Kitchen island or large dining table

[LoveBluey]

Am planning a new kitchen for once our extension is finished. It's going to be a bigger open plan kitchen / dining / family space.

We have room to have either an island with stools and then a very small square or round table with 4 chairs or no island but a large long table with 8 chairs.
There will also be another family area with a 2 seater sofa.

I'm torn between options. I've always wanted an island and can imagine the kids doing homework while I cook or setting out buffet food for a party etc. But that would mean we only have a small dining table which would be fine for the 4 of us but not sure what we'd do if we had guests for dinner/family at christmas etc.
Would we be better to forego the island and have a larger dining table in its place?
The trouble with that is we lose the option for storage that you have with an island.

Table any day.
I had an island when this house was built in the 80s. Best thing I did was get rid of it. You can move a table. My kitchen is big enough for an island, a table and a sofa but it's nicer without the island.

You can have both.... kitchen island booth seating.....

I had to let go of my island dream too. Instead we ended up with a perninsular but it's worked out brilliantly. We have 3 stools but could squeeze 4, we have the storage (loads of pan drawers, a hob and dishwasher in it) and still have the massive sociable table. My older kids don't want to do h/w at the bar as they prefer their own space and quiet to concentrate. They also don't want to watch tv whilst I'm clattering with pots and pans. I also like listening to my podcasts in peace whilst I cook so we've kept our kitchen a tv free zone. Works really well for us.

I would prefer a large island. However, I wouldn’t put the sink in the island and then it is a surface for baking, doing homework, wrapping presents and many other things. You could get extra bar stools and keep them somewhere besides the kitchen and just bring them out when you have a bigger crowd. Lots of fun all sitting around a big island. Island is also good for use as a buffet space.

My DCs have never liked doing homework in the kitchen if someone was cooking in there, they find it too distracting and move away to another room. We've never had a TV in the kitchen either, you can't hear it properly when anyone is cooking and its hard to position it so you can see it from everywhere you might want to. If anyone wants to watch telly in ours they use an Ipad on a stand and earphones as it is fully portable. I could understand having one near the sofa as a second TV away from mealtimes though.

We are both medium height and find worktops a good height for us but having a kitchen table was great for the DCs for baking etc when they were younger as it saved them having to climb off and on stools.

Table. Table table
I hate sitting at the island
I wish I hadn't got one

My sons are little (4 & 7) and love sitting at the island as do friends when they come over. I generally prefer the dining table but that's because it has stunning views out to the garden. I definitely wouldn't plan to have a big table if only going to be used a few times a year. Consider how you'll live and what you will use more.

I think it depends on the layout of your kitchen. For us we could do one or the other.

We are going for the mega table and I am so excited about it. Imagine DC doing their homework whilst I chop and do cooking. Large dinners at Christmas, big bbqs, friends over and space for serving dishes family style.

I'd actually go with part of the island srop3d so it's effectively like a table next to the island, but cab be used dual purpose

Dropped. So lower down, so you use chairs not stools. I don't know why but I just don't like stools, it's not as comfortable

I think mentally a dining table seems more versatile, but really it's not. Who ever moves their dining table? I'd go with an island

We have a large kitchen with a 6 seater table. I prep everything at the table, while dd sits at the other end with her laptop and phone and books etc, and we chat while I cook and she works. I sit at the tanle most of the day, watching the birds and the plants I'm growing and bees and so on. I'm much much more comfortable than if I were balanced on a high chair at an island.

DH tinkers with stuff, saws wood (occasionally) as he doesn't have a work bench; dd and I pot and repot plants on our kitchen table. We make things here, we write cards and letters here. DH mentioned yesterday that our kitchen really is the hub of the house, we all spend more time at the table thee than anywhere else except bed, probably.

An island isn't really as friendly as a table.

Table. Would be an easy decision for me as I hate islands.

Dining table without a doubt.

I think mentally a dining table seems more versatile, but really it's not. Who ever moves their dining table? I'd go with an island

Agree. Island or peninsula.

All this "Islands are on the way out". Where? Maybe in the rarified world of theory. Not in real life.

Open any magazine and you'll see 10 beautiful kitchens with an island.

People are choosing alternatives for sure. It's not the only choice. But Islands are going strong.

Is prioritise a large table over an island, much as I love islands. But I’d try and configure a peninsula in there somewhere, they’re good for sitting at too.

For a large group, you’d need a table.

Table for sure.

It's not just about Christmas - it's for when the kids bring a friend home for dinner or your parents come over, would be so annoying to have to split over the table and the island.

I would ideally want both though so would sacrifice the sofa for the island if that works

If it was a choice between island or table in the kitchen (or open plan kitchen/family room) with no space for a table elsewhere, I'd probably go for a table....but if there was a separate reception room where a table would work well, I'd put one there and choose the island option.

I'm saying this as someone who loves a kitchen island (had my first one in the mid '90s) and who uses mine everyday - not just formeal prep/baking, but for gift wrapping, potting small indoor bulbs, sewing. However, we no longer eat proper meals at ours (just occasional lunches/breakfast) and I do find sitting for an extended time on stools uncomfortable.

In our current (cottage) kitchen we had space for two large central items - a) island + table, b) table + sofa or c) island + sofa. Because we knew from experience how much an island would be used and we already had a long refectory type table, we initially chose option 'a'. We soon realised that as there's just us two at home these days, a table was surplus to requirements and - as it was positioned in front of the only source of heat in our kitchen (a large wood burner) - a sofa in that location would suit our use better. We don't have a TV in the kitchen but use the sofa there for reading and doing quiet stuff.

However, we didn't give up the huge table lightly as we tried to make it work elsewhere before selling it. Additionally we have a smaller, round table which we located in our knocked through (30') living room. We eat our main meal there everyday and enjoy sitting in a space away from the kitchen. TV is banned at mealtimes and, tbh, it's too far from the table for comfortable viewing! That said, I'm not sure we'd use the table as much if the dining room was completely separate.

What we did: got a large kitchen island with comfortable barstools, so this is what we use for everyday eating and also entertaining guests, if it's just one family visiting.
We also have an extendable dining table that is usually stored in the corner of the room, and chairs are in the basement - so if we do have a lot of people over, we push the sofas out of the way a bit and pull the table out.

Personally I would find a dining table too low to comfortably prep on - and our kitchen island is marble, so tolerates everything differing from a wooden table.

I agree with the others, I would say dining table 😃

We have just fitted a massive dinning table island and dropped the traditional dining table altogether. Comfortably fits 12-14 people for dinner, with the added benefit of masses of storage underneath. It has transformed the kitchen, both in looks and use. The extra storage is really helpful and the kitchen actually looks far bigger and nicer. We spend more time in there now and so do our teens and their friends.

I think the biggest factor is the kitchen layout and in terms of the footfall flow, entrances, exits etc. In some kitchens islands block the natural routes and in some they fit with the flow.

For us it has exceeded expectations and we should have done it a long time ago.

None of those options, I’d have an island or peninsula that seated 8 and I’d not have anything on it Ie no sink or hob.

that’s what we have now and it’s fantastic and makes the kitchen much more streamlined, it also has cupboards built in underneath and a wine rack .

@Cheeseand2veg I love that! Am adding that to my photo inspiration as I think that could work perfectly.
I'm so glad I asked as a peninsular wasn't on my radar but it looks like it could be a good fit for the space we have.

I think a lot depends on how comfortable you find sitting at an island.

I have a friend who doesn't really have a table, just the island and she loves it but I kind of hate eating there because I just feel so uncomfortable with my feet miles off the floor (I am short). And not just you but regular visitors you have. My parents and PIL wouldn't feel very comfortable either.

I feel honoured! Here's a photo from the other angle taken just now so you can see from the dining side. (Got 2 outward facing cupboards and a slim wine fridge on this side)