Kitchen island advice,please

Saver-upper

I wonder if anyone can give me some ideas......

We (me,OH ,4 children),are currently having our house extended.Part of this will include a large,open-plan kitchen and living area.

Now,my dream has always been to include an island.I love the idea of having lots of surface area (current tiny kitchen does not have enough room to cook then serve up meal,we then eat in separate dining room) WITH storage all the way around it.My idea was we could all sit around it for meals.

Now that the building works are actually happening,I need to finalise our plans,and now I am not sure an island is for the best.

My questions:
is an island a good idea?
What is your island like?Do you love it,or is it a case of "never again"
Does it simply become a dumping ground (like every clear surface around this house seems to ?
Is it comfortable sitting on the tall stools that seem to accompany islands?Is there another way?
Does anyone have an island AND a seperate dining table to eat at?How do you use it?

My idea is it is simply an island:not plumbed in ,sinks etc.

Am I better off getting a "free-standing" island (island-like :rotfl:),or something like this,which is a continuation of bench-space:

https://www.howdens.com/kitchen-collection/kitchen-families/clerkenwell-gloss/clerkenwell-gloss-white/

Would love to hear everyone's ideas,and if anyone can show me photos of their kitchen/island/plans/links to their kitchen,I would really appreciate those as well.
Thank you.

Doozergirl

The Howdens picture you post is what is called a 'peninsular'.

Most people will find that peninsulars fit better in their kitchens than a true island.

We have had a couple of islands in the past. My favourite kitchen had an island but it was mainly to do with the layout of the kitchen and being able to almost pivot on one foot and get everything done. Everything was close and immediately accessible. The island was also huge and that allowed me plenty of workspace (although most was behind me) and the end had a seating area which did get used a lot for homework. We had a separate dining table at one end of the room and I think that was an essential part for me. Guests would sit there, usually.

This is it when it was installed:


My kitchen now has a peninsular. It is my special area again but the seating doesn't get used in the same way. I'm not taking a picture of it! My kids are getting older and I don't enjoy cooking as much.

EssexExile

You can't have an island with storage all the way round that you sit around. Well you can but it would be odd. Where you sit you need the surface to overhang the units to get your knees under, so you can't have cupboards or drawers there. We have a breakfast bar which has cupboards one side & knee space the other.

How you use it depends on you! I only use the breakfast bar if I'm on my own, usually we eat in the dining room. If your current work surface becomes a dumping ground, having twice as much will just give you a bigger dumping ground.

Edit: I see according to the above post I have a peninsular not a breakfast bar!

cyclonebri1

EssexExile wrote: »

You can't have an island with storage all the way round that you sit around. Well you can but it would be odd. Where you sit you need the surface to overhang the units to get your knees under, so you can't have cupboards or drawers there. We have a breakfast bar which has cupboards one side & knee space the other.

How you use it depends on you! I only use the breakfast bar if I'm on my own, usually we eat in the dining room. If your current work surface becomes a dumping ground, having twice as much will just give you a bigger dumping ground.

Edit: I see according to the above post I have a peninsular not a breakfast bar!

As you said "of course you can", bloody big island though;);)

Double sided island with blank ends is best unless you are a footballer/footballers wife, exclude taste from hereon.

Saver-upper

Thank you everyone for feedback so far.I didn't know the "peninsular" had a name,thank you.
Children are aged 6-13.5.My dream is to have a "communal" area-it is a kitchen-living area,so I would love having the family around (homework-ing,watching tv,computer etc) as I cook.
I am starting to worry about the "dumping ground" aspect-happens with every clear surface in this house so far!
I have only ever seen one house with an island that did overhang on all 4 sides with storage underneath,and yes,it was massive,and it was constantly cluttered.I am starting to think a peninsular is the way to go-just enoough to make food preparation easier,but then be able to turn my back on the mess of cooking, and eat at seperate dining table.
Any other ideas welcome.

Waterlily24

We have an island but have lowered the counter top where we eat. It wouldn't be big enough for more than two though. We have two drawer units where the worktop is normal height and behind the units is the drop down bit. In our last house we had the peninsular breakfast bar but I didn't like the high seats. To make it bigger you would have to use more units 'obviously' lol.

nickcc

We have an island with two sets of cupboards and baskets in the middle section. We also have a seperate extendable dining table the other end of the room (used to be the lounge before we extended). We don't use the island to eat at as it doesn't have an overhang, we always eat at the dining table.

The island is used every time we eat as we use it as the serving area only.

To be honest I find the island can be a nuisance if two people are preparing meals as we often end up obstructing each other when walking round the island, I jokingly suggested having a one way system but my Wife took no notice .

I do find that the island introduces an unnecessary obstruction.

cddc

As someone who designs kitchens for a living I would echo Doozergirl in saying that islands work in the right space.

It has to be the right space though. Too often people ask me to put islands in rooms which are too small, too narrow, or where they would interrupt or completely ruin the natural flow or walkway in a space.

There is almost an aspirational obsession with islands. I would say that in less than 20% of the cases where I am asked to design in an island, is it actually the right solution for the space. However, because all the kitchen adverts, brochures etc. feature them, everybody wants one, no matter how impractical they are likely to be in their actual space.

elliot341

Please see the photo above of our new kitchen put in recently. We really wanted an island but had to be careful with what we installed. Our old kitchen had a peninsular but it didnt really work.
In order to fit an island in reasonably we have used wall units at a low level on the right hand side on the kitchen and the island itself is only 600mm deep. We used 4 curved corner units as shown with a 1000mm drawer unit in between (the deep drawers open towards the fridge). The rear of the island (facing the microwave) we used 3 drawer fronts to blank off the rear and also added a double plug socket so we have electricity on the island (please note this needs planning from the earliest stage so a channel could be dug in the floor.

Normally you need 800-900 either side of the island to ensure good circulation, we have squeezed this a little to about 800, but overall we're extremely happy. Any questions let me know.

Gloomendoom

We are having an "island" on wheels, so it can be pushed out of the way when needs dictate.

flea72

What is in that massive cupboard in the corner?

Personally that layout would annoy the heck out of me. Having to circumnavigate the island all the time. Plus the cost of the island, when full depth units along the side wall would have given me the same amount of work surface

For me, a peninsular where the fridge is would work better, as it doesnt obstruct movement across the kitchen, or people coming in and out the door