T hese days, the kitchen island has become a feature many feel you must accommodate for at all costs, but does your kitchen really need one? In some instances, an island simply doesn't make sense ...

A s a kitchen editor, I'm always on the pulse of what's hot and what's not. And recently, the traditional kitchen table has been making waves, offering a more sociable way to create an island.

Kitchen islands typically cost between $2,300 and $7,450 for the island itself (though costs can go from $100 to $10,000). This does not include the cost of labor to install the island.

Best described as the kitchen island's smaller, less independent, and younger sibling, the peninsula projects out from an existing set of counters, forming an L- or U-shaped configuration of cabinets.

“Kitchen island, thousands with useless drawers,” they wrote. “Tool box 5-800 and lockable sensible drawers. Why lockable drawers in kitchens aren’t an option baffles me at times.

Kitchen islands are certainly useful, but are they useful enough to keep around? They take up a ton of space and require plenty of upkeep. Experts weigh in.

Photo: Emily Minton Redfield. Mustering up ultrafunctional small kitchen island ideas may seem challenging, but it’s worth the effort. After all, an island is the star of the kitchen, and even ...

A kitchen by Los Angeles firm Bunch Design. Photo: Yoshihiro Makino Given how ubiquitous, even obligatory, a center island has become, a kitchen without one feels subversive.