Yes, what you're missing is that the big sink is for cleanup (and next to the dishwasher) and the small sink is for prep - washing vegetables, filling a pot, for which you don't need a very big sink (some like it bigger than others but not the size of the cleanup sink). It's a good idea to keep cleanup activities out of the way of prep and cooking activities.

That's what I suspected...but prep sinks seem so small. Maybe I'm just not used to it. My parents have one in their island but always end up using the bigger sink and the prep sink is just if there are two cooks in the kitchen.

You can get a bigger prep sink if you think you'd use it. I wanted one that was just large enough to fit my largest soup pot.

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. Does that mean I also need two pull out trash cans then? Does that make sense in a kitchen of 200-250SF?

When I think about it I think the prep sink at my parents is also not used because of its placement.

This post was edited by girlguineapig on Sat, Nov 1, 14 at 20:50

I have pretty much the same setup as you posted, but I switched the sinks. My large sink is in the island(DW too) and my medium size prep sink is over on the end. I understand the premise of prep area and such but still preferred my large sink in the middle. Do what works best for you.

I put a double sink under the window, a 24" sink in our long peninsula with the DW next to it, and nothing in our 3 x 4' island. I would really dislike using a small prep sink. We use the double for prep, washing large pots & pans, and when using the MW. The 24" is for cleanup and whatever goes in the DW, we fill it with ice and cold drinks when we entertain, and it comes in handy when both of us are in the kitchen--DH is in there a LOT.

Anne

This is actually a very good layout! Kitchen workflow:
refrigerator --> prep sink --> prepping --> range --> table (or cleanup sink)

The Cleanup Zone is separated from the Prep and Cooking Zones, the Cooking Zone is protected from traffic, there's no zone-crossing while prepping/cooking, and there appears to be ample workspace for each work zone.

One question - what is that block to the right of the island? If that's a wall or something else, then you don't have enough aisle space b/w the island and that wall.

You don't need two trash pullouts. Set up your island as follows (top-to-bottom or left-to-right):

18" trash pullout + 18" sink + whatever space you have left over for cabinets (hopefully, at least 36")

This places the trash pullout in the Prep Zone (where it's used most), near to the Cooking Zone (where it's used 2nd most), and near the Cleanup Zone (where it's used least of the three primary work zones).

If you have the room on the island, then opt for a 21" or 24" sink base for your prep sink. The interior dimensions of a sink are usually 1" to 3" narrower than the sink base cabinet. We have a prep sink that's 17-3/4" square and I use it all the time! It's a good size for just about anything. Is it big enough for all tasks, no, but that's when I use the cleanup sink - it's rare that I use the cleanup sink for prepping, though.

If the island is supposed to have seating, then be sure it's at least 41.5" deep to accommodate: 1.5" counter overhang + 24" deep cabinets + 1" decorative door/end panel + 15" clear knee/leg space for the seating overhang.

Hmm, maybe I should go back to that house and take more notes. The general layout (U shape with island in the corner of the house) is exactly what we're thinking. It looks like this photo. It looks like they put the trash to the left of the clean up sink.

It's a good idea to put the trash where you suggested. That's probably a detail for us to think about when the rest of the floor plan is set though. :) Thanks for the tip; the main thing is I understand how things are intended to work, although in most houses I think they make the prep sink too small for my taste!

The extra thing to the right of the island is nothing, actually. The floor plan is from the realtor and they accidentally pasted an extra fridge there or something.

This post was edited by girlguineapig on Sun, Nov 2, 14 at 23:01

Is the fridge to the right in the photo you pasted in? That layout would be excellent, and would be even better with a prep sink (of whatever size) in the island.

No, the photo is the same floorplan as I posted. Here's another view.

Are you saying you would put the fridge to the right of the cleaning zone sink, and put a prep sink in the island?

Is it nicer to put the prep sink on the same run as the cooktop? Then things drip onto the counter instead of the floor. Or is the reason to put the prep sink on the island to get more prep space? And I guess it makes the work triangle more compact?

I had a 20 x 16' kitchen. I put in two full sinks, I used both quite a bit. A prep sink for me would have been pretty useless. I did have two garbages, one under each sink, and one recycle by the prep area. The one in the prep area filled 2-3x as fast.

The more I think about it, the more I like this idea of two zones, prep and clean up. Our cooking style is 'head-chef and sous-chef' - one person makes the main dish(es) and the other person cleans the generated dishes, and sometimes makes easier side dishes. Sometimes there are even more chefs in the kitchen, but generally two zones would keep people productive more often.

Regarding prep sink sizes...many people mistakenly put in a "bar sink" for a prep sink. Bar sinks are designed for getting a glass of water or rinsing hands - they are too small for prepping. Be sure to get one that's at least 15" square (or round), but bigger is better!

Our process is similar to yours - I'm usually prepping and cooking while my DH is cleaning up. No more getting in each other's way or fighting for counterspace with our "new" kitchen now that I have a prep sink and my Prep & Cooking Zones are separated from the Cleanup Zone. We each have our own space!

With the design you're working with, you will have at least two prep zones - the primary on the island and the secondary b/w the range and cleanup sink.