Kitchen Layout

[legal girl]

We are extending and re-designing our kitchen. The plan is to have a floor to ceiling window looking out onto the garden. This in turn means that our sink won't be by the window. I'm now having second thoughts about this. Call me old-fashioned but I always thought that a sink should be below the window so you can look out when washing up! We'll be having a dishwasher so won't be doing much washing up but I just wanted other viewpoints on this as to whether I might regret this layout. Anyone else got their sink away from the window? Any pros or cons?

[ChuckFickens]

Sorry, I don't normally pick on spelling mistakes, but urgonmics was quite a funny one :)

(p.s. I am going to sound like Mark by definition, I am a Mark)

[TonyV]

chuck - glad I amused you

[Old_Geezer]

I find designs rarely turn out as you thought they would when you see them finished. i.e. the space on the plan seemed much bigger than it turned out to be. (Especially true when workmen tell you something isn't possible and you have to modify what you wanted.)

In my kitchen I ensured the larder and fridge were near to the door (along with kettle & toaster location) so I have minimal distance to grab food & drink and get out again. Forget triangles, that's the secret ;-)

[Cowtipper]

I was under the impression that the sink went under the window for the additional light it gave before electricity and even later when rooms were lit with a single source from the ceiling.

[maggie01]

My last two houses had the sink away from the window. The first one we designed the kitchen and like you, I had second thoughts but we already had a large window overlooking the garden and no-where for a sink to go.
Soon got used to it and spent less time at the sink and more time actually in the garden.

[The Builder]

I agree that "modern" families tend to spend as little time as possible in front of the sink. I usually go for "open plan". In the last house that I renovated for sale, I put the conventional sink & dishwasher in the corner, right next to the kind of window/doors that "legal girl" is thinking of.
It was a family house, so I put an "island" unit in the middle of the kitchen as a food prep. area with its own "veg" sink etc. This also meant that it would have several "sight lines" out into the garden to keep an eye on the children. It works very well.

[legal girl]

Thanks The Builder - we're thinking of putting an island in too - so we can sit at the island/breakfast bar and look out onto the garden.

[boxtops]

My sink's not by the window, legalgirl - it faces the wall next to our glazed back door. I don't miss being able to look out, I just look through the door - as you say, I don't spend that much time in the sink anyway.

[tamborine]

install a mirror - solved.

[Nosha123]

If it helps...

I have a whole wall of glass looking into garden from our kitchen.. and there is an island looking out to garden (where the hob is) so you can cook on hob and see into garden. Sink faces the side wall.
Good Luck

[bushbaby_de]

A lot of new builds, especially flats, have 'internal' kitchens with no windows anyway. I've lived in several and never minded my sink looking onto a blank wall.