I have to agree with the comment on symmetrical. I really thought that was something I should be pedantic about but then I had to take into consideration what storage I needed and as my kitchen is only small, there was no way I could even begin to think symmetrical. I chose to have finger pulls on my drawers which unlike handles does not draw attention to the unevenness, but even then I actually prefer the fact that each of my drawers are different, to me it is more interesting, and better still, helps OLD minds like mine remember where I put things.

I think the safety issue is that with this style, the contents are right at a child's eye-level. They'd be much more tempted to play with this draw. I think you'd have to invest in a good child lock. With a regular drawer style, you could have it a slim profile be the top drawer. Less likely for them to easily see the contents. They might not even know what's kept in there. You could even have push release instead of a handle so it appears there is not even a drawer there. Same could be done for the vertical unit. I'd still want to use a child lock though, if I had a kid around. The knife blocks vary in price A LOT. Just saw 7 pce sets online for $69 on sale, $199, $274, $549... I would hope they include knives! You might be better off grabbing a bunch of the RETRATT blocks from Ikea.

Bec, if you have cutlery drawers in island, will they be on end closest to the dishwasher? I have stacked wall ovens with two deep drawers beneath, for baking tins and so forth. Immediately next to the ovens is another full-height cabinet, with pull-out drawers (just like pantry) where all other roasting and baking dishes and pans are stored, as well as produce such as onions and potatoes. I made the mistake of having all drawers, which means I have to stand on tippy toes to just barely reach whatever I’ve been able to toss in them. Would be better to have shelves up high instead.

hi MB, I agree with your Builder, 1200 wide is too much - One metre wide is the normal standard (this should give you 900mm inner width) .. option A is my personal preference .. BUT, the 445 wide drawers will probably only give you 350mm inner width.. ……….. 350mm * 2 drawers = 700mm inner width ….. versus 1 drawer across of 890width= about 800mm inner width - AND, it will 1/2 the cost of runners … just use an inner-divider for the bottom-drawer (his vs hers) and, divvy up the 2 top-drawers .. .. a 315mm high drawer is pretty deep - it is deep enough to store a 'deep fryer' etc... but, may not be deep enough for some bottles standing-up inside-the-drawer.... ? .. . how much height will you lose? ( it depends on door-profile, runners etc ) ……………. I used a 'shark-edge profile' and lost valuable height ….. so, I recommend that you use a ' j-profile' instead... … 150mm high is a bit deeper than a Cutlery-drawer- so, okay for odds-n-sods. hairbrushes, makeup etc ....,. I am assuming that the Plumbing will only affect the Top Drawers under the basin all the best, ursula