Kitchen Ideas

Reply to: A few thoughts about islands: Islands are a status symbol. They can also be the most dominant, most flexible and most efficient element in a kitchen. In tandem, it is no surprise that people try to force an island where there is insufficient room, and create a continent where an island is needed. Here are a few suggested guidelines: If your kitchen is less than 8’ X 12’ then a true island won't fit. The ideal size of an island is 8’ X 4’ but if smaller maintain the 2:1 ratio in dimensions. The island should not exceed 10 percent of the kitchen space. Islands transition the kitchens of yesteryear into the present. The typical 1950s kitchen was a 10’ X 10’ room isolated from other rooms and essentially was a workroom. Today the kitchen is the social hub of the home. A fundamental choice must be made about the primary function of the island and the secondary function, if any. That choice must be made in consideration of the overall needs of the kitchen and can greatly impact the cost, efficiency and whether the countertop will be one level or two. COOKING This is far and away the most expensive type of island. Best types of cooktops for an island are gas and induction. At minimum you will have to run gas or heavy duty wiring to the island for the cooktop but that is only the tip of the iceberg: A heat resistant countertop such as granite or quartz is preferable. You need either an overhead vent hood (must be finished on all sides) or downdraft, either of which can amp up cost exponentially. Need minimum of 18” landing area on both sides of countertop to maintain symmetry. Minimum of 9” clear space behind cooktop. Any island seating needs a raised eating area to help protect against splatters and provide safety against burns for children. Pros: A dedicated cooking island (no seating) allows the cook to spread out unencumbered. Ranges are not ergonomic. Putting a cooktop on the island may create space for a wall oven on the perimeter. Cons: Vent hood can block sight lines and take away the feeling of spaciousness created by the island. Since less than 10 percent of time typically spent in a kitchen is actually cooking, using the island for cooking virtually guarantees your back will be to any guests 90 percent of the time. Not good if entertaining and socializing are priorities. The combination of cooktop, power supply, vent hood and granite or similar heat resistant countertop can make this the most expensive real estate in the most expensive room of a house. CLEANUP A dedicated cleanup island leaves little storage room on the island but frees up lots of perimeter space. Sink, dishwasher and trash pullout take up solid 75” out of 96” in an 8’ long island. Requires substantial aisle for dishwasher door clearance and for a helper. Needs to be close to storage for dishes and utensils. Needs storage for dish towels, soap and dishwasher detergent. Needs a raised stretch of countertop on the public side of the island to help hide dirty dishes. Pros: Saves at least 75” of perimeter space that is critical since increasingly ranges and cooktops need to be on an exterior wall for ventilation. Creates a dedicated work station that is convenient particularly if public side is a breakfast bar. Cons: Must have wide aisle to accommodate two people, dishwasher door and drawers on the perimeter. Do you really want to make by definition the dirtiest part of the kitchen front and center? May be fine for just family but maybe not the best choice if you entertain a lot. About 20 percent of time in kitchen is spent on cleanup, which means 80 percent of time back would be to guests. FOOD PREP Food preparation consumes 70 percent of your time in the kitchen. Having this function on an island is ideal for interaction with guests whether simply conversing or them helping. Need outlets for small appliances. Prep sink with disposal needed. Trash pullout needed on island ideally or else within a few steps on perimeter. Should be located near fridge and cooktop. Ideally have a mixer on a lift and have storage for attachments and prep utensils. Single-level countertop works best. Pros: Best option in terms of socializing. Maximizes space for helpers. Staying within 4’ X 8’ footprint and single level means a single slab with no seams that can serve as a homework area for younger kids. Huge flexibility on public side. Can be dedicated storage with no seating, or limited storage with seating. The public side of the countertop can be used as a serving buffet. Cons: Does not lend itself to bar height seating as raised height countertop would limit access from public side. Because islands are so flexible, there are many potential permutations of functions and designs. Some have single-level countertops with or without informal dining, others dual level with informal dining and others still with dedicated storage and no informal dining. Some concepts: Storage. The working side of the island should have storage related to the island’s main function. The public side can have full depth storage (back to back 24” deep base cabinets) preferably mostly drawers if there is no seating or shallow depth storage if there is seating. Where there is seating, consider full-depth single drawers under the countertop (essentially a series of drawers the size of the top drawer in a three drawer base). This is akin to a drawer in the chair area of a desk. You can still do a half-depth cabinet (a 12” deep wall cabinet) from the floor to the shallow height full-depth drawer. Use a soft rounded or bullnose edge profile rather than an ogee profile if you plan to have island seating. Plan seating type commensurate with the countertop height and ensure you have the appropriate countertop overhang. 1.If 30” countertop height need 18” overhang and use chairs. 2.If 36” countertop height need 15” overhang and use low stools. 3.If 42” countertop height need 12” overhang and use barstools. For a cooking or cleanup island, consider bookshelf cabinets for one or both of the narrow ends of the island. Making one end of the island (away from perimeter work area) a table can be effective in some situations. This can allow an easy transition in both materials and height. Low stools can be stored under the table. Allow a minimum of 24” horizontally per person for seating and allow 48” clearance behind the seating area for people to be able to walk by.

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