If there’s one thing Pinterest hadn’t prepared me for, it was how dramatically a kitchen island would change the way I moved around my home. When I renovated my kitchen, I was convinced an island was the pièce de résistance the whole space needed. But in all honesty, my island and I have a slightly complicated relationship.
On one hand, it looks beautiful, but living with it day to day has taught me a lot about layout, flow, storage, and how even the most stylish features can become a bit of a hindrance once you’re actually using the kitchen.
So, consider this my honest account of what happened when I went all-in on the island concept without bringing in a specialist kitchen designer. These are the five things I now know to look out for if I ever take on another kitchen renovation. My kitchen island regrets are more common than you’d think, and thankfully, completely avoidable once you know what to watch out for.
1. I wish I’d worked with a professional kitchen designer from the start
Looking back, this is the regret that underpins all the others. I went into the renovation with a solid contractor, plenty of mood board inspiration and what I thought was a decent grasp of my kitchen layout. What I didn’t have was the forensic, almost obsessive attention to detail that specialist kitchen designers bring to the table.
A general contractor can absolutely execute the build, but designing a kitchen is a different creature entirely. It’s part engineering, part ergonomics, part choreography. A good designer will measure clearances to the millimetre, interrogate appliance placement, plan service runs long before flooring goes down, and gently steer you away from decisions that look good online but fall apart under everyday use.
And it’s not just me thinking this. Sebastian Aronowitz, founder of The London Kitchen Company, often sees the same regrets crop up when people design or install their island without specialist input: “Homeowners can come to regret kitchen islands if there hasn’t been enough design consideration from the offset,” he says.
“In the excitement of incorporating an island into a kitchen, it can be easy for homeowners to overlook how it will actually work for them and their lifestyle,” Sebastian explains. “It might actually mean that people are always bumping their hips (or children, their heads) as they make their way around the kitchen or it could end up housing clutter as it’s an easy place to put things down.”
Sebastian Aronowitz is the founder of The London Kitchen Company, known for his refined, design-led approach to creating functional, beautifully crafted kitchens tailored to how homeowners truly live and cook.
2. The kitchen triangle isn’t as smooth or efficient as I imagined
On paper, my kitchen layout looked perfectly sensible: a hob on the island for that ‘chef’s kitchen’ feel, fridge tucked neatly into the tall run, sink just off to the side. But once the renovation dust settled, I realised the kitchen triangle I’d created wasn’t all that smooth in practice. Instead of gliding between zones, I always seemed to be backtracking or squeezing around a corner to get what I needed.
Josie Medved, design manager at Symphony, says this is a classic outcome when the relationship between appliances isn’t mapped out with enough precision. In her words, “too much distance can be equally impractical, leaving you walking further than necessary between key areas.”
Instead of creating an easy “flow”, the island placement forces a lot of pivoting and weaving, especially when I’m trying to move between the fridge and the prep area. The fridge is just a bit too far away. So, if I could rewind, I’d spend far more time analysing how I naturally move around a kitchen and trialling different layouts before committing to this one.
As Design Manager for Symphony Fitted Furniture, Josie champions smart, flexible kitchen storage solutions, from fitted joinery to clever hideaway bins, designed to enhance everyday life.
3. I didn’t include as much storage as I’d have liked
One of the biggest surprises of living with this kitchen is realising just how much storage I didn’t plan for. At the time, I was so focused on getting the island size, shape and waterfall worktop right that I didn’t stop to question whether it was pulling its weight functionally. It looks sleek, yes, but sleek doesn’t always mean practical.
Because the island houses a single oven, there’s far less internal space than I’d imagined. In hindsight, I really wish I’d incorporated a double oven elsewhere and kept the island purely for storage, prep and socialising. Instead, I’ve ended up with a central feature that offers only a fraction of the cupboard and drawer space it could have delivered.
Sebastian Aronowitz says this is one of the most common design oversights he sees time and again: “Homeowners get caught up in the statement aspect of an island and forget it can – and should – work harder.” He encourages people to “think beyond just side cabinetry” and make use of island ends for shelving, wine storage or additional cupboards.
Josie Medved at Symphony also highlights how islands often underperform when they haven’t been designed with clear purpose. She points out that placing large kitchen appliances, like ovens or sinks on an island can “dramatically reduce useful workspace,” which includes storage potential.
That pretty much sums up my situation: the island looks substantial from the outside but feels surprisingly limited inside. If I were doing it again, I’d be far more strategic. I’d prioritise generous drawers, add kitchen storage at the ends and keep bulky appliances off the island completely.
4. I didn’t give enough thought to lighting the island
When designing a kitchen island, choosing an overhead extractor fan felt like the most straightforward, practical solution. But in hindsight, I’d have gone for one of those built-in downdraft models that sit flush with the worktop or rise discreetly behind the hob – something like this Elica NT-ALPHA-BA Induction Extractor Hob from AO.com Not only are they far more elegant, but they free up the ceiling completely, which means you can introduce some island lighting.
Josie Medved says this kind of compromise is incredibly common. She explains that extractor planning “is often missed when installing a hob on an island,” and that traditional island extractors can interrupt the look of the room and require more ceiling height than people expect. She also notes that “because islands often sit far from windows, strong task lighting is essential, and it can be helpful to include ambient lighting as well if the island will double as a social space.”
Her point really resonates now that I’m living with the space; I can see exactly how the extractor limited my lighting choices from day one. But pendant lighting only really works when the island is a social hub. Because my island is very much a cooking zone, I’m not sure pendants would ever have reached their full potential anyway. Ironically, I built an island that behaves like a workstation, then longed for the atmospheric lighting that suits a more sociable layout…
If I were redesigning tomorrow, I’d pick a downdraft extractor, keep the ceiling clear and let the lighting dictate the island’s personality.
5. I didn’t plan for sockets or services properly
While my island does have a couple of discreet electrics, living with the kitchen has made it glaringly obvious that I should have planned for far more. Every time I want to use a stand mixer, plug in a laptop, or charge a phone while I’m cooking, I’m reminded that the island simply wasn’t designed with modern life in mind. I can get by, but only by stretching cables from the back wall or playing appliance Tetris when more than one thing needs power at once.
At the time, I naively assumed that a minimal setup would be plenty. But as Josie Medved at Symphony points out, islands only work well when the electrical planning is done early and in detail. She warns that “homeowners sometimes fail to plan early enough for drainage pipes or electrical supplies leading to the island. These must be installed before the flooring goes down, otherwise they become far more difficult, and costly, to incorporate later.”
I learned that the hard way: once the flooring was in, adding more power was effectively off the table. Sebastian Aronowitz also emphasises how much thought should go into socket placement. He says, “Sockets can be positioned at the ends of the island, tucked discreetly under a worktop overhang, or integrated into a pop-up unit on the surface. The location depends on how you’ll use them – and how visible or hidden you want them to be.”
Looking at my setup now, I can see exactly where additional sockets could have made the island more practical for cooking, entertaining and everyday multitasking. If I had the chance to redesign it, I’d take electrics far more seriously: more outlets, smarter positioning, and a clear idea of what tasks I wanted the island to support.
Think the only kitchen island shapes worth considering are rectangles or squares? It might be time to reconsider. From curved layouts to clever split level island ideas, there are plenty of smart alternatives that transform how your kitchen works.
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