I'm having a hard time reading your plan, but I can tell you that I have had a sink and cooktop across from one another in two houses and took it out of this one. It is very efficient for a one person kitchen, but it is a pain if anyone else is in the kitchen -- to cook, to clean, to get a snack, to throw away trash by the sink -- they always get in the way. If you do something like that, it is one situation where a wider aisle would be needed in my mind (doesn't look like you have that) and then you take away from the super efficiency. You could move one over and it would help major butt bumping but not general traffic issues. Why would having your clean up in the second island be too far -- from what? Remember that you would have a prep sink on that island (I'd put it to one side). My kitchen has an island between my cooking area and my clean up area. With a prep sink there, I can handle anything while I'm cooking and toss dirties in the prep sink. I can also use a mixing bowl or pan to gather everything and walk it over -- or pass it across the island. My issue with clean up on the second island is that it is so open to the family room and my guys tend to stack stuff up rather than get it into the DW (I keep trying though). I'd like to be able to tell what areas are doorways and where they go so I could see if there might be some other ideas to suggest. Is the dual island a must? What are the measurements of the room and openings?

Mrs. Smith, Thank you. This stone was just right for our tastes - simple lines enhanced by the patterns in natural materials. It is Azul do Mar, an accurate name because it looks very similar to a photo we took of the ocean off Point Lobos. Blues and greens mixed with the white of the wave tops and some little reddish brown spots like the bits of seaweed or an otter popping its head up. It is a quartzite and very similar in properties to Azul Macaubas. Both come from Brazil. Azul Macaubas usually has more white with streaks of aqua blue - more like the sky than the ocean. They are often sold as "granite" as are any other hard stones. It is very very hard - harder than granite because it is composed mainly of quartz, but the impurities give it its color. It is very low porosity - our fabricator insisted on sealing it because he seals everything, but in the tests we did on our sample before sealing, nothing stained it. We have been using it for 5 years and have not resealed. Our fabricator said it took longer on his machines because it is so hard. Nothing short of a diamond is going to scratch it. I've never had anything that is as easy to clean. A wipe with a damp towel usually does the job even if my family has allowed a spot of wine or tomato sauce to dry on. The downsides: Like most blue stones, it is more expensive - we paid about $54 a square foot for the slabs. It isn't very common - only two yards around us had it. Supposedly, it usually comes in smaller slabs but either that isn't accurate or we were extremely lucky. The first slabs we saw were 67 by 54 inches, then at Bedrosians we found ones large enough to do our island with one slab but our L would have needed 2 seams. Bedrosians checked their other stores and found 124 x 64 inch slabs which allowed us to do our L with one seam.

gizmonike, you are not in the KFB either, could you post a picture? I changed my plans (again) with the GC this morning so the prep sink is in the corner of the island. I took the air switch out and put a standard but horizontal switch on the island side. I didn't want to accidently turn on the disposal when I was prepping. So I'll have the single hole faucet and a soap dispenser...and wide open space!! rhome: I am so excited to be getting wood counters and I see you have them. Mine will be lyptus on the side grain made and installed by my GC. He is also making me two butcher blocks on the end grain. I love wood. I also chose granite for the balance but I love your ss and how economically you had them done. Do I remember right that your island is 4x6?

I think the location you have in the pic is perfect. Near the fridge and across from stove but not directly across. My prep sink is 15x15 and it’s the perfect size for me. I have read others say that’s too small but it’s not for our family of 6 (interior is roughly 13”x13”). I use it exclusively for washing and cutting fruits, veggies, dumping pasta water... I love having it separate from the clean up sink! Make sure it has a disposal :)