It's smart to plan for a bigger fridge. You'll have way more options should you need to replace yours down the line. I like your plan. It's similar to mine, except you have more prep space between the sink and range than I do, which is awesome! From personal preference, I'd swap your pots and pans and dishes. Yes, that puts the dishes further from the dishwasher, but it puts pots and pans into your prep area, which is helpful, and also moves dishes to a spot where your kids can grab them to set the table as you cook. Now, have you planned out all the little things... Baking sheets, knives/utensils, glasses, Tupperware, etc. What's your plan for uppers?

One quick thing... Does your trash cabinet need to be 24 inches? I've got 2 bins in a 18 inch cabinet. If you can size that down that's 6 more inches of storage!

You won't be able to stand at the sink and scrape bones into the trash, brush other dishes off into the sink disposal, rinse (if you rinse), then put them in the dishwasher, because you are standing the trash pullout space. And, that perfectly good corner is going completely unused.

What do you have planned for the tall cabinet, since there's a pantry right in the other corner?

Thanks for taking the time to help me,

Kathryn, I have not planned for the little things yet, this "general" layout has been a bit overwhelming :(. (do you have any pointers?) As for the trash cabinet it can be 18 no problem or maybe I could put it under the sink? Thanks for the advice in the drawer swap.

bpathome, what about the trash under the sink? As for the tall cabinet I was thinking of some water jugs to feed the fridge ice maker and water dispenser. I still have not decided what can go over the MW.

Move your fridge all the way (or almost all the way to the right. Center your sink under the window. And use the corner cabinet for trash. There is a lazy-susan recycling/trash center made for this purpose:

Alameda Victorian Kitchen · More Info

Your pantry area looks large but the space is mostly taken up with door-swing and standing space. Not sure what to do about that, but it's something to think about.

Do you really need a 2nd prep sink and trash bin? Or is it more likely that one person will be at the stove and the other at the sink? A large, uninterrupted island workspace is likely to be more valuable than another sink. If you really want another sink, reconfigure the pantry as a baking centre and put the sink there.

Thank you Jennifer, that susan Iooks great!... do not think i have space for dishes in that wall, and I really want that prep sink to spend time prepping with my kids.

Ah... and the uppers asked before, I plan on uppers over the dishes drawer for the cups and glasses but what about all the other side? shelves ?

In a kitchen this size, which is just right IMO, not too big, not too small, perhaps a prep sink is not needed? The other sink isn't far, and you'd have two trash cans so close to one another. I would imagine storage and free counterspace are more valuable.

bpathome, the intent with the 2nd sink is to have a better zone management, this is what I have in mind.

T he problem with your zone idea, is that the majority of mess happens -- and gets cleaned up -- during prep. Any chef will tell you, "Clean as you go". It's practically a mantra! :)

I see this post in the "Building a Home" Forum. Is it also in Kitchens? If not, you will really, really want to consult with the people over there. They are very experienced, and you will get lots of advice.

I'm no expert, but with kids and even my DH, I wouldn't put trash in a blind corner. Clever design, maybe, but trash overflows, spills out, and then you have to clean back there--on hands and knees, and it's gonna stink... I think the regular kind of trash pullout that Kathryn mentioned are superior, because that sort of cabinet is much more easily cleaned.

If the kitchen is this bad, what does the rest look like?

Eliminate the tall cabinet, slide the refrigerator, dishwasher and sink to the right, and put a 18" trash cabinet to the left of the sink. Center the sink under a triple window. If you need the tall cabinet (and it's a good place for the MW), locate it next to the pantry and slide the range up on the plan. This is essentially moving everything clockwise in the room, and also frees up space in the corner for something accessible and functional.

No the prep sink on such a small island will not work. Consider that you need 12" minimum on one side to place unwashed foods down. Then a small prep sink is 18". Right there you've used up 30" of the 54". Absolute minimum prep space is 30" and trust me, that's tight.

Nothing about this kitchen works. Do yourself a huge favor. Post your kitchen and how it relates to the rest of the house in the Kitchen Forum where the guru's hang out. You won't regret it.

Thank you so much for your comments! Wonderful help!

Yes this thread is posted in new build, kitchens and design dilemma.

Here is another layout taking several of your points into consideration.

Cpartist, as for the prep sink, I was planing on leaving 3" only, and having a bigger prep area, maybe I can use those those 12" from the overhang, not ideal but it could work.... I think.... or maybe using a cutting board to fit over the sink?

I do not have a plan of the house at the moment sorry for that.

Regards

Nat

I was planing on leaving 3" only, and having a bigger prep area, maybe I can use those those 12" from the overhang, not ideal but it could work.... I think.... or maybe using a cutting board to fit over the sink?

So what you're saying is you plan to put food that needs to be washed to the left of the sink and as you wash it put it also to the left of the sink? How is that sanitary?

What 12" overhang?

And if you put a cutting board over the sink, how will you clean the food?

Do you need such a large pantry?

I’m prescient and predict that the kitchen is indubitably symptomatic of the drafting as a whole. And that no one involved in the “design” cooks.

Flo, thanks a lot for your help, hang in there with me... I really need a space by the fridge to put the water jugs for the ice machine in the fridge. If the prep sink wont work fine I can let it go. As for the fridge I already feel 33" is a good size and the biggest I would consider is 36" in a future.

Regards

Nat

Don't forget to allow for tolerances for framing and wall board, and some inaccuracies...!

Why not have your fridge plumbed with an inline filter instead of using water jugs? Then you won't need a cabinet for jugs.

Kitchens, or whole homes, are not designed in a vacuum divorced from the surrounding architecture. The rest of the home’s traffic paths, storage abilities, and adjacencies have to be considered.

Virgil, thank you very much I will take that into account.

Jennifer & Flo, I just do not trust the water the city provides and I think the island generates a good landing space for the fridge.

Rapp, You have just made the thread much more interesting, thank you!

An Idea, maybe the dishes could go in the island drawers?

Regards

Nat

Here is another layout with the dishes in the island. The only overlap seems to be the sink.

Regards

Nat

Agree with Flo. Put in a whole house water filter system. That's what we did. A combo filter and softener. One without salt.

Ok I guess I can put a small system under a 12" base cabinet. By the way, LR is next to Kitchen.

Regards

Nat

Since it looks like there's a window along the bottom wall (and therefore the living room is to the right?), could the island be turned and the overhand shortened to 18". This would allow for the island to be another ~30" wider and get 48" spacing around all sides of the island

Is your refrigerator really going to be a flush, 24" deep model? It's always shown that way in the CAD drawings, but often not what is purchased and installed...the common refrigerators are 29" and require a minimum of 1" clear in the rear, and a minimum clear of 1/2" on sides and top...

Virgil, Flo, it is a standard depth 33 refrigerator, the wall will be recessed. It is kind of hard to draw it.

Lemme see...you're going to "recess" an exterior wall...is that right?

No, it is not exterior wall.

Nat, it's really hard to give you good advice when the drawing you show us contains incorrect information. If the software won't do what you need it to, I recommend getting some graph paper and drawing it out. Scan in an accurate drawing and then you'll get better advice.

Thank you for helping me, yes the window shows the exterior. I try and draw something but it wont be much accurate.

Even just a graph paper sketch of the whole house layout would be helpful for seeing possibilities.

Your plan is not so bad as many have made it out to be. I think a prep sink as you had it drawn could be functional. If your goal is to make the kitchen functional for multiple helpers, you will value the sink in the island, especially with the cleanup sink near a corner as it is. Everything can’t be perfectly ideal in an existing house kitchen.

The kitchens forum is where you need to take this.

ETA: Sophie, read the first paragraph of the OP. Granted, this is the building a home forum, so not a terribly appropriate place for a remodel post. Some of the negative comments may be misunderstanding this as new construction.

We really need the "context" of the whole space to give you the best insights. As nancyjwb said, a rough sketch would be very helpful making sure we know where exterior walls are and adjoining rooms.

"...No, it is not exterior wall..."

OK. The wall behind the sink is the same wall behind the refrigerator. Right?

So t he wall behind the sink has a window in it, leading one to think it's an exterior wall. Is their another, perpendicular exterior wall, between the sink and the refrigerator, which is simply not shown in the plans above?

Very confusing how you will recess that wall for a much deeper refrigerator to be flush on the face of the refrigerator...

Help me understand how you will do that...