Are you saying that the island would be your ONLY eating area? Yes, I think this would definitely hurt your resale. In a modest 2-bedroom house, I wouldn't expect a large eating area, but I would expect SOME PLACE for a small table. Could you perhaps work in a small banquette, which requires significantly less space than a traditional table?

How much dining space will the new kitchen have?

I think your new layout will be a selling point to younger buyers who do not really have a desire for formal living/dining rooms, china cabinets etc. However an older buyer may be looking for a formal dining room.

As long as you have enough space for a decent size dining table that can seat 4-6 people with the new layout I do not thing it would not hurt resale chances. If you are going to be in the house for a while do whatever suits your needs the best.

You don't need a formal dining room but you do need an actual table space. Not too many people want to eat every meal at an island. Only one table space is needed for a modest home, not two.

I have a formal dining room which I never use, except occasionally on holidays. I have an eat in kitchen, that is where we have all our meals. I agree you need a place for a table & chairs, but it doesn't have to be a formal dining room (which I think are going the way of the dinosaurs, younger people don't seem to want them). Islands are nice but I wouldn't want all my meals there. I know islands are extremely popular now, but to me, in a small kitchen an island just makes it cramped. No offense to any GW'ers who've done so, but from time to time I see small kitchens where they've squeezed an island into a space that really isn't big enough. Islands, IMO belong in larger kitchens.

I haven't seen the layout, but if your potential buyers want guests over, I'd suspect they'd like at least a dining nook for entertaining. You probably won't expect their guests to warm up to eating in the kitchen. I'd not mind, but I'm an outlier in many respects.

I don't think you need a formal dining room either. I have an 1800 sq ft house and got rid of mine as it was seldom used. It's now part of the kitchen and the table is used daily and will still work fine for when we entertain formally. If you did something similar in your remodel, I think most people would be fine with that. I don't think most people would like it if an island was the ONLY place to eat. I know I wouldn't buy a house like that. I agree with lam702 that every kitchen doesn't need an island nor does an island fit well in every kitchen.

Why don't you share a diagram of your floorplan to see if the talented crew here can help you find a way to have a nice eating space and more storage and counter work space in your kitchen.

I do like the idea of a banquette, btw.

An island only? No table at all? That would be terrible for both use and resale. Although islands can be social gathering spots, they are not comfortable for having leisurely and social meals. You need a table for that.

I have a 1535 sqft house with a dining room, and we use it every day - there are only two of us. It is not exactly a separate room, but it is separated from the kitchen by a hallway and has openings in the wall to the living room that probably used to be windows. I cannot imagine not having a dining room, and I do not like the idea of a kitchen island for eating at all! From my point of view, losing a dining area would make the house undesirable, and I would not consider such a house. I never eat in kitchens and like having a relaxed place for dining. Before we bought this house, we lived in a 900 sqft house in Venice (CA), and it had a separate dining area that I would never had considered incorporating into the kitchen. The new owners have also kept the dining area as it was, as an "L" shaped appendage of the living room, but completely separate from the kitchen. There was a pocket door separating the kitchen from the dining area, and I consider this ideal.

I lived in a house in Houston that had a breakfast nook overlooking the back yard and off the kitchen, and that is as close to the kitchen as I would want to be when dining. I do not want to to feel like I am at a diner or lunch counter when I am having dinner or lunch.

I recently sold a small two bedroom cottage where the previous owner had opened up the kitchen wall onto the living room and installed a peninsula with a breakfast bar with room for three stools. There was possible space for a bistro table in the living room but anything that would seat more than two comfortably would have to be set up in the family room space in the basement.

Surprisingly enough, the lack of dining room and no table space did not cause a problem for us. The house sold quickly and I didn't get any negative feedback about the eating space.

You need at least one table space -whether it's a "formal" DR or a nook, there needs to be a place for a table. An island (or peninsula) is not sufficient.

It would be a deal-breaker for me (or else I'd deduct a significant amount of $ off my offer so I could get rid of the island to put in a table.)

Linda - but there was room for a table, even a small one. It may also depend on where you are - maybe in a city where people do not raise children or retire to (both need table space). I think your example is not the norm and I would not want to tell the OP that "it'll be all right" when most likely it will not be.

justjnl...try posting your layout here and see what others can come up with. See the (new) Read Me thread: New to Kitchens? Read Me First!

In particular, the FAQs that are referenced in the thread:

• How do I ask for Layout Help and what information should I include?

• Kitchen work zones, what are they?

• Aisle widths, walkways, seating overhangs, work and landing space, and others

• How do I plan for storage? Types of Storage? What to Store Where?

Thank you all for your excellent comments. I will measure and send a diagram for additional input. I really do want more work space and cabinets, and the contractor who gave me an estimate felt I should get a small round table and put an island parallel to the counter, but with an 8" overhang for a couple of stools. My concern is that the stools back up to the stairs going down to the family room! I am about ready to tank the entire remodeling and just reface the old cabinets and add different insides. I live alone so part of me feels I should do what suits MY lifestyle...but why spend money to detract from what I just spent. Anyhow, I really do appreciate all of your advise. When I post the details, maybe someone will have an even better solution!

7' is not wide enough for an island. You should post a layout of the space you are thinking of using and let people give you input.

Just another opinion here.... If I were looking at a very small, modest home I would prefer a spacious well-designed island for daily dining instead of a space where a table was forced into the plan just so one would have it for formal meals.

I wouldn't want a prep sink or cooktop in it, and there would have to be comfortable seating. If it's the only dining space it should be done in furniture quality materials - island & seats.

We have a dining room adjacent to the kitchen but eat almost exclusively at the island. I set out nice table settings - placemats/napkins/cutlery/good dinnerware/serving dishes - for all our meals. It's spacious and has pretty views. We have comfortable seats and both DH & I are comfortable sitting at counter height.

My kids, nieces & nephews - young to mid 30's - who are in the first-time homebuyer demographic, I'm sure would go for a big island over a dining room.

I agree that it's not ideal for everyone, but I think if it's done really well it would be desirable to many.

I would never give up my table in the designated dining area, but I have noticed that my daughter and her young family, who live with me, prefer the kitchen island. The island is 34", a comfortable working height, and has seating on three sides, so it's sociable. It's actually easier to maneuver around than the dining table, which is on casters and usually pushed against the wall, and of course, the island is more convenient to everything in the kitchen.

I think it depends on the person's age--I prefer the table, and I can't imagine asking my parents to sit at the island. The counter top material makes a difference, too. IMO, the wooden table is much more diner-friendly than the cold marble island top (which is excellent for pie crust and biscuit dough).

Hmmm, I've been trying to think of how to accurately answer this question.

On one hand, every place I've ever lived has had a space for a table so it might seem odd if there wasn't a spot. On the other hand, every single place that has had island or peninsula eating, every single meal was eaten there.

We are in our 30s (though not first time home buyers) with 4 kids. We have a formal dining room and an 8 ft long island. We eat every single meal at our island, we only use the dining room when company is here.

I guess maybe it is a generational difference because I personally prefer eating at an island or other counter height. It is more comfortable than a table.

An 8" overhang is really narrow...

I am young (29), and my husband and I aren't formal about anything. So this isn't about tradition or formal entertaining or any of that, but I would want a table. A table that I could sit at a normal height in a normal chair and face my husband or a friend when we eat. A table that I could spread out on and do a project at without monopolizing the kitchen or discovering I've set part of it down in something wet. A table where I can pick up whatever I have cooked, sit down, and enjoy it at my leisure in an area that feels calmer and neater and more comfortable than the chaos of the kitchen. Something about picking up and moving somewhere else lets me let all that activity go and just change gears mentally. Sitting at the island would just feel like a rushed pause between the activity of cooking and the activity of cleaning. Plus if you've just cooked at the island, isn't it a bit of a mess when you sit down to eat there? I wouldn't want to eat in a mess, nor let my food get cold while I clean it up.

Plus, generally, I like to change locations in a home. I think humans in general are fatigued by environmental monotony and need to change it up throughout the day. Having different defined areas of the home lets you do that.

I am exactly the opposite of Texas Gem. We have looked at condo after condo over the last few years, and the one thing that turns us off is how many of them have only bar seating with no room for a table. We much much prefer sitting at a table than at an island.

An island should have at least 3' around it on all sides. You have a 7' wide kitchen, therefore you could have a 1' wide island. That will look odd and won't give you even an 8" overhang.... Please post your layout so we can understand the thinking. Thanks.