@jtennr, I am some way off with a kitchen as we're still building but I decided to put my sink into my bench because it worked there for me. I can see into my lounge, even watch tv and also look outside my lounge window into my back yard. If I'm working on my island, I can look out my dining window into my front yard. My kitchen is in the centre of my open plan, so I don't actually have a window right at my bench. You need to draw up your proposed kitchen just basically on paper, make sure everything that is going to cross over into this new area has a spot or home, like an appliance cupboard for example, for the chip maker, or toaster, coffee machine if you like such a thing. Remember storage for all things great and small including the plastic stuff with lids and the bulky casserole dishes, right down to that draw every kitchen has for a screwdriver, or masking tape, a few biro's or extra notepads etc...etc... Work out what you might be looking at when you wash up for example, will it be a nice view??? I expect you will have a dishwasher so the wash up tends to be more, washing hands, or rinsing the lettuce etc... whilst preparing and where do you feel you want to be doing that as compared to the rest of your open plan??? Your prep area should be close to the sink and fridge, as most things come from the fridge and you don't want to be walking a long way with a hanfull of food. I drew up a plan and placed every single item into a location and made sure I had room for everything and almost forgot the microwave, such a big item too!!! Best advice is to search for a kitchen in the style and colours you think you want on Houzz, there are literally thousands, but you can narrow it down by selecting style, colour, shape, even floors and you might get down to a few hundred. You can save the favourites on your own profile page or even print pictures off to perhaps compare them and decide that you like this bench with that colour etc...etc... It's fantastic to see something you like and incorporate some inovative designs into your new build at the same time, so don't forget to search for the newest kitchen gadgets like a slide out knife block or a place for garbage bins or draw organizers, all these things can be viewed on Houzz. Best of luck. Cheers, Barbara

I have not seen sink grids before - is this what you mean? If it was 1 inch too small all around, i think it would shuffle a bit but it is unlikely you would notice it much. And if it didn't have some gap, it would scrape as you took it in and out. Hope this helps!

I only specify an overmount sink for clients if the benchtop surface warrants one. The last time I did was because the client wanted a timber benchtop. I managed to find a beautiful black quartz composite sink that worked well and looked like a feature in the kitchen because it matched the colour of the cabinets. My usual go to sink is definitely undermount because of its aesthetic and practical advantages. Small chips can always be smoothed out if need be but really, there is no substitute for being careful!

Congrats on doing the planning and thinking about how you will use the space, absolutely essential even if you don't do a lot of cooking. A well planned, functional kitchen will make your life easier and add value to your home. I am an avid cook and long time renovator so have done many kitchens in my time. Looking at your space and how I personally use a kitchen I'd suggest two sinks. A small prep sink on the stove side and a large double bowl sink on the island, with dishwasher underneath. I think your hotplates are in the right location as long as you have at least a 500mm or more of bench on the wall oven side and then ideally approx 2m (if you have it) from the hotplates to your prep sink. This divides your kitchen into zones, prep, cook on the back wall and clean up, serve on the front. If you tried to put everything on the back wall it would be too crowded and not work. Think about a desidng that allows for two people at all times to be in the kitchen, you do this by dividing your kitchen into zones. Prep, serve, clean up and think about how you entertain or liaise with the family whilst you are in the space. I hope this helps and best of luck with your new kitchen.