We are enjoying some of our new kitchen already even though there’s a way to go before it’s done and fully functional. We have use of the refrigerator and freezer, oven, microwave and cooktop. Wes made pancakes this morning! Christmas was nice and we all relaxed for the entire day…then yesterday that was enough of that. It’s time to clean up and get back to work because we’re all excited to finish the kitchen remodel.
This morning I taped off the footprint of the island layout I had originally planned and none of us like it. In order to create large enough walkways where it feels open and spacious, I had to keep creeping into the island placement and they both ended up feeling much smaller than expected. (Original plan below)
Also, the functionality of having the sink, dishwasher and dish drawers in the space between the two islands definitely will not work.
So I pulled that up and taped off a new island and we all love it.
It creates a small design dilemma for me to figure out with the pantry but I’m leaving that for later. I like to work in phases and I know as other elements come together I’ll be better able to determine the best solution for each “station”.
So I’m moving forward with the coffee station (left) and the island and I’ll figure out the “Pantry” (question mark) later.
Here’s the new plan! It’s going to be about 6’x11′ with sinks and dishwashers on both ends. It feels very functional and since Wes has the next week off I think we’re going to focus on building some cabinets to get closer to the finish line instead of taking day trips to get out of the house and avoid living IN the chaos.
Wes has never helped me build cabinets before…this might be interesting! 😀
Carol Sandretto-Unsinger says
I’m curious – it’s hard to tell from the angles in the pictures, but does the new island line up with the placement of your ceiling beams? I was thinking it is one of those little details that would either work out in the long run, or if they are a little off from each other, potentially make you a little nuts down the road… Such hard work, and it’s really coming together beautifully – thanks for sharing your experience!!!
Kadijah says
Which program did you use to draw the plan?
Nancy says
Wow, that’s a big island! What is the counter going to be made of?
Nancy
Deb-IL says
Can you reach to the center of the island to clean the counter? I’d have to crawl up on top!! It’s going to be a spectacular kitchen at the finish line. How did you do your appliance research? Any source recommendations?
cc says
I like your solution island! I have never had one, but we are putting one in the next year and have changed our minds soooo many times about just the island. looking forward to seeing details!!
Liz VanKirk says
Your going to love your big island. Ours is about 7 ft long and it is great to cook & bake on. My husband loves it for rolling out pizza dough. You might have room for a ice machine or wine cooler under that island if you needed one. Great for resale value too. Can’t wait to watch it all come together.
Karen says
What is the depth of your beams (and crown)? And how high is your ceiling in this space? I have 12’ceilings I’m playing with and trying to get the scale of the beams just right. I LOVE my big island. It is 11′ long, with a curve. I took a squeegee and taped it to a pole to “wipe” up all the crumbs etc while standing in one spot. It is the best invention ever!
Lisa E says
Not that it matters, lol, but I like the looks of this one better, too, and love the addition of a window seat. I’m obsessed with window seats!
Lena says
Going along nice and you’ll love the large island. Just make sure that with a 6 ft depth that you can actually reach in to the middle so you can wipe it off without crawling on top of it. All depends on how tall you are in how far you can reach. If you are tall then you can probably reach with no problem when walking around as it just needs to cover 3 ft, if not you might want to consider a slightly shallower depth so you can reach all of it.
Kris says
I’m loving the large island idea! I too am interested in what program you used to create a visual plan 😉
Colleen says
I’m curious what the distance is between the island and the fridge/stove counters. I’ve read that you can get by with 3ft walkways, but I was wondering what the reality was in application. Between an open dishwasher and a cook at the stove, it seems like you’d be getting in each other’s way (my layout, not yours – sink & d/w would be on long side of island).
chris says
I love the idea of two island but the one big island looks so much better
Janis@BEAU. design studio says
Looking forward to seeing the progress, your ceiling is beautiful!
capturing joy with kristen duke says
wow, what a make over!!!