Kitchen designers: What do you think about the sink location?
cherylgray
6 years ago
We are remodeling our kitchen. Our custom cabinet salesperson has proposed relocating our sink to acquire more counter and storage space and provide a better location for our dishwasher. Currently, the sink is in the middle of the longer leg of the L (below cabinets 2 and 3). He has relocated it to the corner of the L-shaped kitchen. I can't quite decide if I like this, particularly because I would be working on an angle to how the upper cabinets are positioned. There is a half wall to the left of the proposed sink location. What do you think about the proposed corner sink location? Will I feel "cornered"? Kitchen designers: do I need a new plan?
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biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)
6 years agocherylgray thanked biondanonima (Zone 7a Hudson Valley)Related Discussions
Just finished my new veg. garden, what do you think about design?
Comments (12)Okay, here's my critique. You probably did not design it, actually, you just built it--a big raised bed with a fence around it. Ideally, I would use a completely different design for a fully-fenced garden as for one not fenced--both as to dimensions and where the garden actually "is" with regard to the house and to the fence and to any paths or stepping stones that will be needed. However, you were able to take some advantage of where you attached the fencing to the perimeter. You can retrofit it now with some kind of step stones or paths in order to try to work in it. It's too close to the house so you lose the ability move very well back there or to work freely through the back fence or to run a wheelbarrow back there. You lose a little bit of some space advantage you could have had to let larger plants (indeterminate tomatoes; peas and beans) which like to spill out over the back sides--but you could still place them at the ends. These types of vegetables are really fun to grow in places where you can just saunter up to pick them at eye level (I am revealing my middle-agedness here). Of course, it isn't that much fun to try to work through the squares of fence, so you will mostly want to work from inside. If you put a path through the middle then will still have a few feet on either side for your crops. You can have a lot of fun with this garden regardless and learn a lot about growing different types of stuff. I always feel pressure to try to put as much as possible in the small veggie garden, but sometimes that can take the fun out of it (pressure! pressure!) as much as it can be fun. But if you do check out some of the photos and articles on small-space or square foot gardening, they will have some helpful tips on where to place different vegetables with regard to each other (height and growth patterns, time to maturity, multi-season planting). I would work out your pathways, and plan on enjoying plenty of tomatoes (next year) , herbs, and lettuces. In your zone, you can plant cilantro and parsley now and it will grow all winter and thaw out great after freezes. Also all kinds of lettuces and greens as suggested above....See MoreWhat do you think? kitchen designs
Comments (3)I have been lurking and researching for about a year. I finally have a couple of designs. First pictures are my current kitchen. I am keeping the breakfront but it can be move to the area where the pantry is currently. I want a more functional kitchen as now I am getting older (not old though!) I want to remove the soffit and change the cabinets. I have lots of dishes and I like to use them. Below is design A. I like it but it has problems. I am afraid the doorways will be too tight. There are 2 doorways--one to the dining room and one with 2 steps to the bedrooms. Also I wonder if there will be enough storage. Design B leaves the appliances in the same location and makes cabinets out of my old pantry (I hate the sliding doors and it wastes a lot of space). I would still have to walk around the peninsula to get to the pantry. I am feeling that my kitchen is not big enough or set up right for an island. I realize that a perfect design may not be possible. Please give any input as it will be very appreciated. I am beginning to go a little nuts about this. Here is a link that might be useful: kitchen design A and B...See MoreWhat do you think about this kitchen?
Comments (43)To me, it looks like the first German kitchen was set up for a cook who spent a lot of time prepping or canning. The work surface in front of the window and next to the sink is perfect for that kind of work. The cook could sit on the stool instead of having to stand up for over an hour while sorting berries for jams. The sink was handy for rinsing the berries or whatever produce was to be prepped for canning. My family did a lot of canning in summer. As a teen I spent countless hours helping sort through and tear stems with leaves off blackcurrants, gooseberries or strawberries. Typically there would be 3-10 kg (6-22 lbs) of berries heaped on the kitchen table. I still make jams (we have mulberry trees) but it's a pain to stand by the kitchen counter for two hours while sorting the berries. Different heights helped contain mess. When sorting berries, I would put a pot on the raised part on my left, if I were sitting in front of the window. I would scoop berries from the sink filled with water and place them on the work surface. As I processed the berries one by one, I would toss them into the pot, and the mess of juice and debris would be contained on the surface in front of me. The pot with the berries would stay clean. So far as I know, Germans have a longtime tradition of garden allotments in cities. Also, I imagine that in the 20's or 30's most foodstuffs required more prep work since there wasn't much food packaging. Grains like rice or buckwheat had to be sorted and debris picked out by hand since they were sold by weight from large sacks. Again, an hour of work before your rice was ready to be put in a pot and boiled. I think storage space is more of an issue now that people have more stuff. There are also more appliances to house. There are several sides to the "dated" concept: 1) Technology development. New appliances and materials make cooking and cleaning easier. Novelties like pull-out shelves make for more efficient storage. Better lighting like can lights banish dark corners. Again, adoption of novel technologies varies by culture. While dishwashers are standard in American homes, many Russians opt not to have them and spend the money on something else - like fixtures for a sauna at a dacha. At the same time recessed lighting is wildly popular in Moscow apartments. People put them even in bedrooms. Which is no surprise given the long and dark winters. 2) Cooking habits and traditions. A family who has a large garden would have different cooking habits than a family that gets all their food from supermarkets. Culinary preferences evolve with time, as well. Some foods that weren't common 50 or more years ago, have become a daily staple. 2) Changing esthetics. This is a highly subjective category, and probably more emotional than practical. Some designs and decors withstand the test of time better than others 3) Societal attitudes. Pre-WWII kitchens were purely utilitarian and separate from the public areas of the home. The modern German kitchen pictures posted by circuspeanut make me think that Germans still tend to be mostly utilitarian about their kitchens. On the other side, many Americans treat their kitchens as a part of the public space and thence as formal showpieces. For Russians, kitchens straddle the boundary between utilitarian and public. Open floor plans aren't as widespread in Moscow, and many people prefer to have kitchens that can be closed off. If there is no formal dining room, formal or holiday meals are usually set up in the living room. However, kitchens are the place for casual (and cozy!) socialization with a friend or two over a supper and/or a cup of tea. That encourages people to make their kitchens presentable to visitors, but not overtly formalized....See MoreWhat do you think of this MCM kitchen Design?
Comments (14)But - you will be prepping next to the sink...and the majority of people spend 70% or more time prepping and only 10% or less actually cooking. You don't stand in front of the food and watch it cook, do you? As to induction, that's all well and good, but it has nothing to do with the scalding steam billowing out from a pot of boiling water or grease splattering while browning meat or similar. It's the hot food and related things (e.g., steam & grease) that are the greatest issue, not the type of cooking appliance you're using. However, if you have: (1) A good island hood that is properly sized and has strong enough CFMs: At least 6" wider than the cooktop 27" deep 900 or so CFMs (preferably 900 at Medium to cut down on noise – the stronger a fan is, the lower the setting you need to use to be effective and the quieter it will be) Is mounted properly (no more than 30" above the cooking surface in most cases) --and-- (2) Your island is at least 48" deep - with 24" b/w the back of the cooking surface and the edge of the seating overhang ...then you should be OK. You'll still prep at the sink with your back to everyone, but that may be OK with you. Dish storage can easily be in drawers. You don't need uppers for dishes!...See More
PROJoseph Corlett, LLC
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
cherylgray
6 years agocherylgray
6 years agodan1888
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
mama goose_gw zn6OH
6 years ago
salex
6 years ago- PRO
mama goose_gw zn6OH
6 years ago
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