Quick sort of answer to your questions...

Your first step is to determine what you want from your kitchen. One of our own GWers has devised a great test to help you with this very first step: Sweeby Test

Next, determine the flow of work in your kitchen. Also look at the traffic flow in/out/through your kitchen.

Then, start looking at what appliances you actually need, then what you want. Now, see how they all fit in the flow. Your sink will also be placed this way.

Yes, there are other considerations...such as window location if you want your sink under a window or available wall/tall cabinet space or cooktop/range location (strive for an outside wall as that makes venting much easier!)

As to the question in your thread subject, if you absolutely must have your sink or cooktop/range in the island, then the sink is better...fewer safety & functional issues!

Before committing to either one, I suggest you post your layout here and ask the various experts to work on it with you...free kitchen design help!

You've been here for awhile, so you probably know the drill! If you would like layout help, read the "Layout Help" section of the "Read Me" thread & post your layout here!

Here is a link that might be useful: Read Me If You're New To GW Kitchens!

Sink over the stove. The stove is a nice idea and it works better when entertaining but not very functional and can be a safety issue with kids depending on the dimensions of the island. It looks great on he cooking shows. Venting is an issue logistically and an eyesore. If you don't cook too much than you might want to consider a downdraft vent if you put the stove on the island. I doubt they work as well but it could be another question to ask.

agreed, layout would help immensely.

I have a 7.5 foot long island with 30" gas range in the middle. Our 'lifestyle" (for lack of a better word) is pretty much as rhome410 described - having people over, circulating around the island, talking to the cook and circulating between there and the living room (we knocked out a wall to make it more open). The island is the primary workspace in our kitchen though.

I do not think we could have achieved this without it being a 1 story house - we had to vent the hood straight up and out the roof. it wasn't a problem at all, but I dont' know how that could have been achieved if we had a second story (a recirculating hood, perhaps? Not sure how good those work).

I personally don't like sinks in islands because I feel like the dirty dishes are all on display all the time. we spend MUCH more time at the cooktop than we do at the sink, so it made sense to have the cooktop in the island.

That said, I realize not every kitchen can accomodate such a behemoth sized island but I can't imagine it being any smaller (it's 3' deep by 7'6" wide). It's great having that extra foot of space to put plated dishes or other things. Everyone at our house always ends up gathering around the island!

Unless you have a very small kitchen, it doesn't have to be an either or situation. But, if it is, a sink in the island is usually thousands cheaper than trying to vent a stove in an island.

I'm with the others that voted for sink in the island. Mostly because exhausting a stove in an island setup is more difficult. It also requires a hood with more cfm's in order to suck the grease/smoke which is able to float all over because there is no wall or cabinetry to help contain it. And some people feel an island hood may block a window view, or be bad for sightlines (depends on your setup). And of course, the greater expense for a large enough hood (3" wider than your cooktop on each side), with more cfms, and the ducting involved.

Furthermore, for entertaining and just being part of the conversation in the rest of the room, that will be much easier with the sink than with the stove. Cause with the stove, as you are working with frypans, boiling items, simmering sauces, etc., you better have your eyes down on what you're doing, not on the rest of the room! Working at the sink does not have that issue. As to dirty dishes, well, it IS a kitchen, isn't it? What--do people expect dishes not to be dirty, or to disappear somehow? Of course not. People will see dirty dishes whether the sink is in the island or elsewhere in the kitchen, so I wouldn't use dirty dishes as a deciding factor.

If you have the space, consider doing a dual level island (think Starbucks, but more residential-looking, and lower) which would hide the sink and its dirty dishes.

How much time do you spend working at a sink versus a stove?

I think once you consider that question, your answer may becmoe more clear. It's different for everybody.

I have a cooktop in my island and love it. We installed a downdraft because we did not want a vent hood and it works fine. It is nice to be able to look over the room when cooking. I have plenty of room on all sides for setting down dishes and it looks to be very safe.

I'm thinking about putting a sink in the island. Even though I don't spend a lot of time washing dishes compared to cooking I do spend more time at the sink if I consider washing and prepping things. Interested in hearing what others have to say aobut this. I AM concerned about having dirty dishes taking up island space and don't think cooking paraphenalia would look as unsighttly. Then there's the issue of keeping things at your fingertips for cooking such as salt and pepper, olive oil, spices (which I like to see at eye level rather than in a drawer.) This would be harder on an island. A sink would just require hand and dish soap to be out. So leaning toward putting the sink there but still not sure.

So how did it work out? Facing the same dilemma. :)

I vote for sink. I think it's easier to clean up the sink area; dishes in the dw and hide pots in n a deep sink. My stove area gets messy and greasy while cooking, plus the ventilation is an issue.