My business takes me into a lot of kitchens with prep sinks. It is obvious that most are unused.

A prep sink in the right spot allows multiple workers to work without stepping all over each other. But, a whole lot more changes need to be made than just adding a prep sink to an island.

The most used prep spot is between the sink and range. Yours has a DW for cleanup right in the middle, contributing to congestion and crossed traffic. The DW needs to go on the other side of the sink.

Angles create huge inefficiencies, wasted space, and access issues. Get rid of the angled range.

The butler's pantry is too small for good storage on multiple sides. It would be better incorporated into the kitchen, so the kitchen could have all the things that you are trying to fit in there.

My friend with a prep sink uses hers to dump the mail.

You should first decide if you could use a prep sink. And sounds like you could. Unless your kids get very wide, they can work on the "safe" end of the island. They don't need the whole thing. Once they get their snacks, they don't want to do homework there anyway. :) They will grow to appreciate a prep sink--this isn't just for you!

(And totally swap the side of the sink with the DW if it's not too late. Especially if you leave it open while you cook/prep. If you put in the prep sink, consider what things, like the DW I just moved, will now be in the way and need to be shuffled. Are you sure you wouldn't rather have the prep sink on the other end of the island so things can plop directly onto the range as easily as into the kids?)

I put one in my kitchen of similar size and it gets used many times a day by all family members. It's probably a cheap thing to add at this point in your build. Do it if you can do it right.

Yes for sure. When they're older they can wash their own fruit and vegetables for snacks and not get in your way.

We use our prep sink all the time. We have a sink for prep and one for clean-up.

And yes, move your DW to the other side of the sink. The kids can put their own dishes in the DW after snacktime, again, without getting in your way.

We have a prep sink and I wouldn't give it up. Since DH retired we are both in the kitchen a lot. While prep is mostly done near the full sink, the secondary sink is great for filling pots, water glasses, flower vases, and rinsing items. I use it several times a day.

re the angled stove-we have an angled range in our current kitchen and don’t regret it for a minute! our layout is relatively similar to yours. I do agree about moving the dishwasher locationoration.

Yeah I'm not sure why the angled cooktop is "a problem". Sure, it uses more space but so what? It fits fine. It is, however, suitable for only one person at a time to use.

Prep sinks are great for making it easy for 2 or more people to work at the same time. But that means having physical room. The kitchens I've worked in that had 2 sinks had very distinct zones, where people at each sink could work without crossing paths. In the current layout, almost any spot for an island sink seems pretty crowded into the work areas. I could see it working if you put a prep sink near the range side of the island, and moved the window and sink closer to the fridge, with the DW between fridge and sink, as others suggested. Another multi-cook solution would be to have a large sink with two faucets.

If it's just about prep flow, not multi-cook use, I don't think you need a prep sink. We have a similar layout, and do all our prep on the island. It's simple. We wash our produce and just pivot to the island. We have plates, flatware, and prep knives all stored in the island, with the cutting boards and compost bin just a few steps away. There might be storage layouts that solve your "transport" issues without having to add a sink.

This is really a matter of personal preference. If you believe you're going to use one, then sure, put one in the island. You're going to get opinions on both sides. I tend to agree with @Joseph Corlett, LLC though. I think the novelty will wear off and you'll primarily use the main sink.

The overall design is pretty cramped for multiple workers. This is a kitchen designed for a single person to work in. If that w meet your modern family’s work description, then it should be redesigned to allow multiple workers. Even if you are the only worker bee, hopefully that can change, if a design change fosters that change.

This 100% depends on the layout of your kitchen. In the layout you show below, no I don't think a prep sink is necessary. If you think you want one though, put one in.

I’m no pro but have never had a prep sink. I never saw the need for it personally. I like my island to be free of any cooktop, sinks, etc.

Disagree with HU-700978197. I think your kitchen works fine for multiple cooks as is, as long as you move the DW. No need for a major redesign. We have a similiar but smaller kitchen. It's easy to have two people prepping at once. One person moves between sink and island, one person moves between sink and range. And a third person can clean, or manage beverage service (coffee and tea equipment lives between sink and fridge). L + island creates good zones for multiple cooks. Just not great zones for multiple sinks.

Be careful with that wall next to your fridge. Study the fridge specs to make sure the fridge door(s) will open fully to allow the drawers to be removed.

It's belittling and condescending to tell you you will get bored of a prep sink, unless someone KNOWS you personally and feels justified in disregarding what you actually wrote.

You are an adult old enough to have kids and build a house. You know how to use a kitchen by now. You know how you work, and what will improve your work area (not to mention how the rest of the family uses the kitchen). You know perfectly well if you have a use for an additional sink. @myhouseideas21 , I think the question here is whether or not you have a good spot for it.

And yes, we will certainly try to tweak your floorplan, cuz that's what we do!

We have a prep sink and I use it all the time. I wish it were bigger: don't get one that's too small to fit your biggest pot easily.

Since it is across the aisle from the stove, I use it as a pot filler. The dogs' water bowl is nearby so everyone uses it to change their water out.

I rinse pasta and sometimes vegetables in a colander there, and I have been keeping a large cutting board right next to it.

I realized after reading for years in these forums about kitchen design and that our other (big) sink is really a "clean up" sink next to the dishwasher. Ohhhhhh, now I get it and now that's what I do, because it makes good sense.

As far as your kids' homework space, that is really (probably) a temporary use of that counter. How often are 3 kids doing homework all at the same time?

I have 4 now mostly in college, and having lived in this house for 20 years, it was challenging for more than one of them to even sit at the large kitchen table for HW, because they all need so much space and they distracted each other. ( I still cannot even imagine them sitting elbow to elbow NOW to do anything much less when they were little kids--maybe they were just more active and distracting to each other than most!) Even when there were little, their homework times varied and there were other places they could do hw.

But you'll be washing vegetables or filling pots for a really long time.

Off-topic suggestion: Could you move the pantry entry to the "west" side, where you have a hallway going to another room? That would allow you to extend your perimeter countertops "west" and move the ovens down. A win on its own--more countertop and more storage where you have empty doorway space. BUT, it also creates a better place for a prep sink, if you do want one. It could go on the short side of the island across from the range/ovens. Have 3 island seats, or put one seat on the opposite short side of the island. You have room to extend the island "north" and to widen the aisle a bit between the sink side and the island.

Prep sinks are worth every penny. As someone on the Kitchen Forum said many years ago "Water is the main ingredient in the kitchen." Meaning, You use it abundantly so why not have more than one source? Go for it. IMHO, the very best placement is near the range or cooktop.

Yes. I use mine daily. It’s located between the refrigerator and coffee/appliance bar. We use it to refill the coffee maker, wash hands, prep produce and fruit, get drinking water, etc.

Why is your butler's pantry on the opposite side of your kitchen from the dining room? Could you flip/mirror your plan to allow for a true passage between the kitchen and dining room via the butler's pantry? Otherwise, it's really just an enclosed pantry space.

There was a prep sink in this house when we bought it. I was excited to have it, but resented the counter space it took and the lost space in the cabinet underneath. I took a full year to design the remodel of my kitchen and couldn’t wait to get rid of the prep sink. I seldom used it, it was one more sink to clean, and I used the money I would have spent on sink, faucet, garbage disposal, and plumbers’ costs to buy something else I really wanted. It’s definitely a personal decision.

We love ours and it also has a garbage disposal.

Is it possible to post the overall plan showing the adjacent spaces? I don’t think your pantry design and angled cooktop area has been thought out. There may be a way to get uninterrupted island seating with a prep sink (which I think is a must based on your description of family life for you and the fact that you have room for it)

I have had a prep sink in my island for twenty years. i absolutely love it. Wipe the counter and push the mess right into the sink. you wont regret it.

The butler's pantry is too small for good storage on multiple sides.

That's a walk-in pantry, not a butler's pantry. A butler's pantry is positioned between the kitchen and the dining room, allowing the butler to plate food or have dessert at the ready.

Agree that this pantry could essentially double its storage with a bit more width. Alternatively, pegboard on the wall shared with the kitchen would work ... I love mine. I'm a bit concerned about the depth of the "built ins" at the far end ... pull-outs would work well. How deep are the "built ins" on the long back wall? 12-15" depth is ideal ... deeper, and you lose things at the back. I'd put the pantry door on a swivel so you could push it with your hip to enter, and since no light will turn that corner, I'd want motion-sensored lights.

My friend with a prep sink uses hers to dump the mail.

My brother's family keeps a specially-made cutting board over theirs because they never use it ... and it "costs them" storage under the sink.

Of course, you could argue that a better-planned /better placed prep sink would be used, but I'd say a better-planned kitchen would place the main sink in such a place that a second one wouldn't be necessary.

It's belittling and condescending to tell you ... You know how to use a kitchen by now ... And yes, we will certainly try to tweak your floorplan, cuz that's what we do!

So which is it? Plan it yourself 'cause you know best, or we'll happily give you advice?

Yeah I'm not sure why the angled cooktop is "a problem". Sure, it uses more space but so what? It fits fine.

The cooktop does take up more space at an angle. I'd downsize to a standard-sized cooktop instead of this larger one; it'd take less space.

If, instead of built ins in the pantry "behind" the cooktop, you went with pull-out shelves on wheels ... you could have a secret hidey-hole in that triangular spot. Good either for hiding things of value or for putting away things you rarely use. Like ... Christmas wrapping paper.

"Water is the main ingredient in the kitchen."

That's nicely said!

Yes to prep sink. Why would it interfere with kids doing homework at the island? In our previous house when our kids were younger we had a prep sink in the island and it wasn't an issue with the kids doing homework at the island. We have a prep sink in our island in current house and that is where we do all our prep. We use it all the time. Just make sure if you do get a prep sink that it is not one of those tiny bar sinks. Those are useless.

I'm not pro- or anti- prep sink... and I have never had a prep sink (nor a kitchen large enough to potentially need one)... but I'm not sure how your design would actually benefit from one? Your fridge appears to be a couple steps away from sink where you'd wash fruit and your island is a pivot and step from the sink... so pretty efficient for the task you are imagining using a prep sink for. Further, your range is just a few steps from sink also- again, pretty efficient as is for access to water or when needing to drain or dump a pot of water, etc. If you really want to make the cutting fruit/veggies more efficient, perhaps keep a cutting board next to sink and do the cutting there??

Just an out-there thought... The neglected dining room table is another great place for homework, often much bigger than an island, great lighting overhead, and still close to kitchen.

Make sure you retain a landing pad close to the refrigerator for incoming groceries. I like the idea of two sinks if needed for prep and clean-up workspace that are separated for other reasons. If it works for you, go for it!

I think sinks are a personal preference. Some like a prep sink, others don't. Some prefer oversize or worksinks, some single or double bowl, different materials. There is always a split crowd around here on all of those things.

What's your prefrence myhouseideas21? Do you currently have a prep sink and wouldn't give it up? Have one sink and have often wished you had the second sink for prep? Never really thought about it till now since prep sinks are currently often brought up as part of the design process so it's being offered as an option? Are you teaching your kids to cook as they grow up so the additional wet space would be useful for multiple cooks? How much landing space for big cooking do you do? As in lots of baking or other space eating that you might want the whole island clear for landing instead of a sink taking up some of the space. With the dining room right there are they really going to be doing homework at the island, or would the better option overall be doing it in the dining room?

I'd move the refrigerator to the rear of the kitchen so that your cold food storage is in close proximity to the pantry making it easier to put groceries away and add a prep sink to that end of the island. This would open up space for the DW and a drawer stack for dish/silverware storage to the left of your cleanup sink for easy unloading and setting the table. Editing to add that I would eliminate the angled cooktop. When we eliminated the angles in our kitchen it seemed like we added square footage as the angles take up a tremendous amount of wall and walking space that can be put to better use.

Collegeville Kitchen 3 · More Info

Stonewall Farmhouse · More Info

Most prep sinks are so small as to be completely useless. Unless you've got space for one to actually "prep" in I wouldn't bother. Nor would I bother if having more than one person actively using the sink at a time doesn't happen on a very regular basis. I worked for quite a while in a kitchen with 5-6 active cooks, we didn't seem to need more than one sink. I have trouble seeing why two cooks couldn't cohabit in one sink. It's never something I've ever considered spending space or money on. A pot filler on the stove on the other hand...

@rwiegand Different strokes for different folks. My prep sink is 20.5 x 19.75 in. Plenty big for prepping. What I wouldn't have in my kitchen is a pot filler.

I like having separate zones. One for clean up and one for prepping. My kitchen is big enough to support a sink in the island and it makes my work triangle much better.

OP stated that they like prepping on the island. The island is big enough to support a prep sink so why wouldn't they put a prep sink in?

Well @vinmarks I prefer having all that island counter space available for my prep work, without a big hole in it, so that's why I didn't and wouldn't put one in. My island is huge (40 X 108"), yet I sometimes fill all of it, for example when prepping a dozen pizzas for a party. I use the sink for a few seconds and then spend a lot more time working at the counter-- my sink is immediatly behind my main work surface, so it's just a quick turn. I kept my aisles narrower than most on this site would recommend, so it's just a turn, no step, to go from counter to sink and back. I think perhaps there are other issues in the kitchen design if getting veggies from the sink to the primary working area is a chore.

One of the great things is that we can each have what we want and what suits or working style the best. The OP asked for thoughts, I provided mine.

Haha... Prepping a dozen pizzas for a party...you are truly amazing! Seriously! I resort to my phone... 🥴

Is working at prep sink effective without it's own garbage bin or disposal?

@HU-388627414 If you have prep sink you put in a disposal. My prep sink has a disposer and I have a trash pullout in my island. Most of the time I use a garbage bowl when prepping since we have septic. I do let a few stragglers go into the disposer.