Islands in small kitchens are a hindrance?

[Wantarest]

We have a small kitchen about 4mx5m and were thinking about including an island but I can't help but think islands are overrated and in a small kitchen is probably more of a thing that gets in the way.

AIBU to think islands in small spaces are a good in theory but on a practical level a problem rather than a solution?

Do you want the kitchen and dining room separated by a wall?

If not, you could have a fantastic 'penisula' separating the space. That's what we've done and it works so well.

And our stools are pretty much armchairs - so comfortable!

(Stock picture as example 😊)

I loathe islands. Can't see the point.

Yanbu.
I don’t like islands unless the room is an enormous warehouse or a teeny tiny open plan kitchen/ living space that needs the storage and worktop.
I don’t see the point of them in a regular sized/ shaped room

We had considered knocking through to the dinning room but decided against it as we like the separate but there is a wide space leading into the dinning area so it feels connected whilst still having there own space.

My concern would be coming through the main entrance into the kitchen and confronting a mass as I step into the kitchen.

Similar to others, I am not a fan of breakfast bar area. I'd rather sit at the table and enjoy the garden view. When cooking, the majority of my time is spent only doing the prep. When the food is cooking and doing its thing, I don't hang about in the kitchen. So for my family, the dinning area and general chill out area is the social point (not the kitchen).

I am sensing that the age of the kitchen island may be drawing to a close based on the comments here. Or it may be that too islands have been squeezed into small/smallish kitchens meaning people are ripping them out or getting fed up with them.

We will be seeing a kitchen designer this weekend. It will be interesting to hear what they say but I think I will go with my gut that whilst a nice to have, it would be a mistake for our kitchen.

@CantFindTheBeat that's a lovely kitchen. Alas we will not be breaking through to the dinning room. I want the kitchen and dinning room to be connected but with a solid sense of separation.

I love our island but our kitchen is a decent size. I like it because it's a very well used social space, DD1 loves to sit on a stool at it while I'm chopping stuff for dinner on the other side, I will sit there with a glass of wine while DH cooks dinner, etc. It wouldn't be quite the same level of interaction if the person was sitting at the kitchen table on the other side of the room at a lower level from the person standing.

Perhaps I am out of fashion though

We have a peninsula similar to @CantFindTheBeat , that divides a fairly big kitchen diner into two. I love it, it means I can watch the kids / chat to people whilst preparing food, rather than having to stare at a wall. It's also a way to use some of the space in the middle of the room for kitchen storage, rather than having to take over the dining half's walls with kitchen cupboards.

Peninsulas work in smaller rooms than islands though, as you only need space to get through on one side. I originally wanted an island, but once we looked at designs the only way to fit it in and still be able to get past it was to loose all the wall cupboards on one side to make space. Given wall units have more storage than island units, it just didn't make sense in terms of efficiently using the space.

I wouldn’t have one with your layout. Massive kitchens, yes.

I wouldn't have one. I do understand the benefit if extra storage but otherwise I think they need a really huge kitchen to not look as if they are in the way.They also look rather old fashioned now .

4x5 is the size of my kitchen and I agree - an island would have been a hindrance. I have a kitchen (breakfast) table + chairs instead which I find more useful. I could still fit in a small island, but I prefer the feeling of space. There's plenty of worktop space and storage in the kitchen without one.

Both sides of the coin here
My currently kitchen has an island but probably shouldn’t. It’s too small and the island is too big. You can not get past if someone opens a cupboard. It’s turned out to be really valuable storage and surface space though.

My old kitchen was bigger with no island and I spent a lot of time being annoyed that it was essentially a waste of space, a large floor area with nothing useful going on

I've definitely seem some squeezed in to spaces they don't work for. Lots of people who must have an island regardless.

In a bigger kitchen they can be great - we couldn't have achieved the amount of work space we have without one (or a peninsula, but we just got rid of that!)

IKEA have a good range of large, sturdy ones with plenty of storage underneath that don’t look like flimsy tea trollies! They aren’t too expensive so if you change your mind you could always sell on.

We have one and really does add valuable surface space to cook / dish up dinner etc but we def don’t use it as a dumping ground, it’s clear to use (that’s what the other side is for haha!)

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/kitchen-islands-trolleys-10471/

A rule of thumb is that you need a minimum of one metre around each side of the island away from cupboards and walls. So you need at least 3.5m if your island is 90cm across and you have cupboards on each side. I've seen kitchen islands with less space than this, and it always looks cramped in my view.

Something like this