I realize this pics are pretty bad but you get the point.

Need to decide if I want to switch to this asap.

I think you need to work with a kitchen designer. IMO the plan is pretty rough regardless of the island shape. There are way too many traffic paths cutting through. I do think the odd shaped island isn't great though. While you gain a bit more countertop space it's not worth losing the floor space. Odd shaped islands also tend to read more "dated" which will hurt resale value.

If you posted an entire floor plan of your home we might be able to help more.

It is your kitchen and your money so do what you want...not what is easiest for the contractors. On the other hand, I would prefer the look of the first drawing or would you consider doing an L-shaped island and bump a portion of it into that other space?

If you do an 8' (plus overhangs) island, with a 24" cabinet on the back side, you will still have space for three seats:

Neither is good. You need at least 15 inches overhang for comfortable counter height seating. Forget the curved island. It looks dated.

@vinmarks do you work with kitchens often? Would you recommend rectangle then with 15 inch overhang? I could do that and still have almost 4' (maybe 44 inches) from counter to wall where corner is.

Thanks for all the advice. I do think rectangle looks better in general, but I was thinking I like the idea of not sitting in a straight line and possibly it helping with corner issue. And I'm updating all the countertops, backsplash, colors, etc. but I guess a rounded island could still read dated.

IMO an island needs to lie up with something and that one doesn’t. There is no walkway the right size in the new and “improved” Your scale is all off for the stools and the walk behind them.

@Patricia, yes I just randomly drew some stools to get an idea -I just don't have a better drawing as I'm trying to change last minute. Walkways- are 46" on all sides, I think 48" to table. What do you say is correct walkway. I've always read 36-52. And most people I've talked to say 42" is plenty....

No to curved island. Mine is 100” long and 36” wide, with only a 12” overhang. We have 4 barstools here, though usually only 2 of us sit here at a time or just our teenager (who’s 6’ and fits fine). A lot of people get all bent out of shape about smaller seating area but in the grand scheme of things, it works fine and looks fine. Would I have a family of 4 sit here for dinner every night? No, probably not, but we have a kitchen table and a dining room table available for that. As far as resale value and just aesthetics the island looks good and seating is available.

I think the confusion came from the scale of your drawing, posted without measurements--at least it was for me. If the red line is 44", then it's at the NKBA minimum for a walkway behind seating, and should be OK.

My eye wants the island to be the same length as the stove wall and lined up with it. How much space is there between the fridge wall and the island if you scootch it to line up with the stove?

Gah! Didn’t look at the date sorry. Did you find a good solution?