Visit to the Cabinetmakers

Had to pop over to the cabinetmakers today.  He had made up a 'mock' kitchen for me to move around in ( basically widths of board sized to spec propped up to the dimensions of the kitchen plans )

It's a really good way to get a feel for sizing - Can we narrow this a bit? 
If I take 100mm off here, can I add it back over here?  Will that be big enough?

He has other boards at 900mm and 600mm to replicate the standard sizes of ovens/cooktops/dishwashers and sinks etc .. and for me especially, who is coming from a 1metre TOTAL kitchen workspace, and is worried the draftsman has made me a commerical sized kitchen, it helps to imagine a cooktop and then some space either side etc. 

My previous cooktop had NO working space either side. 

The flat we are living in is also helping too.  Despite being a small compact kitchen, there is a benchspace of 4metres, and it looks quite long.  However, once you pop the microwave somewhere and factor in the sink .. i'm still 1.5 metres one side ( taken up with the chopping board and a bowl of fruit etc ) .. and about 500mm on the other ( dirty dishes, empty cups etc )

So it's a good visual.

However, I still can't get my head around the enormity of my kitchen.  I think it is freaking huge.
And that's not a bad thing, but it's certainly scary.

I designed a house once with a big kitchen that looked fiiiiiiine on paper, and when actually made left us with zero space, and we juuuuust squuuueezed in our dining table.. but it was pretty cramped and you had to pull your tummy in to squeeze past other diners.  Oops.

So naturally, I don't want this to happen again.


HOWEVER ( again, she says ) .. it really can't be any smaller as it throws everything out of whack ( the working triangle etc ) .. it's just really LONG.  We can't make it any shorter ( except by making the island skinnier ), and that's the only place I want to make more space.

So it is what it is.  And it's what it will be.

( deep breath )

Ok, so it will visually look like this:




And the plans I drew up to pretty much scale in Photoshop look like this:





My favourite bit of all is the laundry/pantry.  Oh my Lord - when you SEE how this will look in the end, you will DIE.  I swear.  It's my old crap laundry, but reborn.  It will be divine.

So what do you think? 
As always, any advice or anecdotes are welcome - it's not too late, because today was more about where things go, so they can make their plumbing plan.

Also, I now have to find a sink.  In all the kitchens i've been pinning etc .. I don't think i've taken notice of one sink.  What's cool in sinks?  What sucks in sinks - anyone know?

If you've got a link-to-a-sink .. let me know!


xx
Lea