I'm  5ft nothing and after 30 years of standing on a step stool to reach everything in my galley kitchen wall units, at the first opportunity, I moved the kitchen to another room and designed it myself. NO wall units! Everything in pan drawers. A free standing dry goods larder unit to suit my height. Open shelves for everyday crockery, positioned immediately above the sink and dishwasher. The traditional work triangle.  Can't understand the obsession with island units. These stubborn,  immovable monoliths that demand worship. I have a kitchen table, which we eat at most of the time, which is moveable, and which also provides a very useful lower height working area for rolling out pastry or kneading bread. I LOVE it!!

Australian Cabinetmaker here.
Guys, she gets it... SO rare to see a designer that actually understands these critical aspects.
My personal view is clear island..
Also one thing about the pull out larders. I replace a lot of these as they are so heavy, I find they tend to wear prematurely because you are literally pulling the entire contents of pantry out with every use. They are good for people that don't cook a lot, or for very narrow pantrys as a last resort, otherwise wouldn't recommend.
Excellent video, subscribed

Clear island for sure!

No sink or oven in the island.. that is pure workspace .

Clear island. Never had one personally, but I always think they look messy and hazardous with a hob or sink on them. I'm lucky and can see the sea from my kitchen window so I'm happy my sink is there and it's practical for watching kids and dogs while you're washing up.

Our kitchen is small, so no space for an island. Great tips. Thank you.

The point about [clearance / work triangle / island spacing] is so real. Our original plan had the island too close to the range and New Day Construction flagged it during design. Living with it daily would have driven me crazy.

I always want my cooktop to be on the island!  That way you remain in the conversation, and I think the cook deserves to be center stage!

One thing I had never realised until I moved into my current apartment, is that you should try to minimise the steps you need to take when unpacking the dishwasher. If I stand to the left of my open dishwasher, the kitchen sink is in front of me and the cupboard above holds the glassware and mugs. If I stand to the right, the cutlery drawer is in front of me and the cupboard for plates and bowls is above. Bulky items like saucepans are further away. In my mother's kitchen you have to walk across the kitchen for everything except the saucepans.

Hi Fi, keeping the island clear, while positioning the sink and hob on the perimeter units, eliminates the need to accommodate pipes or extraction systems. 🤦🏻‍♀️ The island then becomes the hero of the space: a clean, functional and sociable centrepiece. 😊 Great video! Thank you for sharing!

Id like to see a video dedicated to galley kitchens thank you 😊

Loved hearing your design ideas to avoid as well as good ideas.  I’m actually that oddball woman who uses her kitchen.  When we bought our home the gas downdraft cooktop was located on the center island.  It was a high end cooktop, but I hated it.  Downdrafts provide horrible ventilation control, are very noisy, and tend to pull a gas flame from under the cooking pot.  Unfortunately when this kitchen was “designed,” form was given precedence over function.    Cooking odors lingered all over my home and you can’t imagine the struggle to keep cabinet tops clean.  Eventually I replaced the original cooktop and installed a telescoping high power vent with the motor installed in the basement space below the kitchen. Other than a cooktop down draft, this was our only option.  We had to install a make up air system to accommodate the pulling capacity of that vent.  I was astonished at installers who suggested I rig the motor against building codes and sales people who suggested I simply not use the amount of ventilation my pricey setup could handle.  I learned so much about the importance of proper ventilation and it’s not something I will ever overlook again.

I've recently designed my kitchen with the sink facing a wall...it was the one the one thing that I wouldn't compromise on.  For the last 22 years my Husband has been splashing water and suds all over the window above, and I've had enough!! 🤣 I don't want to divorce the guy, so an extension and new kitchen it had to be! Now I've just got to make sure that the splashback behind the sink is big enough!! 😳🤣

I'm just in the middle of designing my kitchen and going for an induction hob on the island 😊

Clear island for us, that’s our prep area too! Large windows and small worktop space means we plan to use the island more

I have my induction hob on the island for the reasons you gave -  the hob is flat, so the island still has a clear look. Also, any dirty dishes are kept away from the breakfast bar where we have everyday meals.

I'm in the midst of designing our kitchen and kept switching between sink or clear kitchen island as there are pros and cons to both and also depends on other aspects to the room that would effect the overall pros and cons (e.g. the layout on the other side of the island, location of doors, windows and outdoor views, depth of island, other bench space, adjoining kitchenette, etc...). Then adding to it the individual family functions and loves.

Sink in island bench (1.2m depth) - I can have conversations with others or watch TV at the end of the room or look out to the back yard. The bench is deep enough splatter is not an issue. Hosting buffet style meals should also work (I intend to partially conceal the sink with a long thin row of floral arrangement or herbs depending on the occasion/celebration) and the sink can be converted into a "built-in" drinks ice bucket so the full island can be used as a buffet with drinks, condiments, main food and dessert stations around it (we have an adjacent fully functional kitchenette for the smelly heavy cooking and the dirty dishes can be dumped there). Even if we didn't have a kitchenette, dirty dishes can be placed near the cooktop on the window side. As for baking, there's a  decent 1mx1.2m space on either side of the sink enough to work with dough, etc...

Sink under window - day time can look out to nature, the full clear island offers unhindered options from having a teppenyaki dinner (using a portable cooker) to  baking up a storm. But the con with this option is my sink and cooktop need to be along the same wall run which disrupts the symmetry with a rangehood  pushed to the side (only because I don't like the thin extractor that fits under the overhead cupboard as I think it's surface area should ideally be same or larger than the cooktop to effectively suck all the vapour so will be going with a canopy rangehood which needs to be centred as a feature than off centred as looking like an oversight).

Also, agree a deeper clearance underbench is often overlooked and  a must have for anyone wanting to sit comfortably at the island. Our current bench has 30cm clearance but our knees still kept banging on the cabinet (even for me at average height so no way for the boys) so we completely don't sit at the island. The new island being 120cm deep with allow plenty of depth for all.

Currently the design is with the sink on the island and wanted to see others views for anything else I haven't factored in before locking it in and getting it done (for my sanity I need to move on! 😆).

Great advise

I have an island with a sink. Complete disaster - water everywhere, dirty pans waiting to be washed, etc.
I have a range cooker, which I hate, so it couldn't be fitted in the island anyway.
I'm moving house soon so I'm planning the kitchen renovation.
Definitely no sink or hob on the island! Keep it clear for food prep and serving.
Also, I'm not having a range. Eye level oven and induction hob for me.
Happy days 😀

I wanted a clear island as it is ideal for both preparing food and using as a large table area for buffets, it looks much neater.  I’m not one for chatting while I’m cooking anyway as I usually end up ruining something.  I went for six pan drawers which are so much easier for getting at things but I also added three hidden cutlery drawers.  To be honest, I’d probably fill another.  😂

I’d recommend you house a built in waste bin under the island as it’s great for clearing mess directly in when baking or prepping.  I have my sink against a wall as I’m too busy scrubbing pans to be gazing out of a window and half the year it’s dark anyway.  To save space I opted for a small built in three drawer freezer but a large fridge and it’s been enough.  I didn’t bother with a hot water tap as I’d rather have the space under the sink plus I didn’t like my sisters, the tea was never piping hot.  

One tip from my sister’s experience I’d give on bifolds, if that’s effectively the only window you’ll have, bear in mind that in winter or cold rainy days, you’ll have to open the whole thing even slightly to get some ventilation.   She ended up changing hers for French doors with small side openings.