To think kitchen Islands are the artex of the future?

[GervaseFen]

I was watching a home renovation programme and every time they stick these massive blocks in the middle of the kitchen before ripping out the walls to 'connect' to
the garden. This time the island was a huge rectangle and took up most of the room with a little table in the space at the end. I can so image the future shows having people walking around and identifying these as the first thing to rip out and exclaiming over how much space they gain.

@Benjispruce2

Some islands have castors which give more flexibility.

I imagine all sorts of crap would collect underneath those though. You'd have to keep moving it to clean underneath.

We bought our last house 14 years ago with an open plan kitchen lounge. Before that I'd lived in Australia in a shared house with an open plan kitchen lounge. Both were a hundred times better than a separate kitchen you are isolated away from everyone else. Quite honestly I wouldn't want to live in separate rooms, as I like being social whilst cooking. I have memories of my mum always been stuck on her on own and never wanting that to be me.

When we moved an open plan kitchen / diner was the very top of my wish list. The kitchen was the thing that sold us the house. Its huge. And yes it has an evil island.

Its been great though. It has plenty of storage. We have a table we stick on the end of it so we can fit 11 around the table and island.

We have a large group of friends who we see (saw prelockdown) a lot and we all entertain. Seeing as we know them from scouting, lots of them like to be outside whilst i dont, so the inside/outside thing with evil bi-fold doors is perfect for us.

We have additional space for another table in the kitchen area, so have just bought garden furniture we can bring in the kitchen for the winter too.

The thing is we didnt want an island, open plan or bifolds because they are fashionable. We wanted them because they are the most practical solution for our lifestyle and the way we like to live.

I think this is where the problem lies. Not everyone wants to live the same way. My idea of hell is being isolated in a kitchen but others like that. And people follow fashions rather than thinking about the way they live/want to live. And you have designers pandering to this fashion in houses which are too small to accommodate the design and actually living day to day in it.

I couldn't care less whether its the fashion or not. Its what works well for us.

So i dont think islands will disappear. I do think they will be removed from poorly designed kitchens by people who didn't really think about it when they put them in.

tbh for me kitchen islands are like upvc conservatories, absolute shite and no way would i have either. everyone to their own tastes though.

All the posters who are saying open plan is modern???? I'm in my 50s and lived in open plan homes for my whole childhood in the 70s and 80s, and hated my last house because of all the tiny rooms, dark hallway, galley kitchen. I love my new house and getting back to open plan living! It's not for everyone, but really feels so light and spacious to me. More about what suits your lifestyle and personality rather than a fashion. But I do have a lot of built in storage so can put clutter away easily.

I quite like kitchen islands if there's enough space for them but I dislike having to squeeze past people to get around the kitchen.

I agree with you OP. I cannot abide kitchen islands - I much prefer a nice big farmhouse table in the centre which looks cosy and comfy. What about the fad of the moment - bi-fold doors? I prefer windowsills, thanks very much. Then there's black worktops, often with black wall tiles above which is something I see so often on Homes Under the Hammer. I really can't think of anything more unsuitable in a small kitchen.

YABU don’t take my Island op! We love ours, great for the dc to sit at when they get older too while I cook their breakfast. I love how I haven’t got my back to people and can see what is going on in the dining area too. If I was to move I always prefer kitchens with islands and peninsulas and prefer the family feel.

I remember being a kid in the 80s when people had separate kitchens, living rooms and dining rooms. I thought it was the height of glamour to have a serving hatch between the kitchen and dining room and was really disappointed we couldn't have one in our very open plan 70s built house!

Islands are fantastic but not if you don't have the space around it. Don't try and squeeze one into a tiny kitchen.

I have a sort of peninsula, rather than an island. It's extra-wide and I love it. But I agree with a pp, the key is to be ruthless about it not becoming a dumping ground. It has to be usable workspace. And not in the way of your sink - oven - fridge triangle.

Islands are great! If you need to walk miles around yours to get from fridge to sink, that's just poor design issue.

Mine is large with a hob and tons of work space on it, plus large drawers for all the pots and pans and utensils. Also has a large seating area, so we only use the dining table when we have guests.

Open plans are even better, i would never live in a house with separate kitchen. When i have guests over, I want to talk to them. I don't want to have them sitting in a separate room while I spend my evening in the kitchen, I'm not a maid.

I don’t get the social cooking thing. I dislike people in the kitchen when I’m cooking. I also like to eat in a different room to where I’ve just cooked and left a temporary mess.

It depends on your kitchen, I love mine

Those of you who have/want all rooms separate, where do you have your parties? Is everyone in different rooms?

I love to cook and host so opening up our kitchen and dining room was perfect for us, means I'm not stuck in the kitchen while everyone else is together.

We have doors that can close off the living room which we open if having a big party.

I have an island and I don't mind it, for small flats it makes better sense than a separate kitchen and gives more surface space. But it's stupid to sit at as I'd be facing the kitchen wall rather than the windows so I don't use it for that.

When guests come over, most of the cooking has been done and it’s the last minute serving that is when I definitely don’t want guests casually leaning on my surfaces, chatting and getting in my way!

@Benjispruce2

I don’t get the social cooking thing. I dislike people in the kitchen when I’m cooking. I also like to eat in a different room to where I’ve just cooked and left a temporary mess.

Different strokes for different folks. I don't get closed off kitchens, find them isolating and grim. I'm with RedTooth, open plan totally suits us. We have teenage children, too. They have bedrooms to escape to, the game room, the office/study. We enjoy our kitchen/diner.

We don’t have ‘parties‘. We have family get togethers and use the dining/family room.That opens out to the garden which is big. Tend to do larger gatherings in the warmer months.

@Benjispruce2

I don’t get the social cooking thing. I dislike people in the kitchen when I’m cooking. I also like to eat in a different room to where I’ve just cooked and left a temporary mess.

Same here. Don't want cooking smells in the room where I sit and watch TV either.

If you don’t have a game room or office then separate rooms are helpful.

Most of the things I cook need to be made fresh, I can't think of too many things I could cook in advance and just re-heat.
So separate kitchen for me would mean that guests are sitting in another room while I'm in the kitchen.
Same with family, with my open plan I can keep an eye on the DC, help them with homework and such while cooking or tidying.

I think a lot of these streamlined sterile looking kitchens will be out soon. I'm sure they'll go when all the boring grey does.
Well, we can live in hope.
We've just had a carpet fit in our dining area, and have lots of homely furnishings to deaden any echo, but most of ours is wood and laminate rather than stone and marble.

I always cook ‘fresh’ or ‘from scratch’ but would prepare a meal that can be mostly finished when having guests over or in the oven.

If we have guests I prefer to cook meals that can be prepared in advance, put in the oven and served up with little last minute faffing about, so that I can sit and talk to my guests when they arrive.

For example, a casual meal of lasagne would be in the oven, salad made and in the fridge, a dessert of smart tiramisu made in the afternoon and chilled.Not much to be done when guests arrive so no ‘slaving’ away locked in the kitchen .

Lol not smart! Say, tiramisu !