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Joined: Dec 28, 2014
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Re: Kitchen
You are right, I will change it.
I'm not so sure about me being right, I did say my ideas were half baked . I'm sure you've thought about it more than me.
If the large storage unit with the wine is actually a pantry, then swapping it with the refrigerator might just be swapping one problem for another. Plus it might affect the proportionality. In my kitchen the refrigerator and a narrow pantry cupboard are right beside each other, which is a bit of a compromise, when using the fridge, the landing area is not immediately adjacent, but a width of the pantry away, which is kind of OK, but definitely a compromise.
Another thought, it's hard to tell, but have you checked the spacing around the island, according the a google:
What is the minimum walking space in a kitchen?
36 inches wide Passageways through the kitchen should be at least 36 inches wide (or desirably larger if you're building an open floor plan kitchen). In work areas, walkways should be at least 42 inches wide for one cook or 48 inches for multiple cooks.
New Zealand
Joined: Dec 28, 2014
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Re: Kitchen
I think it looks better - more spacious. The island is now a true walk-all-around island.
Now that I see where the refrigerator is going live, I think the wine/rack/pantry might actually be better where it was - because you would work from left to right: gather ingredients, prep them at the sink/bench, cook with hob, bake, serve from right of hob. These things are always a bit of a agnosing compromise.
With the pillar out of the way, maybe you could have a slightly deeper island. That might be useful as additional landing space. I was thinking +20-30cm, I'm not sure about all the way to square, but it might be fun to try.
We compromised on the sink-and-a-half, we fell back to just a sink to gain more bench/drawer space. But I can see the "half" might be a must-have for some folk (and some half's have chopping board covers). Our joiner also made the suggested that we shouldn't go for a oversized sink, they take too long to fill to a useful level, so that also saved a bit of space.
I won't comment on colors - I'm not good a choosing colors, and they're hard to evaluate in a render (or even a photo).
New Zealand
Joined: Dec 28, 2014
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Re: Kitchen
We had a corner sink in our previous kitchen. It was a single large one, The bench corner had a 45-degree section of benchtop to allow for easier access. The sink worked OK, but it was hard for two to share access to.
I would be a bit concerned with placing a sink right next to the hob. They crowd each other and could be a safety issue. Having the two so close might make it difficult for more than one person to use the space.
Have you considered moving the dishwasher to the right and putting a sink where the dishwasher is? It might have to be a single sink, but that might be more practical in a small kitchen.
Another possibility: the dishwasher could move to the end of the bench under the toaster; the sink immediately to the right of that (but not in the corner); the hob could move to where the dishwasher is; and the extractor could be concealed in the cabinetry. One advantage would be that electrics and plumbing are now grouped - like with like (which might be cheaper/easier).
Joined: May 18, 2021
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Re: Kitchen
And in the spirit of friendly critiques...
That top oven is way too high. Taking hot items out would be a serious hazard to anyone who isn't of Dutch height. Consider one oven below counter level, and one above for that "eye-line" look.
Doing an image search on google for "double stacked ovens" will give you plenty of references.