Leveling the island ruins the eating near the sink. Will you reconfigure so no one has to eat in your sink filth? What other colors do you have in your home? What you have is neutral and you could go a lot of ways.

There are many people who have reconfigured/hacked their current cabinets in order to turn their island into one that it all counter height. If you do a search, you will find some blogs/videos on how they turned their two level island into one level (counter height).

these show the reverse but a white island w medium brown is the idea. I would look at factory provided white finishes ...there are a few whites many times. I'd look for RTA in a factory white to help w savings...skooch a single sink to the left or offcenter a bit and I wouldnt worry about the "mess issue" as the island looks pretty long..what are the dimensions you want? You need to get a better lighting plan....the trio of trac lites has served its time...upgrade lighting w your project.

medium brown looks great w the correct white...you can keep it simple.

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I see a DW so no filth unless you prefer to not use the DW . I never think a raised bar hides mess so load as you go get a Bosch with quick wash cycle 30 mins . Then IMO do the cabinets the same as the rest if possible since the counters should be all the same and then a nice cohesive look .I assume the counters arw granite so should be doable to match. IMO a white island will look cheap.

Can you keep your current cabinets and just have the tall cabinet at the end shortened and the sink cabinet brought in line with the dishwasher and drawer stack?

You do realize that shorter stools will require a wider overhang. It will need to go from 12" to 15" so you can sit comfortably at the counter.

Not a professional rendition, but good enough to give you an idea of what it might look like with a single height counter and light counter on island and light backsplash.

I will admit - when I had an open concept kitchen I kept it cleaner than I do with a closed concept, so having nowhere to hide the mess is sometimes a blessing in disguise.

Can you please post a floor plan with measurements? You have some challenges ahead of you. You have that oddly indented sink area, and the overhang needed for seating at a bar height counter is different from what you will need at counter height. Then there’s the different flooring in the space, and now is the time to deal with your backsplash tile if you wish to do so. More pictures would help too.

Two countertop colors and two cabinet colors are too, too much in one kitchen.

Have you talked to carpenters about keeping the current island, and cutting it all down to one level? I'd explore that first and add white countertops to the entire kitchen.

Is this a new home? How long have you lived in it? There are enough challenges here that I'd caution you about spending too much money now on making piecemeal changes: The fridge is right behind the sink and dishwasher area. Seems like a total traffic jam. Your hood cabinet is oddly higher than the rest. Does the hood vent outside? And, of course, the island configuration is super weird. Everything you do now will be dictated by the current tile flooring, which doesn't match the room it opens in to.

Were it my kitchen, I'd paint the backsplash. And live with it all until I could afford a full kitchen remodel.

Post all angles of the kitchen

You have hardwood in the dining area, and for me? The first thing to go is the tile, and unify both areas to ONE flooring.

I'd START over with the island, and if you want to keep the existing dark perimeter cabinetry? Put a paint color on a whole new island.

Can you clarify this:? below?

"and with it new cabinets and countertops. Ideally we keep the remaining kitchen counters and cabinets the same, so what would go with the dark cabinets and counters? We are also updating the backsplash."

You want..new cabinetry or not?

Bottom line? Show ALL of the kitchen, more pictures, include all the surrounding areas.......and all angles.

I’m with @Kendrah, the fridge location behind the sink and on the other side of the island from the dining table would get on my nerves, I would also want continuous wood flooring into the kitchen and recessed lighting throughout the whole space - if it were me, I’d sit tight and save for a full reno

(we lived with a tiny kitchen with an insane layout for 6 years before we moved it to another part of the house, so I understand the wait is brutal)

Generally if you have 24" b/w the faucet and seating overhang edge people don't get splashed.

However, for most people sometimes dishes do stack up and I, personally, would not like sitting at the island with dirty dishes in my "face" or have them front & center and on display for all to see. It's one thing to have a prep "mess" while you're prepping (Prep Zone in island with prep sink) - you can take the dishes over to the cleanup area when done and have a clean island. It's another to have a dirty dish (Cleanup Zone) "mess" sitting around on an island (or peninsula) for a few hours or more. And as someone else mentioned, raised bars like the OP currently has don't do much to "hide" a dirty dish mess - it only hides it from someone whose head is below the counter level, everyone else can easily see the mess.

I'm not a fan of a Cleanup Zone in the island, but I know others are OK with it. Perhaps the OP is one of those who doesn't care. Regardless, unless there's a prep sink behind the island somewhere where we cannot see, it seems to me there's not much prep workspace on the non-DW side of the sink currently. Making it all one level will increase workspace. But, the DW is in the way b/w the range and Prep Zone side of the sink and that's not ideal. (Imagine an open DW and trying to dodge the door when taking a boiling pot of pasta water to drain in the sink.)

As someone else mentioned, if you lower the counter, the seating overhang will need to be increased as well (the lower the counter, the more overhang space is needed). The transition b/w the tile and wood floors will likely come into play with the stools straddling the floors. Is the transition completely smooth so there will be no issues moving the stools back and forth? If not, it could become a problem when someone is sitting at the island.

Are you planning to ever redo the rest of the Kitchen, not just the island? If so, I strongly suggest waiting to redo it all together so it's a cohesive design overall. I know it's difficult to wait (unfortunately, we've become a society of "instant gratification" with no patience for waiting) but waiting often brings bigger rewards than trying to do things piecemeal and having to later tear out something we spent a lot of money to do earlier b/c it doesn't work or, worse, having to cobble something together b/c we aren't willing to tear out earlier work.

I watch some of the shows on HGTV and think - where do these people come up with $100k or more to renovate their kitchen.

I had to prioritize how my money was spent and taking out perfectly good cabinets or flooring for aesthetic purposes had to come after maintaining my home (no roof leaks, HVAC working, replacing broken appliances . . . ), paying off the mortgage, saving toward retirement, saving for a new car, replacing worn out furniture . . .

There simply wasn't enough disposable income to willy-nilly replace things that weren't going to make a huge difference in how much I would enjoy living in my home.

Based on my priorities (yours may be different), I would not care that the kitchen is tile and the other rooms have wood flooring. Tile works well in kitchens and baths. Tile is less likely to get damaged. Yes it may look prettier with all wood, but there is nothing wrong with the way it looks now and there are thousands upon thousands of homes with tile in only the kitchen and baths. There was carpet in one of the bathrooms when I bought my current home and the carpet smelled like urine. That was a priority and had to be ripped out as quickly as possible after I moved into the house.

The cabinets look like they are in good shape. I wouldn't replace them or paint them.

As far as the placement of the fridge in relation to the island, I am not sure that would bother me. I think there is sufficient room to fully open and close the doors and pull the drawers out for washing. It may be nicer to have a bit more space so that when someone is in front of the fridge looking for something to eat someone else could walk past them, but I can wait a minute or walk around the island, so it would not be a deal breaker.

I like to bake pastries and often bake cookies that need to be decorated with some of the kids in my family. Having a single level island instead of the tiered island would allow the kids to be on one side of the counter and me on the other side and they can decorate the cookies while I roll the next batch. That functionality improvement would be enough to make me spend money on making the island made one level.

I love having a large island without a sink or cooktop or anything else breaking up the surface, but I don't see a good place to move the sink and moving plumbing can add a lot of costs to any renovation, so I would compromise and be happy with the sink in the island.

The decisions on what you need to do to make your home a place that you enjoy living in and how much money you can spend without impacting any higher priority goals are very personal decisions that you will need to make.

the ideas and opinions run the entire spectrum when seeking Houzz. If you have budgeted for new cabinets as you state why not proceed w the dimensions you have and go to a few showrooms. I would look over all kinds of real islands...island kitchens arent going anywhere. the space looks generous and creative things can be done w paint color/trim/ counter edging / faucet style... components make the end result. I think the inspiration seeking phase is where you are.....this can end up in one of many possible ways. By visiting showrooms you can find someone who you click with , also.

@ la_la Girl - had to laugh when I read your post

"we lived with a tiny kitchen with an insane layout for 6 years before we moved it to another part of the house, so I understand the wait is brutal"

My brother and SIL moved into their home in 1986. The kitchen was not well designed - the range door and the dishwasher door could not be opened at the same time as both were close to the corner. There was a lot of unused space along one wall and not nearly enough counter space. They, like you, decided to save money until they could afford to redo the entire kitchen.

My first nephew was born in 1990 and his brother in 1993. They needed to set aside money for college so there wasn't a lot of savings going toward renovating the kitchen.

My SIL finally got her new kitchen in 2023. (37 years after moving into their home.)

Often, the best place for the sink IS the island!

No client of mine ever has issues- it never is an issue with an island depth of 48” -54/60”

Generlly if someone has only space for 36”?

More often that layout will demand the sink under the only window. These are usually kitchens dated pre 2000.

Admittedly , I will never understand why clean as you preo / cook is so difficult. To me?

A meal is far more enjoyable when not faced with a mess that is easily avoided with the ever handy DW and a bit of hand wash and stow.

I completely disagree with the island being the best place for a cleanup sink. That is a no go for me. Prep sink yes. Cleanup sink…big nope.

Then don’t put a clean up sink in Clyde. It doesn’t change the fact that in some plans the island is in fact the best spot.

@Jennifer Hogan love the range door and DW location - classic!

ours had the fridge across from the range with a hall door/opening between them, I would have to press myself against the fridge door to even peek in the oven. I had toddler boys at the time and was so worried they would get burned barreling into the kitchen so taught them to treat it like a railroad crossing so they always had to stop and make a train noise - had to make it some sort of game 😅

the kitchen was so small we just added the space to the dining room - i am weirdly nostalgic about it now

So glad your SIL finally got the new kitchen!

@WestCoast Hopeful What was said is "often" the island is the best place for the cleanup sink. I disagree. Of course there will be times when the island is the only spot for a cleanup sink. But we have seen plans before where people are putting the cleanup sink on the island when it does not need to be there. It's just a differing opinion just like you like your cleanup sink in the island. It doesn't work for me.

First yes level the island. You can have an island/counter with a different and the perimeter white works great. Personally I do not like sink in islands. I would move it to the side against the wall. I think it looks better especially during cleanup there aren't a bunch of dishes stacked out in the open. :-)

Some of you literally cannot clean as you go or put your dishes in the dishwasher. It’s shocking.

@WestCoast Hopeful Why would you assume that? We do clean as we go and put dishes in the dishwasher but there are things that we do not put in the dishwasher. We always have things on a drying mat hence why sinks in islands don't work for the way we use our kitchen.

Here is what is currently on my drying mat. I got it washed and I will dry it once I finish exercising. Yes those are parts to our coffee maker. No we don't put them in the dishwasher because we set up our coffee the night before.

The dimensions of the space often dictates where things can be placed. You have to work with the space that you have.

If this were your space how would you avoid having the sink and dishwasher in the island?

@Jennifer Hogan If you read my other post I said "Of course there will be times when the island is the only spot for a cleanup sink." I don't understand why people are getting up in arms because some of us don't like cleanup sinks in islands.

@ la_la Girl the worst one I have encountered was a kitchen where the sink and dishwasher were placed in a corner so when you opened the dishwasher the door was in front of the sink.

And it’s so awful if someone sees that? Or if you dry those things and put them away. The comments are people who suggest it’s messy, which some have here, with dishes piled up. It’s not hard to put things away, especially with guests over. You do you Clyde.

I have a nephew who married and built a mulit million dollar home. He is not allowed to make himself a snack in the kitchen. It must stay magazine ready at all times. Most people live in the real world and have a myriad of things to do before and after each meal. Most of us have SOs who would not win a neat contest down at the local pub, even though I am sure you all would. And since I do appreciate any help with daily chores I am not going to become the splash police. I don't want to have dishes piled where I have to look at them from my place on the barka lounger. WHO DOES??? The world where there is no where else but the island for a stove top or kitchen sink, is a fantasy. I see thousands of kitchens they have managed to avoid this insult to guests. Because it's the easy way out does not make it the only way.

Sounds like you have some relationship things to work through. Meanwhile I’ll be enjoying my island sink. And just another hot take but I don’t need anyone to help me daily chores. They aren’t mine. Chores belong to the household and as a family we get stuff done.

" Sweetie....... if you made it and you ate it? You tidy up whatever you made and ate: )"

I would bash a wall and run a marathon to avoid an island cook top......BUT

As to a sink? Or two?

Someone who routinely hosts twenty plus folks every weekend? Do tell me where you'd put the sink/s down here?

Because I can tell you.... no guest is "insulted".

The easiest way is " tidy as you go" and everyone under 80 yrs old? Pitch in if you ate a morsel of the feast...unless catered.

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Jan, those kitchens are to die for--so well done, Brava!

@WestCoast Hopeful You made my day!

" I don’t need anyone to help me daily chores. They aren’t mine. Chores belong to the household "

I assume guests come to my home because they like my company and they like my cooking. If they don't like seeing dishes on a drying mat or even a few in the sink they can stay home and cook for themselves or invite me to their home for dinner.

^^

I'm there! What are we having and can I BRING anything: )! Salad ....dessert??

@WestCoast Hopeful and @Jennifer Hogan Who said anything about guests not seeing dishes on a drying mat? I sure didn't. I could care less if my guests see dishes in a sink or on a drying mat. We have had plenty of times that dishes were on a drying mat when guests were here. This is no different then people who don't want things on their counters. Guess what? I have things on my counter. This is not about what other people see because I could care less what other people see. This is about how our household operates and if you reread my comments I said it doesn't work for me. If you want sinks in your islands have at it but don't go after me because I don't like sinks on islands. Yeesh! Oh and I do have a sink on my island. It's called a prep sink.

I wasn't referring to you, Clyde, nor were J.H or W.C..

Read and follow: )

Correct Jan.

@ Clyde Kalvin - I am not sure how you interpreted my comments as an attack against you.

I agreed with you that it is okay to have things out on a drying mat and I told the OP

" I love having a large island without a sink or cooktop or anything else breaking up the surface, but I don't see a good place to move the sink and moving plumbing can add a lot of costs to any renovation, so I would compromise and be happy with the sink in the island. "

If anything short of stating a sink should never be in the island is going after you, then I guess I am guilty.

@JAN MOYER - you are welcome to come for dinner or stay for a week. Just let me know the next time you are headed to Pennsylvania Dutch Country.