1. Think it would look fine if you have the space. But what is the purpose of the raised portion?
2. Drawers generally a bit more expensive, but worth it. It is annoying to open the door, then pull out the shelf. Also have more usable space with drawer.
How high is the ceiling? Cabs over 42" look a bit unwieldy IMO.

It looks cool, but if you can have a continuous surface it can be more useful. Think about being able to spread out that much. It'll also be easier to clean the middle. You're still going to have to lean far over or use a handled mop or something, but it'll be easier the lower it is. You can put a continuous surface over the whole thing, including the pony wall.

The same components go into drawers and ROTS (box, interior boxes, rails, fronts). Some cabinet companies charge more for drawers because they have to be fitted more precisely, requiring more skilled labor. A lot of independent cabinetmakers assume they'll work as hard either way and charge equally for either.

tilenut... Thanks for the feedback. Fortunately, we have the space. My H wants the raised portion to provide some privacy but mainly for outlets, and I don't want the seating at bar-height. So, this is a compromise we came up with, a "divided" island.

I'm leaning towards drawers instead of cabinets with ROTS.

The upper cabinets will be around 48-49". I've seen a house with just one-piece upper cabinet that is about 60" tall (10' ceilings). I found it unsual since most of what I've seen is stacked cabinets. Anyway, I was just wondering because this may be a place to cut on the cost. :)

1. unless the raised partin thecenter is specifcally there forasinkbacksplash, i think you would be happier with one big surface, your outlets can go on the sides of the island

2. ithinkthe price difference between drawers and rollout shelves is minimal with some cabinet makers

3. once your cabinet doors go over 42", the stability of the wood is going to decrease, so if you are going to do that, i would have the style where it looks like a divided door but isnt

Doesn't look bad. I would like the idea especially if there were cooking appliance/ sink on the one side, the divider would be nice. With a 16" overhang it would be hard to reach the ledge from the left side of the drawing.

With the brands I sell, the pricing varies by manufacturer. Some are cheaper for drawers, some for roll outs. They are usually pretty close. Keep in mind the drawers are easier to use. You just open it, instead of opening a door then pulling out the tray.

plllog... I did try to get H to give up the wall, but he wants it for outlets.

I'm meeting a local cabinet maker this week. I hope he'll say it's the same price (drawer vs rots). :)

pence.. I'll bring up H outlet location concern again. He does not like it on the cabinets. Right now the main reason of the wall is for electrical outlets. There's a prep sink on the island, so it could serve as a backsplash for the sink. I didn't think about that.

robbcs3... Yes, it will be hard to reach the ledge from the left side. But I want to keep the cabinets on the left side of the wall at 24" depth.

Another question, how is the pricing between inset and full overlay with cabinet makers? :) Almost the same?

It looks like a "woops" design error or a compromise you made because of an older house, not an intentional design element. Multi level islands work because of the interesting different shapes and multiple different levels. If you wanted to make it an intentional design element, it would need to have more levels and something other than just the square shape.

Maybe like this:

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There needs to be a functional reason to have a multi level island beyond just "we need a place for electricals" or else it will be just a boring predictable rectangle with a useless sticking up part in the middle. So what about a lowered baking center for part of it? A raised microwave cabinet for part of it? A inset butcher block at a different height? A standing wine bar complete with brass foot rail? A display cabinet for your china? Think of some functional reason to have a multi level island and then design the island, and then look at where the electrical can go.

Live wire makes a valid point, but if you don't want bar height seating, that limits you, as table (lower) height would not provide outlet space. How about using two different materials, such as wood/ granite, and keep it at counter height? Also, the wall can serve as a plumbing chase, giving you more room in the under sink cab.

There are several issues with your proposed design.

24" full depth shelving is difficult to fully access without pullouts even without an overhang shielding access. You will not be able to really use the storage as designed underneath the seating area. Shallow depth storage is the only type of storage that can be accessed under a seating overhang. Plus, with the overhang, you will need to be able to have some points of attachment for your support brackets. That means solid spacers between the cabinets. You could do 24" wide 15" shallow cabinets separated by 3" spacers with solid backing for the corbels and then have a 15" overhang for the seating side. But, with the high section in the middle, it wouldn't feel at all social with that barrier in the way.

If you did an "H" shaped island, with a tall display cabinet on one end, a raised microwave cabinet on the other, and your counter height cabinets and seating in the middle of the "H", that could give you the multiple heights that you want as well as the seating at the counter height that you want.

As far as accessing a 24" deep cabinet under an overhang. We have one cabinet that is like this at the one end of my peninsula. It's really no problem to access. We store things that I don't use on an everyday basis. I just need to get down under the overhang (15") to get to it, AND be very careful when coming back up so I don't bang my head on the granite, which I've already done....OUCH!!!

However with that being said, I'm really not a fan of this design you have come up with. I guess I understand what your DH is saying about the outlets, but I really don't think it will look very good.

If he wants outlets, what about a power grommet?

As far as accessing a 24" deep cabinet under an overhang. We have one cabinet that is like this at the one end of my peninsula. It's really no problem to access. We store things that I don't use on an everyday basis. I just need to get down under the overhang (15") to get to it, AND be very careful when coming back up so I don't bang my head on the granite, which I've already done....OUCH!!!

LOL. So much for "no problem."

I agree with LWO. Look at her third photo. Now, mentally remove the higher side cabinets, and the range. And the higher seating overhang. What your left with a mystery projection in the middle of an island. It's a WTF moment, and it looks like a bad retrofit.

No, no problem, really... just need to be aware of your surroundings.

here's a couple of pics of cabs I had saved. Rhome also has a very tall cabinet with 1 set of doors (not stacked).

Friends of mine had 53" inch uppers with heavy slab wooden doors built for a kitchen with 10 ft ceilings. The space is open and the look is spectacular. After eight or nine years, the cabinets are not in the least succumbing to gravity, but at least one cabinet door hinge has had to be replaced.

Best of luck.

Thank you all for the feedback! Great to know upper cabinets with one door is possible. I'm meeting with the cabinet maker tomorrow. We'll see what he says.

Regarding the island, I played around it more. I disregarded the "H" island because of less seating. Here's a "T". What do you think? :) Any comment/suggestion? Is it still as bad as the original?

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GreenDesigns... You said, "...with a tall display cabinet on one end, a raised microwave cabinet on the other..."

I'm wondering how tall? Thanks!