Does Your Kitchen Really Need An Island?

Is a kitchen truly a kitchen without an island? They've been a staple of kitchen renovations since at least the 1950s, when the room expanded from workspace to social hub of the home. The trend further took off with the 1963 launch of Julia Child's wildly popular cooking show The French Chef, in which Child stood behind a wooden island while jauntily showing her viewers how to make beef Wellington and cheese soufflé.

Today, the kitchen island trend is bigger than ever, literally: the 2024 U. S. Kitchen Trends Study from home design site Houzz reports that islands seven feet in length—and longer—are gaining in popularity.

But for every seven-foot-long island, there are reports of the kitchen island's demise. Like all design choices, the decision to add an island depends on your taste (and your space). As the great kitchen island debate rages on, we asked two kitchen design pros to weigh in.

Yes, you need an kitchen island—as long as you’ve got enough clearance to open the surrounding cabinetry

“I love islands. I actually completely changed the floor plan of my house to incorporate one, and I splurged on an island with a waterfall granite countertop. It not only adds much-needed visual interest to my open-concept space, but it’s also super-functional: it holds extra storage as well as our sink, dishwasher and built-in trash receptacle. My family and I eat the majority of our meals there.“ —Kristen Coutts, designer and HGTV Canada host

Julia Child popularized countless food and kitchen trends, including the island. (Photo: iStock)

No, you don’t need a kitchen island—unless you want to anchor a wide-open space

“An island is like having a SUV in the middle of the kitchen— it’s a monolith you have to move around. You’re putting distance between you and your family, as well as all the kitchen tasks you have to do. When it gets so big that you can’t pass a bowl of chips from one end to the other, your island is too big. Sure, you get more counter space for holiday meal prep, but how often do you have multiple people chopping or preparing on all counters at one time?” —Sophie Donelson, design expert and author of Uncommon Kitchens