Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have a kitchen island in a small kitchen?

79 replies

Trainup · 13/04/2026 09:12

We are getting our kitchen and dining room made into one room which is still not massive! Some kitchen companies have been out to give us designs. One has gone for a peninsula which would actually give us quite a squashed dining area. Another has suggested a kitchen island with breakfast bar on it which would have room for the dining table to be put alongside it.

I’m struggling to picture how the island would be used and if they are just suggesting it as a trendy option. But they thought it might improve the flow around the room.

Any experiences of kitchen islands vs peninsulas would be very helpful! If anyone has any kitchen layouts they like and are willing to share I would be very grateful to see them.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
BudgetBuster · 13/04/2026 09:34

We had similar when designing our kitchen.
One company designed a peninsula but I hated it (our neighbours have this and it just feels so squashed and I hate the layout).

The other company gave us an island (I wanted one). The reason I wanted an island was because we have very little counter space otherwise due to the layout of the room and number of doors leading out... so we have basically just had one length of kitchen units where we have one full length pantry a little bit of counter space, sink, another small bit of counter space and then the hob and built in oven. We needed more space so all our meal prep and dishing up is done on the island.

Yes, there isn't huge space between the cupboard etc but things like dishwasher and laundry is all in a utility... we just needed tk counterspace for everyday life.

PottingBench · 13/04/2026 09:33

Hard to see how a kitchen island can improve flow. Won't you just always be walking around it.

If you have a dining table why do you need a breakfast bar as well? Breakfast bars will take up room with another row of stools and I've never found a breakfast bar that is as comfortable as a dining table. I bet you'd end up never using the breakfast bar.

Could you not have an island or a peninsula and just have a nice big table you can use for homework/eating/prep.

chasetheace99 · 13/04/2026 09:31

We have a peninsular - don’t like islands as they waste a lot of space, as you have to have clearance round all 4 sides to make it work, and a small one looks a bit stupid if your kitchen isn’t very big.

whirlyhead · 13/04/2026 09:18

When I bought my current house it had a kitchen island and it was a pain in the arse. It just took up space and you had to navigate around it. I remodelled the kitchen and removed it and I now don't bark my shins on the stupid dishwasher when it's open plus I can just walk straight across the kitchen and I now have more cupboard space. I'm with Sarah Beeney - I hate kitchen islands.