Kitchen Islands and Bifold doors

[Passmethegin11]

Has there been a kitchen extension built in the past few years which doesn’t have both of the above. Most of the kitchens don’t have space for an island and it looks squashed in. Where has this obsession come from? Also painting everything grey!
I’m guessing kitchen islands and bifold doors will be the avocado bathroom suites of the future!

My kitchen designer called islands a kitchen roundabout. Said they are awful unless your kitchen is ginormous.

I also don't get why people put a breakfast bar next to a table. I'd rather scrap the bar and have a couple of occasional chairs.

We're having an extension and yes we're having both an island and bi-folds.

I really hate the thought of being a sheep re the island and did ponder on a peninsula instead, but for our space an island will look better. It will be a big room though so there will also be a 10 seater dining table and a sofa/comfortable seating area.

I don't like the current grey window frame trend but we obviously want the metal frame bifold, so the ones we're having are sprayed white and they have blinds built in between the panes of glass , so they won't get dusty or damaged!

I don't understand this thread. If you have are having a kitchen diner you need either a peninsula or an island?

Bifold doors- if you are having French doors why not bifold?

We are having an island. We had one in our old house and I loved having the worktop space. The new house doesn’t lend itself to the island quite as well (different room layout) but it will still work. All kitchen designers I know were obsessed with the idea of a peninsula but that defeated the object of removing the wall, and didn’t increase the worktop space. I loved Christmas in our old family kitchen, room for everyone, acres of worktop, everyone pitching in with the prep, and the table at the other side of the room to eat from. We are not having doors outside though, the house just doesn’t lend itself to them in terms of layout or style. We will keep the back door instead.

@foxatthewindow yes I know what you're saying.. we're having the island and a separate big dining table because we entertain a lot.. buffet can be laid out on the island and people sit and eat at dining table. The island in our kitchen will be practical solution to making it a nice entertaining space.

If I didn't have space for both an island and a table, obviously I'd choose a table.

A kitchen island works if there is enough room and an actual gap to get your legs under and stills are lower than you think. If not the room then meh. But bifold doors are always amazing!

And of course colours date. I’ve picked something for me for the next 10 years I’ll like. I didn’t want to pick something some random buyer might like in 20 years

I hate a separate kitchen and formal separate dining room. Love the big room that works for us. But 30 years ago that’s what people wanted for their families.

@chopc - why do you need to have a peninsula or an island if you are having a kitchen diner? Our kitchen diner has all the kitchen stuff on 3 walls, then there is a dining table in the middle (the room is a large oblong). There is plenty of work space/surfaces around the room and more than sufficient cupboards.

I agree with @chopc - certainly with children / modern family life, an island or peninsula is ideal. Everyone uses space differently I suppose but if i had my kitchen on 3 walls i'd feel like my back would be facing guests / children no matter what i was doing (cooking / prepping / washing up).

I’ve just seen that a peninsula is another word for breakfast bar!

Grand sliders are much nicer than bifolds but they are ££££

We're house hunting at the moment, and I wish there was a search option on Rightmove to remove houses with these!!

I want a house with personality thanks. Every house just looks the same.....

They're is: old. Just looked for old builds and you'll be just fine

I absolutely hate kitchen islands, but like bifolds. Can't stand grey, and wouldn't let any F&B in my house even if you paid me and got someone round to do the painting. I do like the currently popular navy blue though (as long as it's not F&B and all nasty and sludgy and grey).

I have friends with both kitchen islands and grey, and one friend with a grey kitchen with a massive fuck off island (and Crittall windows, natch). I was so pleased for her when I saw it, because it's what she wanted and it'll make her happy. Not my house, not my problem!

Reminds me of the time a friend said to me, after a few drinks 'You don't like my DP, do you?' and I replied, 'No, but I don't have to sleep with him, so that's fine.'

Each to their own.

This is now appearing in my adverts on mumsnet....

I don’t think those things are just about current style though (although hardly current, pretty old now really) It is more to do with functionality. An island (in a big space) is really practical. As are bifold doors.

I have neither and want neither but have never lived with either so perhaps haven’t discovered the ‘joys’ of them. I love a kitchen table for all of the reasons people seem to use islands (well not islands with jobs and sinks et obvs). Islands always seem way too high and I love a chair not perched on a stool.
If they were less expensive and wasteful to regret and redo I might come round to the idea.
Currently in a new build project at design stage and am womanfully resisting quite a bit of island/bifold/en-suite suggestions.

Agree, I don't see the point of islands, unless you really need the storage.

Why not just have a big table that you use for all the things you'd use an island for - kids homework, having a glass of wine of an evening, eating breakfast, etc?

They just clog up, and limit your space.

We do have bifolds, because they completely open up one wall to the outside, and inside-outside flow is of paramount importance here!

I also have no issue with trends, per se (unless they're pointless).

What I don't like, are kitchen-y kitchens, so all white, shiny surfaces and things like that are out for me.

We renovated last year (2018 ), and I was after something that more resembled an off-the-beaten-track lounge bar, rather than a kitchen. So an island was definitely out.

I’d love to see a picture of an off the beaten track lounge bar....

Me too - I imagined quite a bit of colour - low lighting - mix of wood and metals - mismatched cushions - old sofa - some coloured lighting. Free standing furniture. Then I was stumped.

We're having our kitchen done. We had a separate kitchen and a dining/living room but wanted a separate living room and needed to open up the kitchen as it was a really small galley, so we have a kitchen/diner now. Yes, it has dove grey cupboards , because we didn't want white or off-white. No island but a breakfast bar (not much wall space for cupboards or worktop). And no bi-folds but only because that's happening next year!

We'll be living here for at least 15 years so we're putting in what we want. We don't care if others think it's outdated in a few years, we're just happy to finally be getting the kitchen we want after years of renting!

We'll be doing our kitchen next year. I definitely don't want bifolds, but would love an island. We have a breakfast bar at the moment, and use it way more than we do our dining table. It's also really useful as additional prep space. The dining table really only gets used when we have guests for dinner, and at Christmas.

No room for an island but I would like bifold doors. We have patio doors that open outwards now just catch even the slightest wind like sails and limit space on the patio.

I like the navy units and white worktops colour scheme. Everything dates. There's nothing remotely "imaginative" about a cream and wood scheme either. Unless you're planning to sell soon, why wouldn't you just decorate as you like? I believe very very few things are "timeless". They may come back round but everything looks naff after a while.