Seating at kitchen island yes/no

Comfortable bar stools are probably the be-all and end-all. Does anyone have recommendations? We are currently looking at Calligaris - New York.

What is located on the island, meaning the seating area opposite? If the cooktop along with the hood is there, I find it not only nonsense but also unnecessary and unusable.

Why not usable? There are restaurants where cooking happens right in front of your nose and you naturally pay for the fun. It's the same in our kitchen, although we have a 90° glass counter around the stove island...

: That strongly depends on personal benefit, see above. Some people think it's total nonsense - I can't imagine anything better than looking directly into the pan and having a short way from stove to plate.

I'm also currently in the process of really activating this at our place, because our little ones no longer knock everything over and no longer use the "racetrack" around the island quite so often. However, I also very much like eating standing up or at elevated tables and if possible with a direct view of the action. It's not everyone's thing, so build it according to your preferences.

Best regards
Dirk Grafe

Thanks for your experiences!

It will probably come down to us having to "predict" our usage behavior. Currently, in our apartment, we do not yet have this option and it’s actually not something we’ve missed so far. However, this does not mean that it has to remain that way, especially since we now have the opportunity to plan for it in the new building. Our children are 6 and 9, and for some time, we will definitely still be regularly sitting together at the dining table.

We will certainly take your experiences into account and then hopefully make the right decision for us.

Here is our layout for the kitchen/dining area (the potential space for the bar stools is marked in green)

That wouldn’t have been for us, just because of the look. I think I’ve rarely seen bar stools that I like, and I find a closed island nicer. Besides, I miss the backrest when sitting on those things. As usual: all a matter of taste. If you like it and can sit well on the stools, I would implement that if I were you.