Hi Lori

Our kitchen was designed EXACTLY in this fashion without me ever having heard the term barrier island. Don Silvers did the floorplan concept and we worked with our cabinet maker to fine tune it. It works brilliantly at keeping guests and unwanted "helpers" out of the cooking area (which is set up for 2-3 cooks) while at the same time allowing full interaction with the cooks. The set up also allows us easy access to all the appliances needed for cooking. Finally had we gone with function over form (and I am glad we didn't) we would have switched the positions of the sink and DW in the island peninsular thus putting one of the DW's opposite the ovens to make cleanup from food prep and cooking easier. All eating dishes, glasses, flatware, hot beverage station and cereal boxes are kept in or near the cleanup zone. Another encouragement to keep people out of the cook area while still giving them full access to all they need including the fridge.

Here's our basic floor plan:
{{gwi:1561236}}

I don't really see this as a barrier island...the refrigerator, prep sink, and range/cooktop are all easily accessible w/o having to walk around an island (or peninsula). Yes, your cleanup sink is around the peninsula, but I suspect it's easily accessible from the DR.

When I think of "barrier islands," I think of islands or peninsulas that separate the main work zones...you have to walk around & around the island or peninsula to go back and forth among the zones. If the main sink is separated by the island/peninsula BUT there's a prep sink that's not, then I don't think it's a problem. This is the situation Loves2Cook4Six has.

HTH!

I don't think it's an 'official term' - just one we use here because it makes a certain sort of sense.

To my way of thinking, there are good barriers and stupid ones.

The good ones intentionally create work zones and visitor zones, making visitors feel welcome and involved while keeping them out of the way. We have frequent, large, casual family gatherings (20-30 people) and this was a critical element in planning my kitchen. Here's a shot of my floorplan below, and you can see how the islands function to keep visitors on the south side and funnel traffic from the east and west either behind the cook to the north or into the family room on the south. The cook has a protected work zone with water, trash, counterspace, and a great view to the public areas.

Then there's the (IMO) stupid kind of barrier island. I had one of these too, once, which is why they're such a pet peeve of mine. Imagine your typical U-shaped kitchen with the fridge on one leg, the sink on the other, and the range on the back wall. Then stick an island in the middle. Now try to imagins making a green salad: Start at the fridge, walk around the island to the sink, back around the island to the fridge, back around the island to the sink. IMO, that's a stupid barrier. Visitors have unrestrained access and the cook is always scooting around something or other!

Yet putting seats on the open end of the space and adding a prep sink to the island (assuming it's big enough) and the dynamic changes completely! Now the island is useful as prep and visiting space and the visitors have a clearly-designated place where they can converse with a working cook.

Anyway - I don't think you'll find what you want by Googling 'barrier islands'... Just look for kitchen design, work flow, traffic flow, and use your imagination.

Lori,

In your other thread I think the "barrier" remark was in the more negative connotation sense: an island or penninula that gets in the way of work flow by blocking the work triangle pathways. (vs the more positive function of keeping other people and activity out of your way. Come to think of it, that positive function I see here more often termed "protecting the cook" or a similar phrase. Not "barrier". Here on this Forum "barrier island" seems almost always to be the more negative connotation.)

However, I'd like to respectfully disagree that your island is a "barrier" island. Yes, it separates the fridge from a sink BUT that sink is the cleanup sink. Big difference. Think about it: there's not much need for the fridge and cleanup sink/DW to be intimate.
Yeah, you have to put leftovers in the fridge I guess during clean up. And you have to toss the scary stuff in the back and clean the fridge now and then. But other than that...And since your fridge is lined up with the end of the island, and not deep in the elbow run, I really don't see much of a problem even with those tasks.

In your plan the fridge, prep sink and range are all together and accessible. No barriers or cross traffic. That is the key. IMHO.

i think i understand, but just so i make sure:

if, in the newly revised layout (thank you celticmoon!) i had just the island itself, it would function as a barrier as sweeby is descbing it. but because the prep sink will be on the corner of the island closest to the stove and fridge, squarely in the intended prep zone, that problem is minimized. sounds like it may also make sense to add an additional trash can somewhere on that side of the kitchen if possible?

if my choices are leave the layout the way it was with all that wasted floor space and a peninsula i wasn't really happy with, vs. an island that is so much more functional, but perhaps not 100% ideal if i had unlimited space (which i don't), then i think i'm sticking with the island.

thank you to all of you for helping me understand the terminology.
lori