Hi amfork, I went ahead & put the hob on my island & am delighted I did. I find it really is so much nicer looking out at the kids/my husband & being able to chat to them while I prepare meals as opposed to facing the wall with my back turned on everyone. I put a 4 ring induction hob on the island & put a 5 ring gas hob on counter facing wall. I did this as I have a large extended family & we frequently have get togethers. It’s great for catering for big events. However, I use the 4 ring induction hob on a daily basis. Hope this helps! Best of luck with your project, Claire

Currently designing island unit for open-plan kitchen in terrace house. My query is should I opt for (a) sink in island. Have two kids so concerned about it being a messy focal point (b) hob- as House is terrace with no direct access to external wall extractor fan could be an issue or (c) no sink or hob and just using island for prep and eating. Concern with this is will the 3 meters of space behind enough to accommodate sink and hob. Also not sure I want to be facing wall when cooking and washing dishes. All views welcome and any other thoughts on design?

I should add that we will have our hob on the island, we were thinking of having the stainless steel at the hob end of the island.

I wanted to put in the title - "Does Size Matter?" because that is what my design dilemma is all about :-). So I have learned that my kitchen design in the new build of my townhome has resulted in my kitchen island having a seam in the countertop, which I am not a fan of, and wanted to get your thoughts. I am told by the kitchen company that if I do not wish to have a seam, I would need to shorten the island to around 118” in length, which means I would lose around 20” of countertop (10” on either side) and one full cabinet. Seam or shorter island? Thoughts?