Our new design will have a raised bar on the island. I like the depth it provides to a large piece (mines going to be about 8x5). The bar should only be about 4 inches higher than the counter side so would it hide the sink/faucet completely?

Oh and we had seams in the granite in our last house and it never bothered us...

My 7 year old and his buddy and 5 yr old brother sit at the bar at his buddy's house all the time. They do fall off occasionally but just sort of bounce. No damage done. =)

This is personal preference, but I like having a raised section on my counter. It prevents "spread" if people are sitting at the counter with plates and I want the rest of the counter free for other things. I also serve buffet at my counter and the 2 heights are fine (people circle around it to get to both sides and it creates a traffic flow.) Several of my friends have this kind of set up and it works very well for entertaining. (Also, we all have kids.)

If you raise the bar area enough, you have room for outlets at the back of the lower part of the counter which would be nice. (We couldn't do that because we had already raised all the counter heights to 39" - we're tall.)

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's how it looks from the side

I sure hope others reply as I believe the consensus on this forum is to not raise the counter. Obviously, not everyone is the same, but it is clear from your post that you would prefer not to raise your counter and I just want you to know you are in very good company.

From reading many of these posts over the several years I have been here  I would not want a raised counter either. I donÂt even want a sink or a cooktop! I want all that lovely flat counter space for prep, art projects, gift wrapping, buffets, etc. etc. etc. :-)

Yes, while there are some people who like raised bars for their particular uses, most people much prefer a single, flat surface. Since you do too, and since you don't mind the seam, just make sure you have a good fabricator and go for it.

Also, if you have stone with a lot of character, rather than an all over crystalline pattern, you can get it bookended (butterflied, mirrored, etc.--lots of words for it). That's where they take two slices from next to each other in the cut block, and polish the sides that are together in the same cut. Then they lay them out in opposite directions so that the pattern is mirror imaged from the middle.

An alternative is to compromise on which stone you choose and get one of the superhuge ones.

Here's a different perspective =

People that want the room to "flow" into the next (kitchen into family room, etc)
usually opt for the island to be all one level.

This creates the illusion of a wider space (that's what the Designers tell me anyways-
I'm just a Fabricator...HA!)

I have to agree with 'em though - and we've owned 6 homes over the
last 35 years with both scenarios.

The raised upper (on the other hand) will "hide" stuff so you can't see it
from the family room - this is especially handy for slobs that are not neat
freaks or don't like to clean up the mess from a meal right away (I guess
that I am a slob - because I find this an attractive feature for ME ...HA!)

Either way is fine - single level or two levels - and the fashionistas will NOT
bust you for either choice.

Seriously though - Just remember that IF you have a sink or cooktop
on the lower - you'll need to think about clearances for faucets, escutcheons,
accessories and vent hoods - in relationship to the amount of overhang that
your upper will extend in over the lower countertop.......

IF on the other hand -
your lower/upper is like Chicagoans (VERY nice looking application by the way)
you should have no worries!!!!

hth

kevin

See if you can find some of the other threads--under other titles maybe such as bilevel island , 2 levels, similar.

It is highly personal and you should really think ahead about how you want to use your island and what are the pros and cons. First whether to bilevel at all or not, and then even the design, what part of island is high or low, how much, which direction, how high, makes a difference in how it all works. Also the family members' ages .

Good luck!

I am not a fan of the raised counter. I don't like how it breaks up the expanse of the island. Also, I don't like the taller stools required. Even though I am tallish I feel uncomfortable on them (I hate "pub tables" for the same reason).

How big is the island? Maybe there is a way to use different surfaces to avoid a seam? Such a a wood area at the end, for prep, and the rest in granite (what I wish I had done, grrrr).

I too like a big one level island for more room to lay things out, like cookie dough, pie crusts, & to have people on the other side help or just be more connected to what's going on. It depends on how big your island is. It's sounds like you have a sink in your island so there may not be much room to do anything else. It's generally up to you & what you want to do at that island. Are you going to work at it or do you want a barrier to hide unsightly sink messes & help keep people out of kitchen ?
Good Luck

We have a peninsula not an island, but we did a raised counter. I like how it separates our kitchen from dining room, while at the same time keeping it open (if that makes sense), but that is specific to our layout. Also, if I have dishes/prep stuff on the kitchen side and not feel like it's "infringing" on the eating space for those sitting at the bar. My faucet is fairly tall so it's certainly not hidden completely. Plus I'm the opposite of Sue36, I adore sitting on bar stools, something about them makes me feel like I'm a little kid again with my feet dangling. :D

And now that I've said all that - I think you should totally get what you want! I've gone against the advice of our cabinet guy and our contractor because it's me that will use our kitchen after all. I love the idea of butterflied slabs on the island if you have a stone with movement, it will make it look more like a piece of art than a counter.

Lots of great opinions. Thank you! I do think I'm going with the flat island. It is a large irregular shaped island and I do think I'll love having a large area to do arts and crafts and what not. I bet I won't even notice the seam unless its done poorly. Thanks much everyone :)

Not sure why cabinet makers always seem to encourage bilevel islands. I think it depends on what best suits your needs. I serve lots of buffet meals, especially at the holidays. I still have small children at home and I think they may be more comfortable at lower seats. Plus we do lots of homework at our island. Plenty of room to spread out.

My island is 10 ft. by 4 ft. (actually a little larger) and I do not have a seam. So, it can be done.

I was determined not to have a seam, and I found a slab big enough to cover my island.

My SIL has a bilevel island and loves her island. No children left at home and people rarely sit at her island.

This is why I love my island.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:1592315}}