elzermank Thanks for your help :) Unfortunately we cant change the plumbing which runs through that pass through area (half wall) - so the door pretty much has to stay there .... otherwise we'd love that idea - the more storage the better I say! :) It's definitely a cramped room - funny for how much use it gets ..... Yes the dining room comes off the kitchen - it has the exact same window in it as well so does get some light through - the surrounding gardens do block a bit however. The floor is Stone I quite like it but Hubby wants it to be wooden to flow with the rest of the house - at this stage just the bedrooms will be carpet, the bathroom tiled and everything else Bamboo Floorboards. Thanks so much though :)

A "butler's pantry" with a pocket door (and no sink, so more counter space) at one end of the kitchen would be the ideal solution, but of course that depends on dimensions of your kitchen and whether you can squeeze in enough space for that pantry. We have one off the end of our kitchen, which is maybe 1.5 m square and offers a lot of extra counter space out of sight of the lounge. We have friends who had a fairly big kitchen area, put a blade wall down the middle to create a U shaped kitchen, so the oven and bench face the lounge on one side of the U, the sink is at the end on the short side of the U, and the small appliances and pantry are on the other side of the U, with the blade wall hiding the mess.

I'm trying to work out kitchen heights. I am 185cm (6'1") and partner 170cm (5'7") - she will be using the kitchen more than me. I am looking at doing a standard ikea kitchen if possible. Working bench height is 920mm. We will be installing a gas cooktop so I imagine distance of 700mm benchtop-underside of wall cupboards (to allow for the hob/clearance of 650mm). That would make a slimline rangehood and cupboards above sink being 1620mm from ground level. The ceiling is 2700. I plan 1000mm height wall cupboards, so the highest the gap can be between benchtop and underside of wall cupboards is 780mm [920 bench; 780 gap; 1000 cabinet; ceiling]. Do you anticipate I would bump my head on either rangehood or cupboards at the sink given I am 185cm but only 162cm above cupboards/range hood? Should we go higher? Below is the look we are going for, uniform height across the whole kitchen (i.e. don't want 'cutouts'/raised cupboards above gas hob or sink). The wall cabinet depth appears to be 39cm for Ikea (up to and including the door), we probably won't have handles. I could go to a different provider if shallower depth are needed.

Firstly, thank you all for your contributions! Very much appreciated. CP yes the floor plan has been quite divisive, it is quite a significant change from existing (kitchen currently at dining, stairs currently where powder room is) but my preference is for an open plan/kitchen as this is where we like to congregate as a family. The weird gap is to allow for separation from the cooktop as I am not sure if the 100 gap is wide enough and practical, as well as extended space for appliances (toasters etc) - though I do agree that storage in the island is probably just as good. The double doors I agree are troublesome. This is a strata complex in a heritage area, so getting approval to change these would be cumbersome, and we’re aiming to start works in February next year… Jess, a galley style certainly is an interesting idea! Would allow for a lot circulation and a lot more space. I think The island would be Provide for a bit more seating, correct? Though I guess I’m open to it, ultimately I think you are right - some advice (beyond everyone’s here which is so great!) may be needed. Dreamer, I think I am okay with 900 for circulation around the island - can always just go the other way! Siriuskey thank you for all of the input. Yes, it is a townhouse. The first designs is exactly what I was thinking, but a steam oven instead of a microwave oven. One thing I have always wondered is whether a 600mm bench for 600mm cooktop is enough? What about for pans and handle lids that might extend beyond the 600mm and therefore be hitting the back wall? The side wall (the one with the column) is also a concern. I like the idea of putting pantry/oven/fridge all on the left hand side, it will push everything on the wall side down. I would like the ‘dish washing’ sink to be on the cooktop side and the smaller sink to be on the island. Dishwasher on the cooktop side as well, which I think can fit.