Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Apr 30, 2010 8:00 pm Do you like them? If you have one, what are the pros and cons in your opinion? Our future kitchen will be L shaped with a large island bench in the middle. At the moment, the sink will be on one of the wall faced benches but I want to move the fridge space which will mean the sink will probably have to go on the Island bench as the fridge will eat into the bench space there (island is just under 3m long). I like the idea of having the Island bench clutter free and I also like having a wall to lean dishes on (such as chopping boards) however, it's looking like the best configuration aesthetically/practically will be to move it to the island. I thought of an idea of getting one of those double bowl sinks without the drainer (the ones that have an accessory that you place on top of one of the bowls to drain dishes when needed). I thought this would lessen the dominance of having the sink there (also considering undermount now too but have to convince hubby!). Re: Sink on Island Bench 2Apr 30, 2010 8:07 pm Hi mcniks I have a sink on the island and I like it because it was integral to the kitchen design. I don't do a lot of washing up either and if I do, nothing gets left to dry by itself, I keep the island free of any clutter, and they are undermount sinks as well so it's very neat looking. Re: Sink on Island Bench 3Apr 30, 2010 8:23 pm Hate having the sink on the island bench. We wash up a lot! Havent' used the dishwasher once since moving in last July. I guess my improvement would have been a larger island bench to get more workspace &/or a small wall splashbakc behind the sink. These are my gripes : 1. The water splashes on the bench & anything nearby 2. The sink bowls take up valuable benchspace - ours is a small island bench 3. Hate moving between the island bench across to the cooktop which is directly opposite . In my old place my kitchen was U-shaped & the sink was adjacent to the cooktop 4. The dishes stacked in the dishdrainer can be an eyesore if not put away quickly, which with my family is ALL the time Built the Eden Brae Cambridge 34 Family with Boston Corner Facade Re: Sink on Island Bench 4Apr 30, 2010 8:28 pm Southies why are you not using the dishwasher I can understand why you wouldn't like it, I usually only have an electric frypan and a saucepan to wash...if you're a Southies washer mcniks, I would put it on the side Re: Sink on Island Bench 5Apr 30, 2010 9:02 pm I see southies points very well.... they were my concerns/reasons for not wanting a sink on the island. I love to cook so i want to utilise as much bench space as possible and have the most optimal work space i can get for the area we have to work with. We primarily use our dishwasher but i hand wash the pots, frypans and my daughters bottles/bowls/plates etc We are going to visit our cabinet maker to get his ideas/opinions - we have to make a decision soon before the plumbing and slab is started (hopefully sooner rather than later!). Re: Sink on Island Bench 7Apr 30, 2010 9:10 pm At the moment our kitchen design is two long benches parallel. Stove on the wall bench and sink on the island bench, it will be undermounted and the island bench will be quite large so we've got plenty of room for food preparation etc. If there isn't much of an island bench I'd prefer to have an entire bench to use instead of having a sink in it. Re: Sink on Island Bench 8Apr 30, 2010 9:25 pm Ours is and if there was one thing I could change it would be a different kitchen layout so it had its own corner spot. LIke southies says it splashes up on the bench.. its an eyesore really if its not kept clean and clear of dishes all the time. What I would like is a bit that comes up higher at the back of the island bench so you can put things against it and stop water splash. Might have to get a high sort of buffet style thing to put along there I think. Kat Re: Sink on Island Bench 9Apr 30, 2010 11:09 pm Oh FFS. How much bench space is needed? Do you want extra space, just to clutter up? A sink in the island bench is far more common in modern design than not having one there; there is no issue with splashing any more than in a bench with a sink in any other part of the kitchen (the tap doesn't actually know of it is located over a sink in an island bench or not believe it or not; if a splash is made it is because of carelessness), and in any case bench space is freed up from elsewhere. Each to their own of course, but we absolutely hate-hate-hate the thought of a sink in a corner or the side bench with a window background. The sink is probably the most used tool in the kitchen apart from ther fridge. Why turn your back on your guests to use it? Geoff - Decophile. Re: Sink on Island Bench 10Apr 30, 2010 11:14 pm We have put one in our build - the bench is 4.5m long so have plenty of room either side of it. Have also never had a dishwasher but will defo put one in, and I guarantee we will not be washing up anything...bye bye all those years of getting my (OK my wife's) hands wet. Re: Sink on Island Bench 12Apr 30, 2010 11:32 pm I would look at placing the sink so it adjoins the cooktop bench area, either in the same bench or, ideally, under a 90 degree corner. Of course, there has to be a decent distance between them. I wouldn't place the sink anywhere where there is no continuous bench line to the cooktop. Simply because with my messy kitchen style, the splashes onto the floor are minimised (as you don't have to carry stuff across (often with wet and dripping hands) from one bench to another over an empty air space ... if you know what I mean ... Anyway, I think they are right when they say that a U shape is a very good design and that the 3 main things (cooktop, sink, fridge) are good in a triangle. At least works for me. Had a kitchen where the sink was opposite the cooktop - not good for me. Too many twists and turns, you can't watch the pots with one eye and keep another on washing or chopping, plus too much mess on the floor. BTW, I have already "retired" our future dishwasher. It will sit there (if it's possible to fit it under the bench in the first place ) just because it "came with the house" . My signature is distracting people from my wise posts ... Re: Sink on Island Bench 13Apr 30, 2010 11:57 pm Personally I won't be having a sink on my island bence cos the island isn't very large. But my friend does have such a set up & I think it works ok. Her island bench is quite large & "L" shaped so has lots of room, I haven't noticed any problem with splashing when you wash up & it doesn't look too cluttered with dishes on it IMHO. However there is only one person living in the house & I'm not sure it would work as well for a family (obviously with more dishes being washed). Good luck with making your decision Re: Sink on Island Bench 14May 01, 2010 12:47 am Quote: A sink in the island bench is far more common in modern design than not having one there; Yes, as a statement of fact, this is certainly true - by far the majority of modern kitchens have an island bench with a sink in it. And more new kitchens than not dont have a window at all. However, regardless of that, I still much prefer my kitchen sink under the window and the outward bench with nothing in it - yes, of course, the total bench space is still the same. In fact we have a U shaped kitchen with the sink under the window and 4 m of outward bench - it is not an island bench at all. We also have a raised breakfast bar which is great for separating the kitchen mess from the other side - Im not sure why raised breakfast bars have fallen out of favour, I think you get the best of both worlds with them - ie still open space kitchen connecting to dining/ liveing area but enough segregation not to have the dishes etc in your face like they are on a modern flat island bench with sink in it. I dislike kitchens without windows / natural light / ventilation and I much prefer a U shape that has no flow thru traffic. Just my opinion, of course - I'm aware most new home owners dont agree with me Re: Sink on Island Bench 15May 01, 2010 1:06 am I am also not a fan of sinks on island benches. They are becoming more and more common (most of the project homes I looked at had this setup and with underbench sinks and really fancy taps they can look nice. My preference is to have the cooktop on the island. It means no worries about not having enough room for all the pots and pans with handles hitting the walls and as I do my chopping and everything else on the island, nice and easy to pop it straight into the stove next to me. But sinks against walls without windows do look weird. In the house I am designing, I am putting in a false window between the kitchen and rumpus room (with folding wooden shutters) so the sink still looks like it is next to the window. Building tip No. 3: A raft slab will not get you down a river. A waffle pod slab does not go with maple syrup. My building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53000 Re: Sink on Island Bench 16May 01, 2010 8:32 am Helyn of course we agree with you..sometimes in my last house I had a U shaped kitchen and still had the sink on the "not" island part so guess I was used to it. I was very glad to have the island type kitchen this time as the U created such a bottleneck....and now we can access everything without getting in each others way I know this is about sinks but I love how the built in garbage is on the island where I do all the chopping...I just open the bin and scrape it in, I really like that. Re: Sink on Island Bench 17May 01, 2010 8:45 am Even though the builder hasn't been chosen as yet, the kitchen layout has been a 'works in progress' for months and will have a fairly, large island bench with undermount sink and double dishdrawer. The cooktop will be along the wall with a slideout rangehood because the whole kitchen will be a SSS (sleek, smooth and simple)!! Life is interesting when we all have different ideas, isn't it? Re: Sink on Island Bench 18May 01, 2010 9:00 am Quote: My preference is to have the cooktop on the island. It means no worries about not having enough room for all the pots and pans with handles hitting the walls and as I do my chopping and everything else on the island, nice and easy to pop it straight into the stove next to me. Im afraid that would be my least prefferred option of all - hot cooking near where people. especially children, might be sitting on breakfast bar stools - dangerous and messy IMO. Re: Sink on Island Bench 19May 01, 2010 9:09 am I guess that depends on the width of your island. On a very small island it does not work, but on a wide island it works wonders (kids can sit a. It also depends on what type of cooktop you have. I plan t use an induction cooktop so residual heat will be less of a problem. And aren't kitchens meant to get messy when you cook. It's how you have the most fun! Building tip No. 3: A raft slab will not get you down a river. A waffle pod slab does not go with maple syrup. My building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53000 Re: Sink on Island Bench 20May 01, 2010 9:11 am Sorry my keyboard went a little chaotic and I had not finished the post. With a wide island bench, the kids can watch their food cook from the breakfast bar which is a safe distance away. Building tip No. 3: A raft slab will not get you down a river. A waffle pod slab does not go with maple syrup. My building thread https://forum.homeone.com.au/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=53000 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair Are you going to have the frame exposed or are you cladding it with something. Usually if you are making an exposed frame you would use solid legs around 100x100 or… 3 6585 Have had stone benches with undermount sink (kitchen) and drop-in (laundry) and top-mounted basin (bathrooms) for coming up 13 years and not one chip/scratch of any kind.… 2 9676 Hi - thanks for your reply. 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