Browse Forums Kitchen Corner 1 Apr 08, 2015 2:47 pm Hi Some feedback and ideas on our kitchen design would be great. This is a large space and we really want to get it right. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ This is the first idea we have come up with. 1) Will probably change the ovens to two 600mm or one double oven in the tower. Any thoughts/preferences about either of these choices. If two 600mms, where to put the microwave? Not a fan of underbench if can avoid it (husband is tall). 2) We asked for a corner pantry but not sure how it looks here. The original plans have the pantry drawn along the back wall as shown. I do think it looks nicer that way but it is hard to tell from the drawings. We want a decent pantry space (love to cook) 3) We are not agreed on whether to do seats along the back of the island (facing in towards the kitchen) or give the option to have seats as a family at the end as it is drawn now and also include some storage in the island. Here are the plans for the room: Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ The house will be for us and our new baby/child and we plan to live there for a long time. I think it might be nice to be able to face the room and deck/trees when sitting at the bench instead of the kitchen only, and also others on the bench, but my husband is unsure how the leg on one end of the table would look, I think. The bench will be 3m long and quite wide (I think it was 1.2? is that right?) 4) Cupboards above sink. We don't want it looking empty but are these necessary? (I'm not that tall). There is not a lot to look at out that window but it is our north facing (maybe frost it or make it higher, or put a bulkhead instead?). It seems there is plenty of room for storage in the drawers and the top row of overheads. help please! Esp if you have pictures of this bench look in a nice clean contemporary design or other ideas. I know you can put a cantilever so one end doesn't have a leg but this strikes me as very expensive?? Help resolve our debates kitchen gurus! Re: Please help improve our kitchen design! 2Apr 08, 2015 7:02 pm I have four kids and can say the island bench is one of the most functional and utilised parts of our home! I'd be inclined to have seating all along the bench rather than at one end. My kids eat breakfast there, friends (both theirs and mine) seem to congregate there, homework is done there,, its a great place to involve them in the cooking from there and my kids love to sit there and have conversations with me whilst I'm in the kitchen! Trust me when I say its not the view that draws people to an island bench, its the interactions that result! If your husband is tall, check the height of that window. A friend of mine has one and I can't see anything except the blank wall, at 175cm I miss the view entirely! I'd be getting a decent size window to capture that north facing light. Maybe you could get a vertical garden happening to improve the view! It'd drive me banana's with kids having to go into the core of the kitchen to get to your pantry. I'd be inclined to move it near the fridge and shuffle the rest along, alternatively place it along the north wall. Ovens are IMO personal preference, I like the 90cm ones, the trouble with 2x 60cm is they'll have to be side by side for safety sake. A double oven in a tower would be a space effective alternative. . Re: Please help improve our kitchen design! 3Apr 09, 2015 8:28 am FantasticFour I have four kids and can say the island bench is one of the most functional and utilised parts of our home! I'd be inclined to have seating all along the bench rather than at one end. My kids eat breakfast there, friends (both theirs and mine) seem to congregate there, homework is done there,, its a great place to involve them in the cooking from there and my kids love to sit there and have conversations with me whilst I'm in the kitchen! Trust me when I say its not the view that draws people to an island bench, its the interactions that result! If your husband is tall, check the height of that window. A friend of mine has one and I can't see anything except the blank wall, at 175cm I miss the view entirely! I'd be getting a decent size window to capture that north facing light. Maybe you could get a vertical garden happening to improve the view! It'd drive me banana's with kids having to go into the core of the kitchen to get to your pantry. I'd be inclined to move it near the fridge and shuffle the rest along, alternatively place it along the north wall. Ovens are IMO personal preference, I like the 90cm ones, the trouble with 2x 60cm is they'll have to be side by side for safety sake. A double oven in a tower would be a space effective alternative. . Thanks very much for your reply - you don't think it is better to have people facing each other on the island bench (For the interactions). The size of the window is limited by planning, we have neighbours on that side and it looks into their yard. We could move it up or down or make it a bit bigger, but not too big The vertical garden is a good idea.. whether we would ever get around to it!! But it is a great idea. You are right about the pantry, your suggestion is where it originally was and we don't like the look of it in the corner. Why side by side for safety sake? I know what you mean about height but one would be at ergonomic height and the second would still be higher than a 90cm underbench. Thanks so much! Please help improve our kitchen design! 4Apr 09, 2015 11:07 am The island bench isn't a place where I take time out to sit down, I have a dining table a mere 2 metres away for those more formal interactions (like eating dinner!) It's really just a place for others to be close at hand while I go about that preparing school lunches, making coffee, cooking dinner business! When I think about it it captures how we live, lots of casual interactions doing routine stuff, then moving to a more structured setting when the prep is all done! I'm a stickler for eating at a dinner table that has been set accordingly, no phones etc. It's good having the distinction between formal/informal settings with kids! Is your kitchen located on the second floor? That could potentially change how we view things, I was assuming it was on ground level! Re: Please help improve our kitchen design! 5Apr 09, 2015 1:05 pm FantasticFour The island bench isn't a place where I take time out to sit down, I have a dining table a mere 2 metres away for those more formal interactions (like eating dinner!) It's really just a place for others to be close at hand while I go about that preparing school lunches, making coffee, cooking dinner business! When I think about it it captures how we live, lots of casual interactions doing routine stuff, then moving to a more structured setting when the prep is all done! I'm a stickler for eating at a dinner table that has been set accordingly, no phones etc. It's good having the distinction between formal/informal settings with kids! Is your kitchen located on the second floor? That could potentially change how we view things, I was assuming it was on ground level! yes I see what you mean and my husband feels the same about more likely to sit at the table etc. You are right about the distinction with kids!!! We always had it growing up. Nope it is on the ground floor. It is just that the house on our N side is stepped down lower than us so can't have the window looking into them. Thanks so much for all your help! Re: Please help improve our kitchen design! 6Apr 10, 2015 9:02 pm Hi, I agree with the comments above regarding the pantry, my kids (10 & 13) are forever in there, also I love that you have nothing on your bench, we also have this and it is a great space. Prior to Reno we had a sink in the middle and it just wasn't there same. Think about making the top wider so that stools can be tucked under and improves leg room comfort. I had frosted glass on upper doors and it looked great, they had a soft lift up - my wow factor. Also we has 2 ovens in similar configuration to your sketch, one was a multi-function oven - expensive but it was also a microwave - this removes the need to have a separate microwave spot and helps when you need an extra oven. Good luck Re: Please help improve our kitchen design! 7Apr 13, 2015 10:29 am Denten Hi, I agree with the comments above regarding the pantry, my kids (10 & 13) are forever in there, also I love that you have nothing on your bench, we also have this and it is a great space. Prior to Reno we had a sink in the middle and it just wasn't there same. Think about making the top wider so that stools can be tucked under and improves leg room comfort. I had frosted glass on upper doors and it looked great, they had a soft lift up - my wow factor. Also we has 2 ovens in similar configuration to your sketch, one was a multi-function oven - expensive but it was also a microwave - this removes the need to have a separate microwave spot and helps when you need an extra oven. Good luck Thanks for your reply. I know sinks in benches are popular but it was important to me to have the island bench just a nice clean space. So instead of being 2PAC you have frosted glass in the middle of your doors? That sounds very nice as well. I have also considered the oven/micro combi however they do seem a very expensive appliance and I am concerned about it breaking or having a funny shaped space if you ever need to replace the oven. The ones I have seen are not a standard size they are more like 450mm. Can I ask what appliance you have for that brand wise and how it has been. THanks Re: Please help improve our kitchen design! 8Apr 13, 2015 5:37 pm Yes we had frosted glass with brushed steel edges. I put in 2 Electrolux ovens, one normal and their multi function ($2,500), one above the other. I loved them, they looked great - but I only really used the multi functions microwave function 95% of the time - so I am not having one in our new house. 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