Exploring Kitchen Layouts and Insider Tips

Online Design Solution - www.mtkd.ca
Watch while two kitchen designers look over projects and break down the reason behind the kitchen layout and design.
Naushad is a kitchen designer in Toronto Canada.
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[@jayjones9219]

I have a very expensive German stainless undermount double sink, where one side is giant for washing large platters and pans, and the other sink is small and is just for the disposal. I love my sink! I am a real cook and great thought went into how I designed my kitchen for the best cooking and cleaning experience.

[@dyanalayng5507]

Some great ideas here - love the fridge / microwave wall at 4:16. You're totally right, Mark about the Before and After views: amazing to see what can be done. Naushad's work is terrific. Thanks for sharing this discussion on so many large and small kitchen design points. That square kitchen at 10:11 looks like an amazing solution for a small space, despite the dishwasher jogout. My eye was caught by the narrow display cabinets which look like narrow windows.

[@ronellarodney1320]

Mark! Its been a minute. I'm currently playing catch up on all your videos. I really love this corner pantry. Its so genius and I can see it in my weird, tiny kitchen's peninsula.

[@MTKDofficial]

Hey! Great to hear from you! Glad that the video gave you some inspiration for your space.

[@tyeteames7192]

Thank you. Back to your informative, insightful, and honest design work and advice. (The Scottish accent humor degraded your skill in a previous video) In my opinion, you are a truly gifted ,skilled,thoughtful, and honest kitchen designer. I am looking forward to seeing your upcoming videos.

[@MTKDofficial]

Thanks so much for watching! Appreciate the comment!

[@ryansoo4000]

AAAAARGH! How could you end the video like that? Here I was, sitting through an extremely interesting interview with a great designer and suddenly it slams to an end with no warning! AAAAAARGH! It's ironic that the very last word you spoke in this video was "disappointed". LOL In any event, I hope there is a part two to this interview. It's always nice to hear professionals discussing their work while showing examples rather than just watching two heads talking. Not that you both don't have nice heads........:)

[@MTKDofficial]

I was thinking of uploading the full interview. What do you think?

[@ryansoo4000]

@@MTKDofficial Well, if it's already recorded, why not? It was very interesting and informative.

[@pman2916]

I like the idea of putting a display shelf above the wall of cabinets because it breaks it up. I'm not into the pantry doors on the other side of the island, in the first kitchen where you have to walk all the way around to pull items out of it. But I like it for storage space.

[@MTKDofficial]

He uses that pantry for non kitchen items, like his samples and files. Otherwise, yes, it would be a problem to walk around the peninsula every time.

[@thisuniquechica]

It’s perfect for tv snacks 😊

[@YousufHtis]

❤dear,sir Your words will be the path of my journey.❤

[@debbielockhart7762]

I'm with you on the 1 large sink i'll never go back to double sinks. Also no over the range microwave.

[@broeheemed32]

I'll tell you what's getting tiring: The sink on an island, wide open to the living areas. This layout is prominent in a majority of new homes, and it's exorbitantly expense to change. In the real world, dishes and assorted kitchen clutter pile up fast..... especially around the sink. Not particularly attractive for your guests, or even yourselves.

[@runningfromabear8354]

We don't have a lot of space for our kitchen and we have 1 yo twins, there's no way we can put a stove on the island. We do have space for a small butler's pantry around the corner for another sink with some counter space to put dirty dishes when we have guests. It would be nicer to just have a bigger kitchen but looking at the layout we have, this would work best for us. We gate off the 2 walkways into the kitchen so the toddlers don't have access to the kitchen. But the sink on the island is just so much safer when loose ends get dropped there. Wet is better than fire.

[@jayjones9219]

Thank you! The sink in the center island is everywhere now in every new build, even in homes $3M+, usually the cooktop is across from it. It’s horrible! I often cook with another person in the kitchen if they are at the cooktop and I’m at the sink we bump into each other. Plus, no one wants to sit at the island and look at dishes or get splashed. I love to entertain and have people sit at the island and have a drink and snack while I cook.The kitchen sink is a busy spot in a kitchen that is actually used for real cooking, it’s for cleaning up. It shouldn’t be the centerpiece of the kitchen. I don’t want a cooktop or a sink in the island.

[@darlene19668]

Love the introduction music❤...great content and always relevant...have great weekend with family👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😂😂😂😂😂just a touch of humor

[@cynthiacrumlish4683]

No microwaves at all. Took ours out. So much happier!

[@darlene19668]

​@@cynthiacrumlish4683 I don't have one either😂

[@MTKDofficial]

Thanks Darlene. I had a great time chatting and hearing from another designer!

[@dijkol]

Loved this style of video! Please do more.

[@Bostonbob3]

One thing I don't understand is why more people don't use panel-ready dishwashers. Unlike panel-ready refrigerators (which are VERY pricey), panel-ready dishwashers are only nominally more expensive than regular ones. In many cases, only $100-$200 more. And they look so much better blending in with the rest of the cabinet run, instead of having that ugly rectangle standing out like a stainless steel stop sign.

[@MTKDofficial]

They are becoming more and more popular.

[@TallulahBelly]

Completely agree. It's a strange American feature. Most European kitchens will have integrated appliances where possible, it looks so much sleeker.

[@Bostonbob3]

@@TallulahBelly One of the things I've learned is to buy European/non-American panel-ready dishwashers. They fit seamlessly into a cabinet run, while most American models either jut out too far, or have heights that make the bottom higher than the rest of the toe kick. I got a Fisher & Paykel model that's completely adjustable so you can't even tell it's there. (Also got a Fisher & Paykel panel-ready refrigerator...one of the 80" tall models. It was pricey, but less so than most. They also make a shorter, French door panel-ready version that's "only" about $5,000.)

[@markusgorelli5278]

I was actually thinking about the reverse door corner pantry for our house - except that we have a small brick wall that would have to be taken out. I thought it would be great to house snacks so people wouldn't need to enter the kitchen for that. Or where to store extra glassware.

[@privateinfo1711]

I've thought the same thing. Store whatever and have the top cabinet diagonal.

[@markusgorelli5278]

In my country a double sink is usually exactly that - two full sinks. My aunt has one of those big-small sink combos but her kitchen is too small to accommodate a true double sink. And I agree with you - it would have been better to just get one larger sink. As it stands her sink to too tiny to accommodate much - and she is a person who likes to entertain. 🙄 Of course, such things weren't available at the time but if they ever decide to redo the kitchen they might do that.

[@maychei4777]

I admit that encasing the refrigerator looks very neat, but what about the need for circulation? I'm told we need to vacuum out the components on a periodic basis and make certain there is room enough for good circulation.

[@MTKDofficial]

Always refer to the appliance manual for installation instructions. This will vary for different brands. It's pretty common to close in a fridge.

[@valeriehowden471]

Great discussion. I was smirking a bit with OTR practicality. Sorry Jackie.

[@---ey6hj]

That kitchen at 10:10 there isn’t a landing area to the right of the sink, would that make things a little difficult? I’m guessing you could only do so much to make things work. Great discussion between you two!

[@MTKDofficial]

Thanks Phil! Yeah, sometimes you need to make the best out of what you're dealing with.

[@richardvasquez4079]

Ok you got all my respect back. Great video 👍

[@MTKDofficial]

Thanks

[@MyStuffhappens]

What was used for the backsplash in his kitchen? very clean looking with no grout lines!

[@MTKDofficial]

Quartz slab backsplash. Really nice!

[@MyStuffhappens]

@@MTKDofficial The one that is sort of "texuired" with the "x"/dimand design, thats quartz?

[@REDwuzhere]

​@@MyStuffhappens That's what I am trying to figure out too. That's such a good look. I love it

[@hankernest9596]

Different question: If you want to add a splash of different colors in your otherwise brown kitchen, what color island might you consider?

[@MTKDofficial]

Green is a pretty popular choice. You could consider white, if everything else is wood tone or brown. And depending on the wood tone you could also go black with the island. Many options to explore.

[@hankernest9596]

Is it ever okay to place a kitchen island diagonally within the kitchen?

[@MTKDofficial]

Yeah it’s ok as long as the clearances are suitable. This pushes the island out further and usually means a smaller island overall. But not significantly smaller. If it’s an L shaped layout that is.

[@wesjrj]

I lack in organization, every drawer becomes a catch all if nobody intervenes

[@bcochnov10]

What paint color are the walls in your background?

[@MTKDofficial]

Hmmm. That is a good question.lol. I actually don't know. I asked my maintenance guy (aka Dad) to pick a color while I was out of town. That's what he picked. ha

[@ChiefExecutiveCat]

When you frame your SidebySide / Frenchdoor Fridge too close - what about the air circel around the fridge? The poweruses tripple when you can´t get rid of the waste heat and the lifetime of the fridge is shortend. Yes, it looks much nicer but it is not sustainable for the environment. Do you have a solution for the airflow problem without having a distance of min. 5 cm around the fridge?

[@MTKDofficial]

This is where following the install specs for the appliance is very important. In that case, it could be a problem if the specs say otherwise.

[@aussiestallion69]

I don’t get why people, especially kitchen designers don’t use fully integrated dishwashers, who wants to see a big slab of stainless steel, same for the fridge, these days they aren’t that expensive.

[@MTKDofficial]

It's slowly catching on in NA, but we still like to see our appliances.

[@aussiestallion69]

@@MTKDofficial wow, but a dishwasher? A beautiful stove I can understand, maybe a fridge if it must have a chilled water dispenser (although much better solutions exist) but I’m stunned anyone likes seeing their dishwasher. Anyway learn something everyday.

[@thcyprus]

In many of his designs the kitchen sink is under upper cabinets which are quite low. Is that OK?

[@MTKDofficial]

Depends on how much head room you want. I like to have a bit of headroom but some people don’t mind.

[@thcyprus]

@@MTKDofficial Thanks. We are in the process of designing a new kitchen and having all upper cabinets at the same height of 60cm (about 23.5in) looks much better, but I've seen many people claim that you need at least 75cm (29.5in) over the sink. We never had cabinets over the sink, so I don't know if that will be an issue for us.

[@ytubechannel997]

With regards to that first kitchen, those closet doors at the back of the kitchen look atrocious. The sink not being centered on that wall (because of the dishwasher) looks unpleasing when everything else is symmetrical. Honestly, the short height of the cabinets above the sink looks awkward as well.

[@MTKDofficial]

Just don’t look at the doors then. Lol. Simple.

[@edwardcasper5231]

I noticed that most of the featured kitchens were white. Was that coincidental? LOL. 🤣

[@MTKDofficial]

Completely unintentional. lol

[@junecampbell771]

The sink should be under a window! Who wants to do dishes looking at a wall???? I’d rather look at a view or at least a garden.

[@jayjones9219]

Agreed! It reminds me of a college apartment when I have to look at the wall while doing dishes.

[@peterrabbit2719]

16:30 The stove is too far from the oven and fridge. If guest are dining at the table , it’s too far to put something very hot out of the oven to counter top. Too much walking for a chef.

[@MTKDofficial]

This is where client/designer communication is important. He would have had that conversation with the client and made them aware of how far the fridge was from the rest of the working kitchen.

[@jacquelineabdo1963]

Be careful….. in some Jurisdictions having an appliance such as a stove attached of the wall is a violation of building codes

[@MTKDofficial]

Very good point. It should be a building code violation everywhere.