ᐅ Install the sink and cooktop on a kitchen island or use a conventional layout?
Created on: 26 Nov 2018 13:42
K
Kathl
Hello everyone,
I would like to get your opinion on the topic of kitchen islands.
We received a design from a kitchen fitter where both the cooktop and the sink are installed on the kitchen island.
The advantages are: most of the time when cooking is spent at the sink and stove, so it makes sense to have them next to each other. Additionally, when entertaining guests, you can keep the conversation going without having to turn your back on anyone. I can also keep an eye on my small child while washing up. Plus, there’s no splashing water between the sink and cooktop.
The disadvantages are: there is limited countertop space on the island, only about 50cm (20 inches) left. However, sufficient workspace would be available elsewhere, where we have a continuous 2m (79 inches) counter.
Dirty dishes on the island are always very visible, which of course spoils the aesthetic appeal of the island.
What would you do? Keep it traditional, or put both sink and cooktop on the island? Maybe someone has experience with this.
Best regards, Kathl
I would like to get your opinion on the topic of kitchen islands.
We received a design from a kitchen fitter where both the cooktop and the sink are installed on the kitchen island.
The advantages are: most of the time when cooking is spent at the sink and stove, so it makes sense to have them next to each other. Additionally, when entertaining guests, you can keep the conversation going without having to turn your back on anyone. I can also keep an eye on my small child while washing up. Plus, there’s no splashing water between the sink and cooktop.
The disadvantages are: there is limited countertop space on the island, only about 50cm (20 inches) left. However, sufficient workspace would be available elsewhere, where we have a continuous 2m (79 inches) counter.
Dirty dishes on the island are always very visible, which of course spoils the aesthetic appeal of the island.
What would you do? Keep it traditional, or put both sink and cooktop on the island? Maybe someone has experience with this.
Best regards, Kathl
Sharing insights from years of cooking together:
The bottleneck in our kitchen isn’t the stove but the sink, which we need to access much more often.
Therefore, regardless of the rest of the layout, always plan the sink so it can be easily reached from at least two sides.
Next, consider how often and how long you spend at the stove. Personally, I cook relatively little at the stove itself. Many dishes simmer on their own, and I only check the taste occasionally. Steaks are grilled on our gas barbecue on the terrace, which is the best solution in terms of odors. If a steam oven (or combination oven) is part of the plan, even less cooking happens at the stove (and I wouldn’t plan a kitchen without one anymore).
Besides that, I need work surface for food preparation, where I spend most of my time.
So, priority one should be the work surface: as large and continuous as possible, ideally located on the island.
Priority two is an easily accessible sink, as you need to wash your hands or rinse ingredients frequently throughout cooking.
A strategically placed dishwasher encourages putting away used utensils immediately, preventing clutter from accumulating in the kitchen.
Then there’s the stove. Having it on the island looks nice—often seen with TV chefs, which influences many to want the same. But we don’t have cameras watching us cook. In my opinion, the cooktop doesn’t necessarily have to be on the island. It also depends on the island size.
Personally, I value workspace on the island more, with a sink right in front of the cooktop because I use the sink much more frequently.
In my kitchen, the cooktop is on the island combined with a small sink. The main sink is on the countertop against the wall, parallel to the island. I considered placing the cooktop on the countertop instead to free up a large work surface on the island. Ultimately, the cooktop ended up on the island simply because the countertop runs directly beneath a window along its entire length, and I didn’t want a cooktop in front of a window that I’d have to clean every time I splatter something.
Since both the countertop and island are 3.30 meters (10 feet 10 inches) long, I still have plenty of workspace; the cooktop is also not centered on the island but placed to one side, leaving over half of the island as continuous work surface. With a smaller island and the option not to place the cooktop in front of a window, I personally wouldn’t have put the cooktop on the island. However, I find having a (small) sink on the island absolutely ergonomic.
I recommend observing your own cooking habits closely over the next few days, noting what you use most and why, and then deciding the layout based on that.
The bottleneck in our kitchen isn’t the stove but the sink, which we need to access much more often.
Therefore, regardless of the rest of the layout, always plan the sink so it can be easily reached from at least two sides.
Next, consider how often and how long you spend at the stove. Personally, I cook relatively little at the stove itself. Many dishes simmer on their own, and I only check the taste occasionally. Steaks are grilled on our gas barbecue on the terrace, which is the best solution in terms of odors. If a steam oven (or combination oven) is part of the plan, even less cooking happens at the stove (and I wouldn’t plan a kitchen without one anymore).
Besides that, I need work surface for food preparation, where I spend most of my time.
So, priority one should be the work surface: as large and continuous as possible, ideally located on the island.
Priority two is an easily accessible sink, as you need to wash your hands or rinse ingredients frequently throughout cooking.
A strategically placed dishwasher encourages putting away used utensils immediately, preventing clutter from accumulating in the kitchen.
Then there’s the stove. Having it on the island looks nice—often seen with TV chefs, which influences many to want the same. But we don’t have cameras watching us cook. In my opinion, the cooktop doesn’t necessarily have to be on the island. It also depends on the island size.
Personally, I value workspace on the island more, with a sink right in front of the cooktop because I use the sink much more frequently.
In my kitchen, the cooktop is on the island combined with a small sink. The main sink is on the countertop against the wall, parallel to the island. I considered placing the cooktop on the countertop instead to free up a large work surface on the island. Ultimately, the cooktop ended up on the island simply because the countertop runs directly beneath a window along its entire length, and I didn’t want a cooktop in front of a window that I’d have to clean every time I splatter something.
Since both the countertop and island are 3.30 meters (10 feet 10 inches) long, I still have plenty of workspace; the cooktop is also not centered on the island but placed to one side, leaving over half of the island as continuous work surface. With a smaller island and the option not to place the cooktop in front of a window, I personally wouldn’t have put the cooktop on the island. However, I find having a (small) sink on the island absolutely ergonomic.
I recommend observing your own cooking habits closely over the next few days, noting what you use most and why, and then deciding the layout based on that.
Climbee schrieb:
I would closely observe myself while cooking over the next few days, consider what I use most and why, and then decide where to plan what.I agree, although I can also say that you can adapt your habits. Many of us previously had a single-wall or L-shaped kitchen in an apartment, but now are planning a double-wall layout or one with an island.
These are different workflows.
While I used to rely on the ergonomic work triangle, I now have a setup where everything that needs rinsing is moved with a single sideways motion behind me to the sink side. Later, while cooking, items are loaded into the dishwasher or quickly rinsed by hand. This way, I never have any dirty dishes in the main working area.
M
Matthew0327 Nov 2018 13:57tomtom79 schrieb:
How large are the surfaces? Can you also prepare food and still have space for 1-2 bowls…?We have an island of about 3m (10 feet), with the cooktop on the left and the sink on the right. Between them, there is roughly 70-80 cm (28-31 inches) of space, which is enough room for 2 bowls, yes.
You can also find a photo of this in the house pictures thread...
Hello,
thank you very much for the numerous replies.
I need to think all of this over first 🙂
Maybe a small sink on the island would also be an option for us, just to wash vegetables, and install the main sink as originally planned. I never would have thought of that. We use a lot of vegetables, usually cooked in a pan, so we spend quite a lot of time at the stove and the sink.
You can’t really judge by my current cooking habits since our kitchen is so small that we work wherever there is space, sometimes even at the dining table...
We usually wash dishes once a day, mostly larger items and good knives; the rest goes into the dishwasher anyway.
I’ll take a look at the pictures from matthew03 now 🙂
We’re still at the very beginning of the building process, and it’s really amazing how many things you have to think about! Where will this lead? 😉
thank you very much for the numerous replies.
I need to think all of this over first 🙂
Maybe a small sink on the island would also be an option for us, just to wash vegetables, and install the main sink as originally planned. I never would have thought of that. We use a lot of vegetables, usually cooked in a pan, so we spend quite a lot of time at the stove and the sink.
You can’t really judge by my current cooking habits since our kitchen is so small that we work wherever there is space, sometimes even at the dining table...
We usually wash dishes once a day, mostly larger items and good knives; the rest goes into the dishwasher anyway.
I’ll take a look at the pictures from matthew03 now 🙂
We’re still at the very beginning of the building process, and it’s really amazing how many things you have to think about! Where will this lead? 😉
I have never had a kitchen island before, but it is definitely my dream. I enjoy cooking, so the kitchen needs to suit me, and since we are building a new home anyway, there will probably be a strong focus on planning enough space and room for the kitchen. However, I am not yet sure how I want to design it in the end, because on one side of the kitchen island, I would actually like to have a higher section, like a small bar area. That’s why I’m unsure if it would be a good idea to place the cooktop there as well...
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