Island Dilemma

Can we discuss the kitchen island for a moment? It’s causing me angst.
Here’s why:
Our kitchen is small. Only 11 x 11. The wall that separates the kitchen from the dining room is coming down but, even still, the entire space is only 26 feet deep. We want an open kitchen with an island (for both work space and breakfast bar/socializing space with a few stools). But because the kitchen is small, we need the island to come out a bit into what would be the dining area – otherwise it would be too tight as far as walking around the island. Need a min of 36 inches from kitchen counters to island. We also want a nice dining room table so we don’t make the island to a huge monstrosity focus for the whole left side of our house.

This photo is actually not accurate but it gives you a sense of the downstairs plans. The fridge is actually going to be across the way from where it is now. The doorway to the left of the island into the sun room will be widened, and the door will go. We’ll have rounded steps going into the sun room (it’s now a mudroom but we’re turning it into living space).

The island is actually too far into the kitchen in this drawing because we don’t meet the 36 in minimum. So for this to work, we’d need it to come out more…which means bringing the tile out more, which means the dining area is smaller and the fireplace (which we can lose completely since it’s not going to be a working fireplace) will be off-centered.

Additionally I fear that the stools will compete with the table and it will look like two pieces of furniture back to back.

I’ve whittled down our options to:

1. No island – not really an option because we need the counter space and we want one :)
   Island with no stools – not really an option because we want them :)




2. Peninsula – not really an option because door will be widened and doesn’t solve our issues of infringement on dining space.




3. 3 x 5 Bi-level island – while I’m not a huge fan normally, I think a bi-level island like this will give workspace on one side (20 in - granite) and breakfast bar (16 in - hard wood) on another. The tiled floor could come to the end of the work space portion and switch to the hard wood at the raised breakfast bar. The hard wood countertop for the breakfast bar breaks things up and doesn’t make it look like your kitchen is in your living room and the heightened level means the stools will be taller and might not compete as much with a dining table.
   
   
   
   Love this one
   
   
   Note: I don't love this island, but it does illustrate what it would be like with a dining table right behind a bi-level island. I like how the stools don't compete with table chairs.



4. 3 x 5? Sideways Island with stools at end - This would allow us to have the island further into the kitchen. It's narrower so it might be less of an obstruction and focal point - even if it goes as far into the dining room as the bi-level island would. The tiled floor would prob go 3/4 of the way down the length of the island so that people sitting on stools would have wood below their feet.
   
   Really like this a lot - the island in our kitchen would be going the other way, though and the stool on end would face the kitchen window. Can you picture it?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Note: While I love the first island photoed, I do believe that this one above is prob the size we'd be working with because I beleive the kitchen it is in is around the size/configuration of our kitchen.

I think I am leaning toward 4 (vertical/sideways island). Chris likes 3 (bi-level). Neither are ideal but we need to work with the space we have. Either way we like a more furniture look like the examples in here. We do like some sort of butcher block top – or something that differs from what we hope to be light or greyish granite/marble countertop/backsplash for the actual WHITE kitchen cabinets. Maybe a dark brown or black island as Amanda suggested. Would love your thoughts!