Kitchen Island vs. Peninsula

In my neighbourhood, the Junction, I see tons of young couples and families snatching up old homes and renovating them to their tastes. These homes are at least 50 years old if not older, meaning no open concept main floors and small kitchens. We all know that kitchens are the focal point of a home, as we spend most of our time in there either cooking or entertaining or both. Most people will spend a chunk of their renovation budget on re-designing their kitchens and why not, as it improves the resale value of their home.

We live in a generation where open concept main floors are a "must have", but it's good to have a definitive separation between the kitchen and the rest of the house. A huge trend I've noticed recently in the homes I've seen is either big kitchen island or peninsulas, which also are great for creating extra storage. Now at first I didn't even know what a peninsula was or that it even existed, but I soon realized that some of the kitchen islands that I was calling islands were in fact peninsulas. So here's the major difference between the two:

• a kitchen island is a separate entity and has circulation on all 4 sides
• a peninsula is usually attached to a wall and has circulation on 3 sides

Kitchen islands are great, but usually require more space so a peninsula might be a better alternative, depending how much space you have to work with, and in my neighbourhood it's usually not too much. I know that for my next project house, I will definitely be building an island, as entertaining in your living room is a thing of the past!

Bottom line, I want you to be the judge and check out these photos of kitchen islands and peninsulas and let me know which one you prefer:

Kitchen Islands
I love the vintage feel to these islands and the stools and light fixtures are great!

contemporary kitchen design by other metros interior designer kmh design, inc.

traditional kitchen design by bridgeport architect Austin Patterson Disston Architects

traditional kitchen design by boston kitchen and bath Venegas and Company

spaces design

eclectic spaces design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff
Peninsulas
Great use of limited space!

eclectic kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

eclectic kitchen design by new york architect Ken Levenson Architect P.C.

eclectic kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

traditional kitchen design by chicago kitchen and bath Rebekah Zaveloff

modern kitchen design

***All images via Houzz***