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The time has come for the big kitchen renovation - but I'm not sure our current plan is utilising the space efficiently. This is our kitchen & dining area and we like to sit around the table, so we need space for 2 adults & 2 kids to sit. We want to keep the costs down so we're looking to keep the dishwasher, sink, & oven in the same locations. See photo for our planned layout & room dimensions, with island extended out to form a table with bar seats. I'm thinking that the island would be cupboards (as shown), plus 400mm drawers (couldn't add them in kaboodle). The door on the left goes outside, the doorway at the bottom of the plan goes to the lounge. Any suggestions for how this space could be better utilised?
Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @ashleighby. It's sensational to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about your kitchen layout.
My first thought is that I would be a little concerned that an island would be your primary dining location. Typically they'd only be used as a breakfast bar or occasional seating. You can have an overhang of the benchtop, but I wouldn't exactly call an island bench a comfortable location to have extended meals. You've got plenty of additional wall and floor space for cabinetry, so there doesn't appear to be a need for the extra cupboard space in the island. I like the idea of the island for extra prep space, but I'm hesitant about whether it would be suitable as a sole dining location.
I understand you wish to keep costs down, and this might not even be remotely possible, but have you considered removing the wall to the lounge?
I've put together a rendering below—one of the many layouts that could be achieved. The table can easily be swapped for an island bench if you wish.
Let me know what you think.
Mitchell
Thanks @MitchellMc! We had thought about removing that wall but ruled it out because (1) cost and (2) the lounge isn’t much bigger than the kitchen, and the doorway is already partially covered by a couch, so we didn’t think we’d gain much by removing the wall.
Love the rendering. I see your point about having an island as a main dining area - combining kitchen & dining in a small house is very tricky!
Thanks for your advice 
An island as a sole dining location is becoming a norm in many households, especially for those with a small amount of space and are looking to maximise their prep area, but you could utilise a drop down island bench. Below is an image we found that inspired us to do something similar in our kitchen (all bit with a lighter theme), You have enough room where you could a very small bench should you choose.
Regardless, if you do go down the bench route, make sure you have bar stools with a back on it, or at least a lip.
That looks good, @Remarka6le! Have you got a photo of your set up, by any chance? I’d love to see some real life examples
We're in the process of building, I'll post it up when it's finished
Hello @ashleighby
Let me extend a warm welcome as well to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's great that you've received excellent advice from @MitchellMc and @Remarka6le. I understand that this is an exciting time for you as kitchens don't often get renovated that often. Based on your request, I've kept all your appliances in the same spot with the exception of the refrigerator which you've moved to the very right of the wall. I've also taken into consideration your request for an island where you can have your meals as well.
The first render is with an island with standard height. It will seat six people and has one cabinet at the bottom as you've requested as well. I didn't put a drawer in as I've designed the rest of your kitchen to have multiple drawers.
The second render is with the modified island. You can still use part of it as a prep area but part of the island will be lowered to 740mm to serve as the meal area.
The third and last render is with your wall cabinets near the dishwasher still installed. Although practical it does take up a bit of space and makes the kitchen look full. However, I'll leave that decision up to you, if you wish to use those cabinets or change them to Kaboodle ones. If you would like to see the kitchen in another configuration, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be more than happy to modify it for you.
If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.
Eric
Hi @Remarka6le
Thanks for the vote on the kitchen layout. I use Sketchup for my renders, there is a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it's easy enough to use.
Eric
