between the two but I don't do that enough to care.

I'd rather have the freezer in the pantry than the basement unless you have popsicle trolls down there.

A prep sink (but it'd be more of a bar sink) by the oven/fridge row, next to the peninsula, might make for a nice little coffee bar and provide more of a reason to slide the oven to the other side. Fridge. Sink. Coffee. They go. If you don't want the island used for a sink, there's no real logical place for an actual prep sink. But a coffee bar sink could be used as a prep sink under extreme cooking conditions.

However, canning fresh produce with (hopefully) lots of help calls for a BIG prep sink with a big prep area and you already know where that would have to be....

...the island.

You will certainly get a lot of exercise in that kitchen.

I agree with fori. With a pantry 5'9" x 17'0" (if I am reading the dimensions correctly?), I'd also rather have the extra freezer in the pantry. There is plenty of room for it. Also, the way it is drawn, the pantry entrance will not really be 'hidden' at all.

The dimensions are so small and hard to read. Do you have any way to enlarge them ? Can you post the plan for the whole floor as well ?

This is the hidden pantry open.

Here is the pantry closed.

Thank you so much for your input! I will take all of it into consideration. I cannot change my plan anymore (as we've already fine tuned it and love it!) but the placement of items will be a big help!

I'm also going to really think about putting the prep sink on my island. Thank you so much for the help with that. It might be a much better place for it! Don't really need a coffee station since none of us drink coffee. LOL!

With the DW where it is now, it will be in the middle of the workspace b/w the range and only useful sink in the kitchen - the cleanup sink (a sink on the other side won't be very useful b/c the island will be a "barrier" b/w the cooktop and refrigerator and it looks like that aisle b/w the island and refrigerator may be a major thoroughfare through the kitchen - so it may not be the best choice for prepping.) It also means you may be dodging an open DW, have to move if someone wants to put something in/take something out of the DW, and, if it's running, work over a running DW.

While you say you do most of your prepping in the island of your current home, where do you wash/rinse veggies, fruit, etc. for preparation? You can't do that w/o water.

I understand that you modeled your new kitchen after your old kitchen - but don't you think it might be a good idea to keep an open mind and look for improvements over your existing kitchen? Keep in mind that as human beings, we generally easily adapt to what we have - making do b/c that's all we have to work with. We often don't realize that "we're making do" until we try something new and come to realize that there are other ways to do something and that one of those "other ways" may actually be better!

You have a golden opportunity here to make your kitchen even better - I recommend you give it a shot. You may come back to something similar to this - but at least you will have explored other options. Who knows - even if you end up with something similar - you may end up changing a few things here and there that make a big difference functionally.

I can see a few things that would make a difference - but if you are set in your design and are not open to changes, then there's no point in drawing something up or making other recommendations.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Robyn...I love that pantry door, what a cool idea!

Thank you alia80ca! I think it will be neat and out of the way.

buehl - you have a lot of good points. If this kitchen wasn't already working for us we would change it a bunch. I think I will take some of your thoughts into consideration as they are very good. The kitchen appliances are what are giving me the biggest headache right now, though.

Thanks everyone! A lot of great ideas!

I'd have the fridge on the upper L next to the pantry door, then freezer and oven (if you're OK having the cooktop and oven at some distance).

Lower L, prep sink near the door and cooktop near the corner. If I read the dimensions right, you have 15' there, so you can have a good sized sink and still have enough prep space and some more b/w the corner and the cooktop.

With so much crowd and expected activity you might consider a second DW lol'

Robyn, Your inspiration picture has the full height hidden pantry door flanked by another full height item. I have seen this done many times and it turns out pretty cool. Yours will not look like your picture if you have it built as drawn on your layout because it is flanked on both sides by regular depth cabinets. Hence why I said it will not really look "hidden".

This post was edited by angela12345 on Fri, Oct 4, 13 at 14:11

"Robyn, Your inspiration picture has the full height hidden pantry door flanked by another full height item. I have seen this done many times and it turns out pretty cool. Yours will not look like your picture if you have it built as drawn on your layout because it is flanked on both sides by regular depth cabinets. Hence why I said it will not really look "hidden"."

Thanks so much for the input! The picture above is from a house that our builder built. I will just ask if he can make it work for us.

Thank you sena01! Our architect originally had two DWs in the plan but we took one out. LOL!

The website below has excellent advise on how to layout a kitchen to function to the best of it's ability. Pay particular attention to #'s 3, 5, 9, and 16. Regarding your "work triangle", as you have it, it is 20 feet from your fridge to the sink !! And, around a barrier island. It is 13-14 feet from the fridge to the stove. And 8 feet from the stove to the sink. http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/kitchen.design.rules.htm

Also, buehl has taken the time to gather LOTS of kitchen planning information in the following thread with links to much information http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0722221917955.html

Only answering your question above, where should I put my appliances, below is what I have come up with. The main thing it does is tighten up your core work triangle while leaving multiple locations for helpers as well (both sides of the prep sink, at the island, and at the cleanup sink on both sides). This change gives you about 10 feet from the fridge to the sink, 5 feet from fridge to stove, and 6.5 feet from stove to sink. (For the freezer, it is 15 from freezer to sink, and 10 from freezer to stove)

It puts your prep sink under the window (70% of the time in the kitchen is spent prepping) and moves the cleanup sink & dish storage across the kitchen and closer to the peninsula seating for putting out clean dishes and gathering dirties. You have plenty of room for 2 dishwashers at the cleanup sink, if you would like. I have drawn it with two. Optionally you could also use a single dishwasher drawer by your prep sink for dirties generated there. You will need a trash pullout at your prep sink. Between the prep sink and stove is a good place for it so it can be used by both. You would want a small trash under the cleanup sink as well for scraping plates.

The location of the fridge/freezer would allow you to use standard size appliances and recess them 6" into the pantry. I have drawn them recessed. This saves money over the price of counter depth and gives you more interior room inside them. The landing space on the island and by the double ovens is a little far away, but basically the same as it was in your original drawing. This could be helped by adding some length to the island to shrink the aisle between the fridge and island slightly. The hidden pantry door opens between the fridge and freezer. will2kz has some example pics at the very top of this thread http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/appl/msg0700185724607.html. Although, he used glass on the pantry door, which does not make it as hidden as if you used the type you have in your inspiration pic. Here is another one where they did not panel the fronts of the fridge and freezer on either side of the hidden pantry http://www.drurydesigns.com/blog/artistic-transitional-kitchen-design-becomes-a-northshore-beauty/. And tons of ideas on houzz [https://www.houzz.com/photos/hidden-pantry-phbr0lbl-bl~l_2524[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/hidden-pantry-phbr0lbl-bl~l_2524)

I have spread out the seating at the peninsula (rule 9) to give each a little more elbow room. Minimum calls for 24" for seating, but when you have a bunch in a row, 28-30" is more comfortable. When needed, you could fit more than 4 across. I moved one to the end to get away a little bit from the "lined up at the feeding trough" look. I changed part of the end of the island to overhang so one or two could cozy up to the cook for some personal time. Or to allow the cook to sit at the island to work or take a break.

Edit: had to edit post for pic to show up. Sorry !

This post was edited by angela12345 on Fri, Oct 4, 13 at 14:50

"Robyn, Your inspiration picture has the full height hidden pantry door flanked by another full height item. I have seen this done many times and it turns out pretty cool. Yours will not look like your picture if you have it built as drawn on your layout because it is flanked on both sides by regular depth cabinets. Hence why I said it will not really look "hidden"."

Thanks so much for the input! The picture above is from a house that our builder built. I will just ask if he can make it work for us.