Kitchen Island

[rockyracoon]

I'll be (hopefully) getting a new kitchen in the not too distant future. There will be a sizeable island and I have to decide what to put on it, a hob or a sink. I'm leaning towards the hob but am not keen on an extractor hood sticking down from the ceiling (I like the ones that pop up from the worktop even less), I think a sink will look untidy. Any advice greatly received.

Ta :)

[Zacs-Master]

Why not have neither and just have it as prep space?

[237SJ]

I wouldn`t put anything on it. I`d put the hob and sink around the outside and use the island for preparing food.

[ummmm]

Nothing. Use the island as a kitchen table and storage...

[daveygh]

you can get some smart units that fit in the ceiling rather than hang down - expensive though
http://www.luxairhoods.com/ceiling-cooker-hoods/ceiling-cooker-hoods-small

[hc4361]

If you have a sink the plumbing will have to go under the floor which is not ideal.

[rockyracoon]

I like the idea of nothing, but I only have one wall to put everything on , it's about 6 metres, it'll then have the oven, the hob and the sink in a line. Would that be practical and look good d'ya think?

[hc4361]

The oven, hob and sink need to be close together. It would work well if you have the fridge in the island, creating a good working triangle.

[rockyracoon]

We're having a big fridge so that won't work unfortunately

[Zacs-Master]

I don't see how you can have an island unit and only one wall for a worktop. If you don't have the island, would this free up another wall?

[hc4361]

You'll still get a good triangle if you have the island as the prep area. The idea is that everything will be close to hand to prep and cook a meal. You don't want to be carrying saucepans of boiling water from one end of the kitchen to the other to drain them in the sink.

[rockyracoon]

No Zac, it's going to be in a big open plan space, half given over to kitchen and the other half dining.

[rockyracoon]

Yes hc, that's the pickle. I have to a flippin window as well, which I'd rather not have. What is it with windows having a sink underneath.

[Zacs-Master]

Generally it's because the sink needs to drain to outside and this is the shortest route. Windows tend to be in outside walls too! ;-)

[hc4361]

You don't have to have the window along that wall if there is another wall you could put it.

[rockyracoon]

I've had to make a few compromises and the window was one of them, I might have to go on the charm offensive to get the decision overturned.

[hc4361]

Any possibility of having the wall run of units in an L shape, with the short bit of the L going against the other wall and moving the island down a bit?

[hc4361]

Promise to always do the washing up then you'll be the one looking at a solid wall while you do it :)

[rockyracoon]

Ha, he knows that'll be a flat out lie.

No chance of L shape, door into untility room at one end and doors going right across the back at the other.

[hc4361]

Take a floor plan to somewhere like B&Q or Magnet and get a free design drawn up. See what the experts would do - they'll have ideas you never thought of and of course you don't have to buy the kitchen from them.