What are the plans for that large empty space behind the couch? It's as large as the kitchen itself.

Well, what was the rationale for the two islands? What do you envision doing at them?

@kiko - yes, sadly, you're right. We don't have any good plans. Do you have any suggestions?? We're at a loss as to what to do there.

@angie - the rationale for two islands was to have an uninterrupted walk line between the fridge and the sink. To be honest, that reason is sort of weak and we're starting to lean heavily towards a single island.

Also, two islands are somewhat unusual and might add a touch of interesting design to the kitchen. Not sure though..

Is this a new build? If so, you could consider getting rid of the kitchen table bump out and just extend the entire back of the house a few feet. You could then do one island w/seating and put the kitchen table in between the kitchen and the great/family room. This would give you more moving around room in the kitchen as well -- right now everything seems pretty tight in there and also in the great room. The way you have it now you've got this huge unused area in between the kitchen and family room and a table situated in a way that completely blocks the french doors.

RMS, yes we thought about doing that.

The issue is cost. That would make the house even larger - more $$$.

Its 14'8" between the north south walls in the kitchen right now. Not great but hopefully not terrible.

I don't like the two islands -- looks repetative. Also, why would you need bar stools at the second island, given that a person seated there could probably reach over and touch a person at the breakfast table?

I'd cut out the breakfast nook bump-out and just have your casual table between the kitchen and the living room-- you have ample space to make this happen. However, this gives you a design flaw: You have to walk past the kitchen table to get to the dining room table. The table-table design. This would be a deal-breaker for me.

Could you go back to the drawing board and relocate the casual table to the far end of what's now the kitchen area? This would mean that no one's walking around the table to get into the kitchen, and it'd make your casual dining table a quieter place -- yet it'd still be connected to the kitchen and the living room. This'd make your kitchen into a galley rather than a U, which would still work out fine.

@MrsPete - we could do what you are suggesting, yes.

The problem is light - sun orientation. The lot is positioned where the back is facing N-NE. So, the bump out is an attempt to gather up the east sunrise when the sun rises on the left hand side.

So, we're kind of stuck there. :(

But I hear you all. We're abandoning the two island idea and just sticking with one.

Doing a bump out could cost the same as increasing the size in a straight line even if it is more sq ft due to the increased complexities in the foundation and roof line. I wouldn't discount it on sq ft alone. Especially if it makes your house flow better.

You know I have a very similar layout right now in my house. My dining room, foyer and garage are exactly where yours are. I walk straight from the front door and into a living room (ours in sunken). And then we have a rather large eating area and kitchen.

In my new remodel our appliances will be almost exactly where yours are placed. Our long wall where the stove will be is 16' though and we will have 1 large island that is 4' x 5.5'. There will be no seating on the island. We will have to walk around the island to get to the sink. But thats why we are putting a prep sink in the island on the corner near the stove. Are you not planning for a prep sink?

khallock - no we're not planning on a prep sink. From what I've been reading, it's best to leave appliances/sinks/etc off the island so that's what we're doing. 16' is really nice! You can have 48" gap between the island and everything else.

lyfia - you might be right, however, my issue again is the Sun. Bump out allows us to sit and have breakfast in the sun, even though the back of the houses faces N/NE.

logastellus, where do you live? I'm in North Dakota, and for the winter months we would see very little sun, even with your bump-out. The sun comes up in the SE, stays in the southern sky all day, and sets in the SW. And it comes up so late in the morning that we are all gone for the day before we'd see it (except on weekends).

We have a patio door facing SE, and now that the sun is rising earlier and more toward NE, it shines right on the dining room table. I have to close the blinds during breakfast.

So while I appreciate your desire for wonderful sunshine coming into your house, it might not pan out the way you hoped.

I like Mrs. Pete's idea of seating to the left, kitchen in the middle.

Another vote for Mrs. Pete's suggestion to swap the kitchen and breakfast area. And for a kitchen of you size, you should really have a prep sink. It allows you to separate out the prep tasks from the cleanup as well as allow for more than one cook to work in the kitchen without stepping on each other's toes. You would have tons more island space just by connecting the two islands, even with a prep sink there.

You may perhaps have a different shaped island moved more to the empty space, thus clearing the traffic from fridge to sink.

Or just do a really long straight island with seating like this, but definitely add a prep sink in it. You seem to have the space.

[Contemporary Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2103) by Miami Kitchen And Bath Leon Cabinets Corp.

sena and kiko - ok, I'm impressed. :)

THANK YOU BOTH.

These do appear to be wonderful ideas.. Wow. OK, let me digest this for a bit..

@annkh - we're in NC. And currently I'm freakin' out that we might not get enough light into the kitchen and a dreary, dark kitchen is my worst nightmare!

Do you have dimensions for the space? It's looks very far from the sink to the refrigerator...too far.

Some other questions:

How do you plan on using the entire space - kitchen, etc.?

What is your family composition (now & in the future while in this home)?

Regarding the prep sink....where did you read that it would be best to keep the island empty? May be if you have a small island, but not necessarily if you have a large island. The need for a prep sink in a kitchen is dictated by the layout (not the size of the kitchen or island) and right now, your kitchen is begging for a prep sink.

I think you need to rethink some of this design - some of the ideas presented so far have possibilities.

Before you continue, though, have you had a chance to read the "Layout Help" topic in the "Read Me" thread? It not only contains the information we need to help you design a kitchen for your, but the thread also links to other threads discussing kitchen design basics - like work zones. I think this information will help you work out a functional design for this space.

Also, I suggest re-posting the plan with a full set of dimensions (see the "Layout Help" topic for more information).

Good luck!

@buehl, you're right. I just didn't want to depend on the kindness of strangers for such a time consuming task, so I figured I'd better keep it to pointed questions only. :)

I couldn't find the layout help readme - can you please point me to it?

detailed plan:

we're a small family of 3. We're not big cooks, just an occasional cooking family, so looking for something clean, functional but unique because the same tired ol' "design" where a U shaped kitchen has a boring island plopped in the middle is what we're trying to avoid.

THANK YOU!

This post was edited by logastellus on Mon, Apr 29, 13 at 23:11

also, wanted to add that we're open to ideas. Nothing really we must have or must not have.

The prep sink I felt wasn't needed because like I said, we're a small family and only 1 person ever cooks at a time.

in trying to decide between sena's and kiko's suggestions..

Does anybody know whether circular ended caesarstone countertops are going to be more expensive?

We're mostly likely doing Frosty Carrina in the center island.

Thank you!

Read the "New to kitchens..." thread posted by buehl. It is currently on page 1 but will float around.

@debrak, yes I found it.

Just my two cents, but regarding your comment above about wanting to avoid the "same old tired design of U shaped kitchen and island plunked in the middle" my feeling is that the principals of good kitchen design are not a fad or trend, but more universal in nature. It's the appliances and material choices (cabinets, counters, lighting, flooring, etc.) that are more prone to trends. A U-shaped kitchen can be exciting and fresh or unimaginative and boring.

Even if your family size is small, you want to look more at what is call the work triangle (refrigerator to sink to stove) and the distance between as that is the amount that you travel multiple times while cooking. If it would significantly reduce the amount of steps required by adding a prep sink that is an excellent reason to put one in. I do agree that islands put in just for the sake of putting one in can then function more as a barrier and other designs or the addition of a prep sink may be more functional.

Another idea if you want to do seating at a rectangular island is the do shallow 12" cabinetry on part of the south wall which is opposite the seating and that would give you extra clearance.

Or reducing the south pantry/mudroom wall and moving the entry from the east side to north side?

Aesthetically, I do like the look of rectangular shaped islands.

I think its good to avoid having your main sink in the island, because of splashing issues and just that you dont want your dirty dishes on display. But a prep sink is not really for dirty dishes so having that on an island is a no brainer i think. I'm sure sometimes there are better places for it, but in my design (and yours) that is the perfect place for the prep sink.

I'm sorry, I thought I linked to it! I've linked it here in case someone needs it. See below.

Here is a link that might be useful: New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me!