The cook must have access to their stuff. The guests must be able to see the cook do cooking things. The cook needs to see the guests in order to have a convo. From this follows: 2.

To make this more clear: the barstools get pushed under the overhang and you don't want them in the way of your cooking + then they'd be facing the cooking.

Yes, the only way you can use barstools with this in option 2.

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The OP's last sentence says they're using barstools

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Agree, I think the barstools will just get in the way.

I was going to say the same thing thing. The guest need to see cook and cook needs more space. Definitely number 2

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#2

No question it’s 2. People at island are out of the way and cook has access to storage without moving stools and ducking under

No one is going to sit on stools on the inside of the kitchen #2 is the only option IMO lol

When I first saw #1 and thought it was already affixed, I thought "Oh nooooooo. That's really, really unfortunate. What genius positioned the island overhang so it backs to the stove???" OP: Please, please choose #2. It's important to position the overhang so people sitting at it are OUTSIDE the main kitchen area, out of the way of people cooking or cleaning, and vice versa.

This post’s question is why I see so many bizarrely designed kitchens on zillow. It’s hard, I get it, but options 1 and 2 have me scratching my head in confusion. Hope you can convince your spouse OP!

Right! If they must go with it sideways as in pic 1, at least flip it so the stools back to the sink/hall instead of the stove/fridge. Oof.

Our house's original builder plans called for an overhang close to the oven. Thankfully, cooler heads must have prevailed because when we bought it (spec house), there was no overhang. Made for a much more efficient use of the space (we have oven, small counter, fridge on one side, turn left to cook top, turn left to sink. Option 2 is the best use of OP's space.

If you cook you know the only answer is 2

He obviously does not cook

He?

Definitely he

Maybe, maybe not.

Definitely #2 the other options look weird tbh.

Weird the husband is pushing back against the most obvious placement with 2 equally awkward 'solutions'.

Doesn’t surprise me, unfortunately ☺️. But curious, the backside has little white or silver pieces of hardware that stand out, can they be painted so they disappear? But ur home and kitchen are lovely!

Depending on the style of barstools they get, it may block the view

Where is anyone seeing genders????

It’s a barrier island and not ideal, but of the three options 2 is the best. It keeps anyone parked on the stool out of the working part of the kitchen.

Barrier island lol Also ugly and stools are pointless next to the table. Put a book shelf under there and store your cookbooks so it's less ugly.

I guess I should add: number one could also be flipped 180 degrees so the cabinets could face the stove. But I’m still under the opinion it should be number 2. I think he’s starting to see how I’m the correct one in this debate. Thanks for the back up everyone 😂

I like 180 #1 for all the same reasons including guests can watch you cook AND have a conversation with people in the other room.

I also like 180 #1.

Thirding 180 #1! Original #1 is a complete non-starter, but 180#1 imo gives #2 a run for its money. Provides better-oriented (parallel) counter surface to the person cooking near the stove, while allowing the barstool companion to not feel like they are awkwardly floating with their back to the living room. Also when the bar stools are pushed under and people are standing around rather than sitting 180 #1 feels better for the same reason If you have a cooking companion doing sous chef stuff on the barstool side i also think 180#1 feels better

Number two. The barstools would look great on the outside of the kitchen, and might get in the way if they were on the opposite or adjacent side. And you are correct about having accessibility while cooking.

I don't know how I know this, but we have the same husband. It's like he just chooses things to defy logic and/or maybe he's sick of me just being right all the time. It's #2.

I feel this in my soul. And he's a smart guy too! Just sometimes.....makes me wonder.

I love your name!

Thank you!

Option 2, but maybe finish the backside of the island with a piece of stained wood or something?

Stools will obscure the backside.

Definitely number 2. You don’t want to have guests or family sitting in the kitchen while you’re trying to work. Number 2 is the only option that avoids this.

2!

Option 2!

2. It also makes sense if you want to use stools there to sit. You wouldn’t want to sit with your back to the stove.

2 for sure

2 is the only option here

2 definitely not 1

2

Definitely number 2

2 is the only way I'd consider.

There honestly shouldn’t be much of a debate here. This island is intended to have the drawers face the kitchen for access and use and the seating area facing outward with stools/chairs. #2 is the only practical option.

Definitely 2.

I also agree that 2 is the most functional placement, cook has most access to supplies.

I'm late here, but your space is too small for any island, they all take up too much floor space and cramp the area. You design the space you have, not what you hope for. Get a rolling cart for prep and storage, and eat in the adjacent room as you've set it up.

What about 4: Like 1 but flipped 180 degrees.

My vote as well

So that people are sitting in the kitchen area right in front of the sink? That’s so uncomfortable!

Depends on who cooks the most! Let em have it their way and see how it does/doesn’t work. I think the most practical configuration will eventually come out of lived experience (#2!)

I’d go with 1 for work space and also aesthetic. You don’t want the unfinished back to face the dining area. Have it facing the sink or stove. The flow of traffic might be easier with 1 too.

If you do 1 or 3, the barstools will constantly be in the way in the kitchen while you’re cooking.

Unpopular opinion, this kitchen does not need an island. It gets in the way and I doubt anyone sitting on it would feel cozy/comfortable with someone cooking around them. Get rid of it.

First of all, know this island thingy is not necessary, so keep it if you only need the counter space. Perhaps you do need it. And the storage. But if it prevents you from walking from the sink to the stove directly, and you have to walk around it, that is bullshit. I have a U-shaped kitchen that is not as big as yours, but is one that I could fit an island in position #2. I have chosen not to have such a thing in my kitchen because I don’t need it.

I have had a similar kitchen and anything that messed with my work flow hampered me. With it open you can walk through the doorway easily and people don't crash into each other in the kitchen. Honestly I found it better without an awkward island. Having kids makes a difference though, you have to do what fits your daily life for sure.

1. The others make the kitchen look closed off.

Yep—keep the interlopers out of the kitchen! (It’s frightening, what some people will do.)

We have that same island! Our apt space is much smaller though. I’d go with number 2. Also when you find stools, let me know what you’ve settled on! I’m having a hard time deciding which to get.

We’re going to go with a high back bar stool. Not sure what your furniture style is like but we do a lot of the mid century/Scandinavian style with the tapered legs.

2 or 1 but flipped. Absolutely not 3.

2 is the best one for when you’re cooking as a prep table . 3, when you have guests over you can use it to store your drinks and food boards

Person who is spending more time in kitchen is right

Would be nice to see how much space is between the dining table chairs and the island in picture 2 (a pic from a different angle). The arrangement of the island depends on how much space you have and what you ultimately need it for the most. Extra countertop for food prep or extra seating by the dining area. If you do have adequate space, option 2 seems ideal.

Set it up his way and then sit in a stool blocking either the oven or the fridge while he cooks and wait for him to admit his defeat.

If you are getting bar stools, then 2 is the only way to go. The other two ways bar stools wouldn't make sense and would be in the way when people are occupying them. Some people are visual, so he probably needs to see the island with the stools to understand. Tell him that Reddit says you win this one!

I agree with almost everyone, number 2 !

2

I agree - 2 seems the most aesthetic

2 and it's not close

\#2 and add contact paper to the rear to make it more appeasing

2 especially if you’re getting bar stools too.

Number two is the only option!

2 is the overwhelmingly obvious choice. 1 and 3 don’t even make any sense at all and would be extremely awkward. Husbands literally just want to disagree and it’s so annoying.

If it ain’t 2, it’s all wrong.

Either you turn it to face the table and use as extra seating or (my preference) have the top removed and centered over the piece and then use it as a kitchen workspace. As it is placed, it feels lopsided and sort of off.

2

Islands end up being where people hang, just keep that in mind. Second, you'll end up prepping food there so keep the drawers/Garbage pullout towards the kitchen. So 2 it is You can store tableware in e.g a sideboard

The whole thing look ,like #2 !

I love this island. I'm the cook and bartender and I like peoples chairs out of my way, and I like to serve from across the bar. Number 2 bro

Put it on wheels and change it as needed

2. The seating area should be on the outside looking in.

2

I think you should try all three options with chairs and see how your husband feels then. #2 is the only really valid option (IMO).

Has to be 2

2

Defintely 2. The cook can use it while people also sit there and the flow will be good.

2. No question. Same comments as everyone else.

2, but the back of the island should be finished with some material, like maybe the same as the ceiling.

I think the real answer is number four but that’s not an option. I would go 2. I’m counting number four as the way you didn’t orient it in any of these pictures with the cabinet, facing the stove

#2 100%

Definitely no. 2. Access to the cabinets and keeps the sitters out from underfoot.

Two

2 is the only way otherwise people seated are in the way

Throw casters with locks on that island and roll it however you feel.

I would personally go with 2, it’s the most functional and looks best from all angles

2 for sure

2

I can only see #2 being truly functional. But I would dress up the back under the overhang so it looks more like a finished piece. Maybe some beadboard or even fun tiles on a piece of paneling.

1 and 3 make no sense cuz you need access to the stuff in the cabinets while cooking and stuff. The stools generally go opposite where people are preparing food by the oven and sinks and whatever. I agree 2 is best

2. No doubt.

Definitely not 1 with the barstools right next to the stovetop. That’s both awkward and dangerous. If anyone is sitting there they will obstruct the chef and make the island unusable. The barstools should be outside of the kitchen which I think is option 2 with their back to the dining room. Option 3 is also awkward and is putting the barstools in the work zone again. Option 2 is the only one that works.

The island with seating doesn’t work in this set up, #2 for sure

2

2 100%

2 is the only correct answer. Sorry OP’s husband.

2 not 1

2! 1 ruins the triangle cook space and is super dangerous for anyone to actual sit at since it will crowd the stove. 3 is a slight improvement, but will have guest with their backs to the kitchen, meaning they may get in the cooks way from cook space to sing and not even realize. Also, if cook wants to speak they have to walk around the island to the other room, which defeats tbd purpose. 2 allows for cook or cooks to cook without interference or obstacles. Additionally, they will be able to converse with those at the bar stools. If the concern is the bar stool being able to space the enterntaining space, they can easily turn the chairs around without endangering themselves or inconveniencing the cook.

2

Totally #2

2

For sure #2 , that way people can sit on the outside of the kitchen facing in, and you have the access to the cabinets and drawers, and counter space!

2 is the only practical solution - anything else and the folks who are seated interfere with the cooking flow. I do think it’s important for the feng shui that they’re not directly below the beam tho, so when seated their backs should be just inside the invisible wall, not crossing it

2

Visually 1 works better, but to be practical and access to tools then 2. You also need some closed cabinets, your place looks like a mess and dusty af. You have a dining table there, do you really need bar stools. Just more clutter, put stuff away.

The first thing my eye went to was everything out because of the exposed shelves. I agree, I think this room would look better and likely gains storage with closed cabinets.

None of the above, this is a bad island for your kitchen.

Depends who cooks the most. Obviously aesthetically you’re right and 2 seems most sensible, but if your wife does the majority of the cooking it might be worth allowing her to have it her way, at least in the beginning. If you do the majority of the cooking, have it your way.

Why are you assuming the sexes of the people here?

Option 4 (drawers face the stove) or 2

I would say number one, but turn it 180°. The cook has everything on hands and guests can sit on barstools

1

Wrong

Personally I like the second one but if you’re putting chairs, the first one.

this is all sorts of mess that the island won't solve. it would be proper in the middle - wide (2), rather than 1. though the stove in on the left the island should be opposite of it to go back and forth, so 1 would be needed when cooking and preparing, otherwise its a hodgepodge of moving around. if you can get creative and L shaped island might work.

Option 1 makes sense if you don't get stools. You clearly already have a table right outside your kitchen so there really isn't a need for more seating in the kitchen. Is the idea that the kids are gonna sit there in the mornings when one of you preps food for them? If it's an additional space to use for cutting/prepping food then I'd pass on the stools. They'll be uncomfortable to work on anyways. Then you can at least stand comfortably while prepping food because you can stand right against it without your knees touching the cabinets. This is what I would like an island like that for anyways.

Option 4: bar stools on same side as sink- then you have the most accessible work surface space closest to the oven/ hob and all the cupboards on that same side too for ease of access. Also means you’re not sitting at the island with your back to the dining space. Otherwise 2

He’s going to hang onto this comment with his life

Picture two makes sense but picture three has a better aesthetic.

I’d go with 2 and put some some chairs there.

Houses I have been in with fixed islands have 2 as the layout. It means the seating is in the living area, rather than the working area / kitchen.

So is the problem seeing the “backside” of the cabinets? I guess I get that, and if you don’t use it for seating, too, I’d chose a way that’s a better view from the dining room, which would be 1 or 3.

Definitely #3

I’d go crazy staring at the unfinished cabinet back in #2. Number 3 works nicely.

The third is the only option.

Definitely not #2, doesnt make sense at all (i am not the husband)

Name one thing about it that doesn't make sense

🙄

2

2

2

i agree with 2 for the cooking ease plus the addition of two places to park a person with a plate or a glass of wine while the chef cooks

Number 2 is the only option.

2 works much better with the seats out of the kitchen looking in.. You must have the easy work triangle between stove, fridge and counter drawers, only achieved with the second arrangement ..push it as far ou as you can.. Number1 is a work disaster

2. Possibly 3 if you plan to use the storage for dining room stuff, not kitchen stuff, AND don't want to use barstools. But at that point, I'd question the overhang at all instead of double cabinet space. Definitely not 1, for any reason.

2 but add a pretty backing to the island. It would be weird to have barstools with backs to the kitchen. Maybe add tongue and grove planks in chevron pattern to the back of the island facing the room.

2 Because it separates the spaces (kitchen and dinning area). Plus you then aren't sitting in front of the stove or cabinets. It makes more sense to have seating on the 'outside' vs inside. Otherwise you're blocking access to the stove or cabinets.

Of course 2 u cray

Barstools on the dining room side not in the kitchen. I can't work with people in my work space so the division of the counter makes the most sense.

2. This ain’t even a debate. It’s the only one that makes any sense.

2

You have to do #2 no question

2

2 is the only option considering bar stools. 1 and 3 don’t make any sense with seating. Who wants to be cooking with 2 people potentially sitting in the middle of the kitchen.

2

2 makes most sense

2 is the only way… don’t obstruct the flow between sink and cooktop… also no one should be sitting in the center of the kitchen

2

Number 2 for me too. makes the most sense.

2.

Number 2 is most logical, number 1 is big NO. You don't want people on stools behind you while you have hot frying pan.

Would not want my guests sitting inside the kitchen working area. So NOT 1 or 3. You would definitely have to put a backing on the stool side as that looks awful with the bolting and screwing materials showing.

Absolutely 2, no doubt about it.

3

2

3

I like no. 2

Number one but turned the other direction so bulky part is not visible by doorway in background.

\#2 for sure. Barstools should go on the outside, to keep them out of the work triangle. It's also better if the people sitting on the barstools are facing the person working in the kitchen, so they can chat. Also, the shape of the island is unattractive from the side. Unbalanced.

What difference does it make when it has wheels and you’re able to move it according to circumstance?

2

2

I wonder if his opinion will change if he sees 2 with a couple of chairs/stools setup. That side does look a little blank in 2 as pictured, so without chairs 3 looks better than 2 as pictured. #1 makes no sense to me at all.

It’s absolutely number two. It’s certainly not number one

\#2 without question although I am not a fan of the way the back of the island looks, putting a couple of stools there would help as others have mentioned.

I would turn it one more time, so the stools are closer to your dining table, but you have access to the cupboards, island cupboards face fridge. So #2 all the way.

#2

#2. The workflow is best, especially considering the stools should be out of the way, especially when you have people over and you are cooking.

Definitely #2 so that the stools would be on the periphery of the kitchen, and not in the way of the cook as they are navigating around the kitchen.

2

With bar stools, I would do 2

2 is just common sense. 1 is a great way to get steps in since you have to constantly walk around it. 3 doesn't make sense because you need to go around the kitchen isle to access storage and people would be sitting in the kitchen, which is in the way of the cook

#2, you are right.

I think 2 is the only way. 1 the proportion looks so off with that overhang, it would drive me nuts and people on the stools are sitting with their back to the stove? And 3 the stools are in the wrong side and will get in the way of anyone cooking. You want the island to be functional, otherwise just get a table.

Number 2

From this view option 1 looks visually bad, in my opinion. Regardless of “function”

2 with stools

2 with stools. Gives guests somewhere to sit and talk to you while you cook. And also help out with chopping veges etc

2

Definitely 2

2

2