Hello GW friends. I posted here back in March asking
for feedback on whether you liked your grey/green/blue painted cabinets. I
chose a moss green, Shaker style with inset. It’s been a long haul, and I’m at
least (most) partly to blame on that due to indecision on one thing or another.

We're nearing the finish line, and have windows and
the island left to do. The island is where I would like some feedback.

It may not show so well but the sink cabinet is not
moss green like everything else, but a cream colour. Long story how we got
there but right now (aside from the three open shelves and a bit of trim) it's
the only thing that colour in the room. I figure we need to have the island in
that colour. Simple design, butcher block top, three 36-inch wide pot drawers
and, depending on, a 10-inch or so overhang to slide a stool in.

It's an old house and the kitchen is a bit of an odd
shape. Its about 25 feet long , split into two pieces, one about 14 feet wide and the other about 10 (due to the stairwell being there). Before the reno, the kitchen was a U in one end, the other end was a
dining area. I
moved the table out of there and extended the kitchen, putting the fridge over
there and more cabinets. We do have a breakfast bar with seating down at the
far end end, but it’s a long way from the main work area, so I need something
to perch on in the main work space.

The island will be centred under that schoolhouse
light. That old table in that spot is only temporary.

My first question is which way to situate it. If it’s perpendicular to
the sink wall, it would be about 2 feet wide by 50-56 inches long, and would
allow for an overhang for a stool. If it’s parallel to the sink wall, it would
only be about 4 feet wide. If I sit it
that way, it wouldn’t have room for a stool, so I would put a small table and a
couple of chairs along the railing (to be replaced eventually with new rails or
a half wall, and not any time soon) opposite the fridge. There’s about 7 feet
of floor space there so room for a small table. The plus side of the first
layout is that the countertop would a bit longer, but then the island is
partially situated between two doorways on either side (so if you were coming
in from the back porch into the living room you’d have to jog around around the
island a bit, and may be a bit of a pinch between the stool end and the
stairwell; on the other hand having an
island and a small table that close together may be a bit much – and though it
keeps the way clear between the two doorways may also visually divide the room.

I’ve included photos of existing hardware – antique
English pulls on the bottom and glass knobs on the top. I’m considering using something
totally different on the island, more ornate or heavy, different metal etc
(included a few samples of what might work?). Is that done – three different
kind of hardware? My thinking is that it would set apart the island as a
separate component in the kitchen which would go with the heritage feel I was
trying to achieve here. It would pick up on the colour of the sink cabinet, but
the top and hardware being different would give it a different feel.

So in summary,
feedback on:

Island position?

Island colour – maybe not cream at all?

Island hardware? Suggestions and online sources for
something different?

Island only or island and kitchen table?

I await your sage advice.