Help please. Big kitchen WITHOUT an island?

[TroublesomeTownHouse]

We recently moved. New kitchen is surprisingly lovely and cosy despite being a bit dated and a bit small.

We are planning to extend and have big doors into the garden BUT I don't want to lose the cosiness. It's weirdly made a big difference in that the teens are joining us for meals more (without the usual nagging from me) and we seem to be hanging out more as a family.

At the moment its a U with a table in the middle. Every picture or plan I look at has long run and an island with the table off to one side. I don't dislike islands but I love the big table being the focus.

Does anyone have a kitchen like that? I'd love to see pics / ideas.

You need two dishwashers..

We put the hob on the island for this reason. I love looking out to the garden while cooking (although I don't do this too often tbh!)

I have my hob on the island too. I look out over the garden. It’s great. I do have a small veg prep sink at the other end of the island. My main big Belfast double sink is on the long wall. We don’t look at washing up and have one dishwasher. Just fine! Two fridges though!!

If it's your long term home then I think it's fine to just do what you want ( as long as it's safe, obvs ) but if you will be selling in a couple of years, then go with the straight run and big island .

So you need the big table all the time? I have a big kitchen diner with extending table in front of patio doors. It sits side on seating 4 normal times and then I turn it abs extend if if we have visitors.

I also have a cosy seating area at the other ens. It's separated from kitchen area by peninsula. We spend loads of time in there now.

Whole room is about 23 x 13

I think big kitchens can actually be more difficult to design. You don’t want to overwhelm the space with units but you don’t want to be left with too much empty space. You also dont want to find that you have too much walking to do to get to things. Ours is 7m x 7m, any bigger and I’d have zoned it and treated it like an open plan layout with a separate sitting area with sofas. We didn’t need another sofa area though.

We have no island.

We have a dining table with a bench sofa on one side and 3 comfy chairs the other. So it’s seats 6 as standard (well 7 as baby highchair at one end) it can easily fit two extra chairs at either end to make 10 seater

i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/5c/54/cf5c541b2bed0844c40b24c48c2dc461.jpg - similar vibe to this but a bit bigger

If you like the table in the middle, keep that. It’s what we have and I use it as a surface for food prep etc (like I would an island) because it’s where an island would be. But I love being able to move it around a bit.

Couple of full length cabinets would mean plenty of storage even once you have lost the middle of your U in order to put the doors/extension there.

I wouldn't want an island or a table in the middle of the kitchen, I would get really irritated having to walk around it all the time. We have a table at the end.

I think a table vs island often depends on whether you prefer doing food prep sitting down (table) or standing up (island). Having a table also means you will need more storage space elsewhere and have to potentially walk further to access it.

We have a table that seats 6 in the middle of our kitchen, and find it works well.

We have a dining room with a bigger table and a more formal feel for occasions but we don’t use it that much.

@TroublesomeTownHouse

Interesting *@icedancerlenny*. Are the island and banquette at the same height? Am trying to picture it!

The back of the banquette is about an inch lower - I don’t know if I know how to upload a picture but will try....

It has cushions now so looks much more homely.

The traditional farmhouse kitchen was large with units around the outside and a large table to eat at. Whether you need to walk around it all the time depends on the layout of the room.

That is gorgeous @icedancerlenny. I hadn't considered that set up but it looks lovely.

We currently have the table in the middle and its fine because there is loads of worktop space and generally room to move about. I am really surprised the difference it has made having a lovely space as we are spending so much more time as a family. I really want doors to the garden BUT I don't want to spoil the lovely effect of a cosy family space.

We have designed kitchens before - and then promptly moved leaving other people to appreciate it all! I feel big pressure this time because we plan to stay here for a long time.

Love seeing people's pictures as the kitchen shops / pinterest are so samey.

Mine is similar to the one above except we don’t have a long breakfast bar on the back of the island. We just have a round table and seating at one end of the island. It’s the same height as the work surface and has storage cupboards under. We prefer a bigger table in a semi open plan space adjacent to the kitchen.

We have a traditional farmhouse style kitchen so a big table in the middle with units in a U shape around the window end. It works brilliantly for us. Our table is very chunky and we have benches down the long sides rather than chairs, which looks a lot less busy and uses less space.

@ComtesseDeSpair I love that kitchen - I think I'd like something similar.

I like to do food prep at a table because I am shortish , and find that the most comfortable.
I am wanting table with a food prep style top so I can prep, or make as posh dining table with table cloth etc.

I don't like islands! Without outing myself I hope, this is our layout. Room for sideboards too and I guess a small sofa if we wanted one.

When we have a big kitchen, L shaped with a long table in the middle, and sofas at the other end. I love it. We never ate together at the table when we had an island. Since getting rid of the island we all eat our meals at the table. It is also used to sit and chat at while peeling the veg etc. I would never have have an island again. I love have room for a couple of sofas too. We tend to use the kitchen all day and move to the sitting room after dinner.

Ours is a very old fashioned country kitchen with table in the middle. Kitchen hasn’t been replaced since the late 80s and we never will as it’s such good quality. It’s a large kitchen, but it still feels cosy because everything happens here at the table. Meals, crafts, games, entertaining. I often dance with the kids in the space near the Aga. Our appliances are in the utility (even the fridge - which is the one annoying thing).

@AdaHopper stunning! Is it tala bulbs that I spotted? Love them!

kitchen designers love putting in islands because then they can sell more expensive drawers & units.

if you have plenty of storage around the edge of the kitchen, stick with a table in the middle - much more flexible & sociable.

Islands all the way. The provide extra storage. Dining tables waste a lot of space if put in the middle of the kitchen instead of an island

Dining tables make a kitchen seem like a room for living in rather than just a functional area.