scrappy25 renovation Part 3- The kitchen cockpit (Stages 45 sink)

9 years ago

If you missed Part 2 (Julia soapstone installed), I have linked it below. The link to Part 1 (Layout evolution and cabinet installation) is that thread.

The Kitchen Cockpit (Kohler Stages 45 sink and under sink cabinet)

I have enjoyed my Stages 45 so much that it deserves it own separate post. Many thanks fo all those who posted previously on it. The wonderful review by rjr220 was really instrumental in my decision to buy it. bbtrix and beekeeperswife held my hand as I asked questions about installation. I don't know how many times I looked at lauralincoln's picture with her two Kohler Karbon faucets. There are several others who used the Stages 45 and 33 sinks creatively in their cabinetry who contributed ideas to my final installation. Thank you all!

You may or may not remember from Part 1 that I moved the sink in this renovation to the peninsula, the location of my former cooktop. That idea, suggested by bmorepanic and refined by lavenderlass, cleared a huge swath of counterspace in front of the kitchen window (the former location of the sink) and allowed access to the sink from 3 sides of the peninsula for 3 persons simultaneously. This layout happens to perfectly follow Marcolo's "Ice, Water, Rock, Fire" sequence coincidentally.

This layout coalesced when I got a deal on the Stages 45 sink on the Home Depot website. I paid $849 for it, but in retrospect the $1149 normal price is fully worth it. I have wonderful appliances and cabinets that are loaded with extras, but this sink area is really the center of all activity, hence called "The Cockpit" in our home.

One unexpected finding is that most of my prep is actually done in the sink itself rather than on the large amount of counterspace that I now have next to it. This is really nice in that I am facing the eating area and family room and can easily socialize with others while I am prepping. When my sister and mom were here over Thanksgiving, we used all 3 sides of the peninsula for prepping, every surface was covered.

I took some pictures while quickly making dinner tonight so that you get the idea of how I use it.

The first photo was taken when I was cutting and cleaning the cauliflower. There is a lot in this photo, so bear with me. I use the Ikea Breskar chopping board ($20) because the Stages one is much too heavy to easily lift. This one fits perfectly if turned sideways. The thin plastic cutting liners help me to easily move the chopped items into their colanders or cooking containers. Those black plastic Boholmen colanders (also Ikea, $2.99)are perfect for rinsing as well as for draining cleaning items.

I have two identical Hansgrohe pullout faucets as well as an instant hot, an air gap gd switch, and a soap dispenser. I reused my old faucet and found the discontinued matching faucet on ebay. The left faucet is on a dual activated tapmaster- there is a kick control on the sink side of the peninsula and a drawer activated control on the outside of the peninsula (thanks for plllog for her help with this). If you look hard in this picture you will see a red adhesive Avery dot on the bottom of the cabinet, that was to tell us where the kick control is. The right faucet has normal operation.

The pullout trash cabinet under the right deep part of the sink has a Blum electric Servodrive which pushes the trash open when I nudge it with my knee. LOVE this! The front is the regular trash and the back has the recycling. So convenient when prepping in the sink.

Someone asked me about the small open area to the left of the sink. That was unused filler space and it is only 16 inches deep due to the undercounter fridge on the other side of the peninsula, so I had them frame it out for the smaller cutting boards. It is only 4 inches wide and the opening is only 2.5 inches wide but it is very handy.
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After rinsing and draining the chopped cauliflower, it gets dumped into the steamer containers and put into the steam oven.
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Chopping board and liner gets rinsed and set to dry in the Ikea Boholmen dish drainer ($7.99). Thsi sits on my integral soapstone drainboard. Excuse the mail dumped on the eating area table and chair. Homework for tonight.

On the other side of the peninsula is my coffee center.
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This picture shows my coffee drawer, the undercounter fridge with the milk and soy milk in it, and the coffee maker in relationship to the sink. The peninsula side tapmaster control is activated by depressing the face of this coffee drawer.
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OK, cauliflower has cooked and steam pans and water jug are rinsed and drying in and about the sink. My son is doing a photobomb in the picture with the tapmaster activation of the faucet from the other side.
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Better picture of the trash pullout. This is the standard Dutchwood pullout trash unit but I asked them to put in only one hard plastic unit and to leave the back open for my paper recycling.
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I use doubled regular grocery bags for my trash and the hard container is too large, so I store my extra bags underneath, ready to grab when I take out the full trash. You can see that I also store my extra paper bags for recycling right there also.
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Here's my Progressive collapsible dish tub that actually fits for storage in a very tight space under my sink.
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The next picture will show you the handiwork of a wonderful plumber who was here a full day to make this all work on the 18 inch side of the sink not taken up by the trash. Can you see my collapsible rinsing basket nestled in there?

Oh I forgot to show you the toekick drawer which houses all the Kohler accessories as well as the additional Ikea cutting boards that I use. This toekick drawer forced the tapmaster control to the left and we are only just getting used to using our left feet for kicking it (hence the red Avery dot), but that is well worth the tradeoff for the local storage of all those items. There is also a hinged tipout face front but the internal drawer part is not yet installed.
{{gwi:2136932}}

Whew that was much longer than I intended it to be. You made it to the end!

Here is a link that might be useful: scrappy25 renovation Part 2- Julia soapstone installed

This post was edited by scrappy25 on Tue, Dec 9, 14 at 23:15

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scrappy25
Original Author

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Hi Mareluce,
the Stages 36 has a 21 inch bowl I believe not counting the ledge and I did consider it strongly. I was trying to figure out if I could get a dishwasher under the ledge so as not to lose that cabinet space (before I settled in Dutchwood and all the customizations they can do). . However, I had a similar sized sink originally and when I realized that the best position for the sink was in the peninsula, I decided to move up to at least a 30 inch sink. I had been looking to spend about $500 for a sink like the Ticor 4000 that I have mentioned, but kept coming back to the Stages 45 due to the postings that I had seen and that Kohler video. I was fortunate enough to find an unadvertised price cut at HD when I was ready to buy it. However, in retrospect, it is the best thing in my kitchen and well worth the full price, especially with the so-useful dual faucets. Tonight I was washing the drawers from my old refrigerator and very thankful that I had such a large sink with lots of places to place the drawers to dry. Previously, I always had to wash them in my laundry sink and would do it in the summer so that I could leave them on my deck to dry.

I did look at the Galley once but crossed it quickly off my list due to the nosebleed price.

Other than the Ticor 4000 I would have considered the Silgranite Super Single with the offset drain or perhaps one of the new Silgranite Cascade sinks. Marge143 has a very nice thread showing those sinks and asking for opinions. I would have still planned for 2 faucets even though it is unorthodox.

Here is a link that might be useful: marge143 Single Bowl Silgranit Style - Opinions

Comments (14)

eam44
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Your cabinets are beautiful. I'm amazed at how you've managed to use every micron and made your space so functional. You must have put a lot of thought into your design. Well done.
bbtrix
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Scrappy, you have definitely put careful thought into your design and are reaping the payoff. I have been a long time member of GW and have learned so much from the members, most often in the background. Your kitchen is a wonderful example of the collective. I love your reveal as a story to remind us of all that has gone into your decisions. It's easy to forget all the details as our kitchens take time to evolve. I have looked forward to and appreciate your posts.

Now on to the "kitchen cockpit". Oh how I love it too! I think you have effectively demonstrated how useful and effective it is. You've positioned your waste exactly where I have it and it works perfectly. Every day I'm so grateful I found this sink on gardenweb and thank the same folks you mentioned. I love your Ikea accessories. I wish I knew of them last week when I was at the store. I'm 350 miles away so will have to ship;)

I also do my prep in the kohler and have a very large additional expanse of counter right across. It is so nice to spread out for large meals or multi cooks. I especially like that I've started to prep multiple meals at a time or do double quantities. It's so nice to have the space. My actual kitchen space is small and likely similar to yours but I feel is a very good, usable space thanks to all the knowledge I received here.

I'm so happy you're install went so well and you are happy with the outcome! Thanks for sharing your adventure!
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Scrappy25 renovation Part 1- layout evolution and cabinets
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Comments (25)
thanks for the kind words! I'm just going to reply to those who asked questions but I do very much appreciate your comments. general note- I've had the appliances all over my house for the past 5 years! Pretty much all of it was closeout/clearance/ebay / or craigslist. Imaging my sigh of relief when one by one, they turned on and worked. I did resell some of the extras that I could not fit in, that I had purchased for a larger kitchen expansion. Having the appliances made it "easy" in a sense to plan the layout since it constrained the choices. I had been thinking about this last plan for a few months already by the time I met with Lorna, the Dutchwood kitchen designer, so I was able to send her all the specs on the appliances and she worked out the details to make it fit into the layout I wanted. I did ask for maximum ventilation height of the induction cooktop above the 30 inch oven. dccurlygirl- I brought lots of pictures of things that I had pinned - toekick drawers, pullout cutting boards, cut down drawer for Stages sink shelf, cut-down drawers for 36" cooktop over 30 inch oven, dividers in my pots/pan drawer, custom paneled appliances etc , most of them from gardenweb postings, and Lorna worked them into the plan. In their showroom, they had the pullout cutting boards and toekick drawers in their displays already. One thing I did not post is the electric trash opener for the trash drawer under the sink which was also in their display, it is a big hit with my whole family. I provided the "asks" and Lorna either worked it in or told me if it couldn ot be completed for whatever reasons. I am including one picture of just the fridge wall here so that you can see the level of detail and customization in these plans (BTW the fridge wall is partial overlay and again not one person has noticed that) . Dutchwood is used to working with paneled appliances and appropriate spacing- at the end I wrung out another inch or so of space from Jason for my pantry on that wall over a few emails, the last bit he gave me was 1/8 inch by reducing the overlay to 1/2 inch on the pantry only instead of 5/8 inch on the rest of that wall (that happened after these plans). They were super accommodating with my wishes. lannegreen, here is the "overview" layout , it's a little hard to read but the dishwasher is under the kitchen window around the corner from the sink. It is paneled which is why you could not identify it in the picture. It is at the base of the "U" with 24 inches space on one side and 24 inch space on the sink side. I can stand on both sides and unload dishes. I have the Lemans unit in that blind cabinet between the sink and the dishwasher, so the toekick between the dishwasher and the sink was made removable to install and access the plumbing. This was suggested by the inspection office of my county when I called to explain the problem (before I found a contractor). The removable toekick was the only think that I found surprisingly expensive at Dutchwood but it was more than balanced by the reasonable cost of everything else ($90 for toekick drawers for example). AineLane, here are more picture of my "sitting bay." It cost slightly less than $5000 all told (including moving electrical and adding foam insulation under the exterior Azek cladding, tempered windows since I have all boys :) ), measures 78 inches wide internally by 18 inches deep. Much cheaper than adding a 40k breakfast room or an 80k large kitchen expansion as I first planned. I have a custom cushion for it now and my teen boys enjoy lounging and napping there. The key is to seat it low enough to the ground to make it comfortable for sitting (16" height). I also specified the weight that it had to be able to carry (600 lb). The style is known as a "box bay" and the brand is Sunrise windows. I purchased their premade "projected frame" window through their authorized contractor and he worked with me on the other details. My good friend and former nanny came by to visit the other day and barely noticed the kitchen renovation, she was so taken with the sitting bay. Exterior of original windows New box bay replacing old windows. Somehow those bay walls bring in a lot more light into the space. We also really like watching all the small wildlife outside that we could not reall see before. In terms of the layout, it gave us enough "breathing space" and sitting area that I could put 16 inch deep drawers on that side of the peninsula. I added an undercounter fridge (paneled, it is next to the wall) on that side as well with the idea that the "coffee center" would be accessed from that side. The light, animal/ibird watching, and perceived airiness is a huge bonus. This post was edited by scrappy25 on Fri, Dec 5, 14 at 18:51
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Yes, when I say it started with the sink, I did mean it quite literally. The first thing that bothered me about our kitchen when we moved in was the sink. But if you replace the sink, you really need to replace the counters and the faucet, and it would be a good time to replace the dishwasher. If you are going to replace the counters, then you might as well think about making any other changes... which lead to moving the range and adding a cabinet, and so it goes. I think the other thing about a sink is that it's something that you use all the time. Constantly. It seems like everything in a kitchen revolves around the sink. And that's probably why if you have room, two sinks are a good idea. But I will be happy just to get this one large sink installed. And I hope by starting with it, everything else will fall into place.
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I don’t think the Stages comes with a colander, at least it didn’t when I got it. It does come with a large wood cutting board, large white tray/cutting board, small tray/cutting board, 6 ceramic prep bowls, bottom sink grid, and under counter rack. The prep bowls are well designed to both stack and be reversible, although I mostly use them with the larger size up. I like the square design because it’s easy to use a wood spatula to scrape out the contents. The bottom grid hasn’t been a problem for me. You do have to lift it up or take it out to clean the sink, but that outweighs the advantages of being able to set things on it to drain and the fact that it protects the bottom of the sink from scratches. I do wish it was in two pieces so it would more easily fit in my dishwasher. It is so big that I have angle it to get it in and it’s hard to load other items around it.
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Hi artemis, your layout is looking good with the deep counters (I am a little envious that you can fit those in all around), and I like the suggestions for a larger prep sink and moving the cooktop over as far as you can given the window constraints. I remember that you were going to deepen the counter behind the sink for splashes right? Perhaps your software limits the type of sink you could put in, but I strongly suggest that you get a large single bowl sink or low divide sink with a single offset drain. You could either get a stages type sink with the integral drainboard, or have runnels cut into your countertop for drainage of large items. It will be good to have a large sink to hide dirty dishes and pots since your main sink is so visible from the dining area. I have the stages sink (with countertop runnels also) and use both a perforated holder perched across the sink and a minimalist dish drainer either on the runnels or on the integral shelf for drying things. When company comes, it is easy to put the dish drainer under the perforated holder and there is nothing on the countertop or the integral shelf. The offset drain would allow you to put a trash bin underneath half of the sink. I posted about my Stages sink experience here, and at the end of the thread include a link to a thread with a cheaper alternatives with similar functionality, including a silgranite sink. http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2817856/scrappy25-renovation-part-3-the-kitchen-cockpit-stages-45-sink?n=14 I am sure that others will have much better ideas for finishes than I do. I am a function over form type person.
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scrappy25
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
One more picture, this is the drawer stack under the sink "ledge". You can see that the top drawer is cut down to accommodate the ledge but still hold all the contents of my "junk" drawer. Middle drawer holds all the kitchen cloths and pot holders, bottom is my collected recipes and cookbooks.

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EAM44. , microns, LOL!!

bbtrix, I get palpitations every time I see your gorgeous wooden counter with your Stages sink. Cool to hear that you are also using it as the main prep area and use the counter across from it. Although the sink is really large, I think that we agree that it is fantastic for small kitchens,
Glad you are enjoying my story, I am missing a lot of acknowledgements to all those who helped or inspired me. Five years of trolling Gardenweb!

This post was edited by scrappy25 on Wed, Dec 10, 14 at 22:42
ainelane
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hello Scrappy,
Another wonderfully written post! It's evident how much thought and planning you put into your kitchen, and the results are outstanding.

I have a question about this sink. Forgive me if I'm being dense! What is the idea behind having that "ledge" within the sink? What is it there for? Is the normal sink park then equal to say a 33" sink? Is it essentially a built in draining board area? I really love how you showed the pics of the accessories, but I'm not getting how the ledge is used.
Thanks!
pinkpanther5
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ok, so I thought, a thousand bucks for a sink???

Well, you converted me! Holy crap, now I want a thousand dollar sink.

Awesome post, thanks for sharing.

I'm thinking my husband might not be glad though! :-D
scrappy25
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ainelane, I sort of take that ledge for granted, it is the usual location for the black Ikea colanders that are draining cleaning implements I have defrosted meat on it and set bowls on it to push off smaller items (green onions, shallots) from the chopping board that are too small to go into the colander. Perfect for mise en place. Have you seen the Stages youtube video from Kohler? It is a must see. I will also link rjr220's review that shows how the ledge is used.

pinkpanther5, come on over to the dark side! Seriously, you will not regret it. The Stages sink will end up being a small percentage cost of your kitchen renovation cost but you will spend more time with it than anything other appliance in your kitchen.

Here is a link that might be useful: rjr220 Stages 45 review
ainelane
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thank you Scrappy for explaining this to me. I went to YouTube and watched the video. I'm really impressed :)
I have been planning on going with a Kohler cast iron sink all along as I really hate stainless. However, this sink is causing me to question that!

It's my DREAM to be able to have a sink where two people can use it at the same time. I doubt I'll ever have room for a prep sink, so this Stages could make my dream come true!

I can see how I would end up prepping at this sink, instead of the peninsula prep area. That gives me a lot to think about as I really love being able to face out into the room while I prep and I wouldn't be able to if I put the sink in front of the window as planned.
Maybe this sink will start a whole new trend of sinks in peninsulas! It really makes so much sense in your layout and I frankly never would have thought of it.

Can I harass you with one more question?The website says the stainless is well insulated. Do you find it to be especially quiet or about the same as standard stainless sinks? I'd love to hear your opinion on that.

Thank you for being so generous with your helpful posts!
scrappy25
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Ainelane, since the Stages comes with the bottom rack , and it is undermounted, I don't think that my pots have ever hit the metal. I just went and knocked on the metal and it sounds like a good solid metal, much different than my cheapie sink in m basement kitchenette.I don't see any insulation when I look from below. Curious, I looked it up the Stages listing and they are touting "SilentShield sound-absorption technology offers quieter performance", I honestly have no idea what that means other than that it seems to be on a lot of the Kohler sinks. Perhaps they have engineered something into the metal design?

The inside deeper part measures 31 inches across. It is 9.5 inches deep and with the undermount it is deep enough that there is very little outside splashing when cleaning pots and pans.

I LOVE my peninsula sink for all the reasons you mentioned. The two matching pull down faucets are like the Chinese lions that flank the front doors in China, they seem to stand at attention in the sight line. When I have company, I put the small drainer into the sink and pull out the heavy Kohler cutting board over it . Although too heavy to be regularly used, that board is a thing of beauty and creates more counter space. The white containers can also come out as needed to hold items for a buffet.

pinkpanther5, I remember looking for cheaper alternatives and the Ticor 4000 for $400 would give you a similar design for the larger part of the sink (no ledge), but the drain is in the back center of the Ticor and does not allow the large pullout trash that the Stages does with its off-center drain. I think they are hard to find but they are still out there. That is worth considering if price is an issue, just add one or two integral drainboards to your countertop and you have most of the functions of the Stages sink.
ainelane
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Thanks so much for the additional info Scrappy.
I think I'm really strange, but it's mainly the sound of the water hitting the bottom of the stainless sink that drives me batty! I would love to know more about this sound insulating technology that Kohler is claiming. The sink in our vacation place is cheap, so maybe that makes all the difference.

When I started my kitchen reno decision process (too long ago to mention) there was ONE thing I was certain about and that was no stainless single bowl sink.
And yet, here I am, in love with the Stages 45! There is no certainty in kitchen design :)
The most exciting part is that I showed DH the video you told me about and, although he's trying to play it cool, he's totally in love too ;)
CEFreeman
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I want to know, of all the magazines and bloggers who troll for (usually uncredited) pictures and kitchen info, why yours hasn't popped up all over the place. I do think it's only a question of time.

Yours is the epitome of comprehensive, insanely useful and efficient storage. Thinking of all the how-to-create-storage articles out there, of course.

Product reviews: Yours are more informative and tell why it works, vs. "Oh, this is great. I have lots of room."

Just pretty design choices: Puts many, many published kitchens to shame.

Talk about form before function because function is inherently built in from the get-go.

Love reading your journey.
carree
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I have to applaude you. What a well thought out kitchen for function and good looks. I love my kitchen but I am having about ten v8 moments as I read your posts and cross posts. Still, it gives me pleasure to know that someone really has the ultimate in smart kitchen design. Well done!
scrappy25
Original Author
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Ainelane, I hear you on changes in plans! I am the queen of changes, two rounds with architects to expand the kitchen that went nowhere when the bids came in too high. So necessity became the mother of invention, forcing me to create a 2-3 cook kitchen in the existing space and optimizing every little bit of space. It became a better kitchen in the end and a much less expensive one than what was originally planned, allowing all the "fun" details that Dutchwood turned into reality for me. The Stages sink really pulled it all together. I have not noticed any hollow ringing to the sink when the water hits it but I may not be as sensitive to that sound as you are. Funny about the video- that converted my DH also!

CEFreeman, that is the nicest compliment ever! It never even occurred to me that my kitchen would be magazine worthy, I think of its gold as mostly being "hidden" in functionality.They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and so I thank all those many gardenwebbers who inspired this kitchen.

Carree, "V8 moment!" LOL, I had to look that up, learned something today. Thank you for your comment, my kitchen was designed after having the luxury of 20 years living with the old kitchen and knowing exactly what worked and didn't work for us.
Ivan I
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Scrappy (great Username, btw),

What convinced you to choose

1) Kohler Stages 45 vs their 36 model
2) Kohler Stages vs The Galley or... (am trying to think of another ledged sink system...) What was your #2 choice beyond the Ticor you mentioned?

scrappy25 renovation Part 3- The kitchen cockpit (Stages 45 sink)

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