To have a kitchen island in a small kitchen?

[Trainup]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I'd go back to the problem you're trying to solve. You're combining the spaces to get more space. Will either give you more space? Could you put the island in next year if you change your mind and decide you need it?

Islands in small kitchens look silly imo. They look like you’re trying to shoehorn one in because they’re on trend, rarely actually a good use of space.

if you post your floorplan then people can probably give you good ideas of layouts etc. Sometimes the kitchen designers at showrooms are a bit useless (not always, but it’s hit and miss) and they often try to include features that will make it more expensive for you.

You don't need a breakfast bar if you have a table to sit at, which is easier and infinitely preferable.
When we moved in to our house, we had the kitchen island removed. It's created a lot more space, and we have a proper table to sit round and eat (or work or whatever).
I think they're a bit of a fad, but taste is subjective, so just think about the use of space.

Don't get an island in a small kitchen. It doesn't work.

I love a kitchen island - more counter space and hides most of the ugliness of a kitchen. I love the look of a dining table attached to an island. However it all depends on your space.

We did the same as you and I wanted an island or breakfast bar at first. I am SO glad we didn't. It would have really made the room too small.

We have an island as I like having the extra work space. It's not huge but it works well for us. Ours is all storage and worktop space, no annoying pointless breakfast bar. We have a kitchen/diner do don't need it. It's not a massive room - 12ft x 20ft, but big enough for our family of 6

Have they not shown you scale diagrams as to how the island would look in the room? You shouldn’t have to struggle to picture it or rely on them telling you it would be good, they should be showing you!

We added a peninsular to our small kitchen and it was a nightmare as there just wasn’t room. An island would have been out of the question.

Especially with all the modelling they can show you on a laptop.

What size is your kitchen

in a small space I think the island would only work if you got rid of the dining table and had an integrated table built in. See these photos for ideas .

I have an open plan downstairs but the kitchen itself is just a few cupboards and a sink shoved under the stairs (not my choice, it was redesigned by previous owners). Island gives me a huge worktop, I wouldn't be able to manage without. I don't have a dining table and while I toyed with the idea of wrapping the kitchen around the wall (which is probably the way it was originally), it would mean putting a dining table in the middle of the room which would be in a way of garden doors. So, in my case, it very much did improve the flow of the kitchen.

Yes, it does depend on what the initial size and design is.
Can you share a floorplan and size with us, @Trainup ?

My kitchen is too small for an island, but there is enough floor space for a good size butcher's trolley which I use for everything. It's on wheels, so easy to shift around for cleaning the floor.

We had a peninsular in the old house - not helped by the fact that when the fridge door was open you couldn't get passed - but it was just a pinch point in the kitchen anyway. Hated it.

Our Island means there's always 2 ways to go - so if someone is cooking or washing up then you just go the other way.

It's a resounding NO from me, OP.

I hate kitchen islands at the best of times but in a small kitchen...just why?

When I'm scanning houses for sale I reject those with kitchen islands. Yes, I know you can change them if you've got a huge budget, but they're often very newly installed and I can't bear the waste of ripping out something so new, even though I hate them.

They're already on the turn, I think, in terms of fashion.

I wouldn't. I have a small kitchen with a table that can be shoved against the wall (for max four people ) or pulled out (for four/six). It works well. But then I much prefer a table to an island.

I'll preface this by saying I can't stand kitchen islands. I also can't stand modern looking kitchens and would always choose a lovely country style table over a kitchen island.

But I can't understand how or why taking up floor space in the middle of a small kitchen would be a good use of space or improve any flow?

Thanks for the thoughts so far. One company won’t share the floor plan until I have put down a deposit and the other company haven’t shown me the design yet. I do need a peninsula or island for the storage and extra workspace so it is one or the other and I can fit in a dining table too. I’m keen on a breakfast bar for, well, breakfast! The flow improvement would be that with a peninsula there would be one way in and out of the kitchen area to the dining part whereas a island would allow access from both sides.

Couldn't everyone just have breakfast at the table? I always think sitting in a row on high stools is far less sociable.

It’s awful! Perching on stools as though you’re in a bar. You can’t relax, or sit back and talk, and the island gets in the way