We have island seating, we (us/adult family and friends as well as children and nieces/nephews/friends) use it constantly. In my future home, we will have a much larger island with min. 4 seats and very deep. We socialize and sit around throughout the day. I can be standing on the other side of the island prepping something and holding conversation with someone sitting there (added bonus - being right in their face prepping either food or for serving also inspires them to offer help more than if they were distant). I know the trend is sinks in the island, I wouldn't like that at all, unless maybe a small prep sink off to the side. I don't like the visual clutter nor the idea of splashing etc. so my personal tastes are - if your main sink is in the island, don't plan seating there or at least don't plan eating there.

A minor drawback I also see to the booth is children/people wanting in or out constantly, at certain ages kids will find anything to fight about and I just see that being an extra starter. lol. For me, while it's adorable to sit there and do homework or read the morning paper, for overall daily use an island works better.

I will say to some of my best friends have an island with seating and I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone sit at it except for my son maybe twice when the main table was full. I attribute the lack of use entirely to the poor layout they inherited when they purchased the house.

We are doing a dinette area with a table and chairs right next to the kitchen and a formal dining space. We have a big island but no seating at it because I don't love counter seating and I wanted storage all the way around my island instead.

We went with 2 islands in our kitchen. The first has the main sink and storage all the way around...my work horse. The second island has seating for 4 and then 2 more on the sides if needed. This keeps the kids close enough for when they need assistance but far enough away to not be in my work zone. It's also very nice serving area as the stools are backless and push in as to not be in the way. With 2 dishwashers and a little bit of towel drying, my island is never a place of clutter. The second island is walnut and almost looks like a furniture piece while the main island is quartzite, giving the space cohesiveness but 2 distinct areas.

In our old house, where we raised our boys, we had a booth and it was perfect for us. The boys had the bench seats because parents are always up and down through meals, aren't they? The seats were on cabinets where they stored whatever they wanted (knobs happen to be blocked by the chairs in this photo) from toys when they were little to school project stuff as they grew. Obviously you'd need more seating. And yes, that's where they sat for after school snacks or homework help at night.

I think a table is preferable, and for homework, it is preferable to have it in a nearby room, not right where dinner is being prepared/ served. I assume the reason it is being done at meal preparation time is due to both parents working? If not, then they can do their homework right after school anywhere.

I'm a fan of tables, not booths or islands.

I don't have a preference between island seating and banquette seating; however, I will echo an above poster in saying that the real deal-breaker with either type of seating is whether it's well designed or not. Island seating that's cramped or too shallow won't be used. A banquette that's too far from the kitchen won't work. Whichever option you choose, be sure it's ideally designed.

Having said that, I think the concept of children happily completing homework while mom cooks nearby is over-rated. The reality for us was that the kids only needed to be with us during homework in those first few years while they were practicing their reading ... and for that purpose, Mom needs to be able to read along, which means she can't cook at the same time. And if you're talking about more than one kid, doing homework together often backfires: The one who's reading out loud disturbs the one who's practicing multiplication facts. I just don't think the kids-doing-homework-at-the-island thing works most of the time.

As such, I'd focus on what'd work best for meals.

I think it's good to plan for homework somewhere in the main part of the house - I had a desk in my room but rarely used it, preferring to be where the rest of the family was. It drove my mom nuts that my brother and I would inevitably spread our things out right in the middle of everything. That said, we had a desk behind the couch as a console table that did work perfectly for this purpose, as it was right off the kitchen but not in the way. I would say, as others have, that you'll be happier with a solution that doesn't have your workspace shared with kids' homework, be that a desk near the kitchen or a breakfast nook type table. We currently just have a very big main dining table and use one end for projects and the other for eating, which works well for us. As our daughter gets older we plan to put a desk in the playroom right off the kitchen.

Homework seems a lot different these days? Our oldest is in 6th grade and probably 75% of his homework is on his school iPad, including flipped lessons. I would rather have him with me when he's on the device. Even our 2nd grader has some homework on a computer or device.

We don't have an island we have a table in the middle of the kitchen.

Thank you everyone for the great perspectives! I envision the main dining table, kitchen, and booth/island seating all within the same open space. The dining table would be large enough to fit 8 people (expecting to be a family of 6) and will be a place only for eating (and not formal!). I am thinking the booth or island seating would not be used for eating much, more as a gathering place for talking or homework or watching mom/dad cook. It seems like both have their pros and cons but I definitely agree with MrsPete that whichever is chosen would need to be designed well to function! Loving the descriptions and uses of everyone's spaces! Thank you! DLM, your booth looks inviting!

With a bigger-than-the-American-normal family (seriously, I have 5 kiddos and think of us as being on the higher end of "medium sized"... seems weird to say, "big", lol), I say plan for both a large table *and* a counter-height island.

Having options -- like both table and island -- is also one of the reasons why I'm in love with window seats. Window seats in public areas of the house can be used for all kinds of activities, including homework, reading, drawing, nature watching, napping, etc., and can provide a little Introvert Space to kids who would like a little away-nook while still being nearby. This is really important in a larger family, especially if the kids share bedrooms (which I also strongly support, lol).

Regardless of what, how many, and the size of what you have, you'll either get good at quickly and efficiently clearing old things away in preparation for new tasks, or you'll go insane trying to get things done among the chaos of clutter. As long as you have sufficient storage -- everything has its place when put away -- you'll be fine. :-)

When I was a kid I had my own desk, but almost always did my homework at the kitchen table. It wasn't because I wanted to be watched/helped by my parents, but because of the SPACE - a dining room is DEEP, perfect for that's binder, textbook, scribbler, geometry set, and everything else that needs to (annoyingly) be out to finish a single homework assignment!

Homework seems a lot different these days? Our oldest is in 6th grade
and probably 75% of his homework is on his school iPad, including
flipped lessons. I would rather have him with me when he's on the
device. Even our 2nd grader has some homework on a computer or device.

What I'm hearing: Be sure you have electrical outlets placed appropriately in the kids' homework area.

When I was a kid I had my own desk, but almost always did my homework at the kitchen table.

I always sat on my bed to do homework.

I have a 6th grader also and agree the majority of homework is done on an ipad. Electrical outlets don't need to be nearby, the school ipads hold their charge all day. He does his homework at the kitchen table. Our island has seating on both sides (2 stools on one end facing each other and 2 on the other end of the island) my husband and I are the only ones who use it when we dine alone.

I would plan on outlets, we will see how often the schools update their ipads.

So many thoughts! When it comes to the simple matter of "seating", booths look cool and designer, but the fact is that they are only usable with a lot of "butt scooting". They are awkward and difficult to enter and exit, if more than two people are to use them, and if there is only way one to enter and exit.

When it come to access and exit, nothing is more convenient than a single chair or stool around a table or counter.

DF is planning something like this, with a goal of max seating = 4.

I would plan on outlets, we will see how often the schools update their ipads.

Or if you move up to laptops one day, they won't hold a charge long.

When it comes to the simple matter of "seating", booths look cool and
designer, but the fact is that they are only usable with a lot of "butt
scooting". They are awkward and difficult to enter and exit, if more
than two people are to use them, and if there is only way one to enter
and exit.

Depends upon how it's designed. For example, here's one with bench seating for two ... plus four more seats around the other three sides ... not much scooting at all:

We have a double outlet in the floor under the kitchen table but we don't use it. Not sure an outlet really is necessary for device charging purposes, the candy bar- or lipstick-sized portable chargers are inexpensive and seem to work pretty well.

Love that first "booth" MrsPete, actually looks like fun to sit in with still some space savings! Interesting about all the electronic use in schools, my kids arent old enough yet for school so I didnt realize so much was electronic now! I am really glad I asked this, lots of things I didnt think of! I am hoping to find a way to leave the dining table free of clutter for eating so some other surface (table/desk/counter) can stay covered in projects in the central area without having to mess with it for eating.. Also like the idea of window seats as a way to "get away" but still be included.

I grew up in a house with an enclosed kitchen, with an L shaped banquette kitchen table in the corner. There were six at it every night for supper, three on the bench and three on the outside in chairs. There was only one person on the "inside" who couldn't come and go easily: the littlest kid, me. I remember going under the table a few times. As I got older, my older siblings had left home or were away more in the evenings, so I was able to choose a more accessible seat. I think the L shape is way more practical than the U, or even the booth style, which might be ideal for just two people. Just sharing my experience in case it helps you.

Where I think these types of built in benches shine is in multi generational entertaining. It's nice to have somewhere besides counter or bar stools for elderly people or children to sit and visit while food is being prepared or eaten. I have many fond memories of family times in the kitchen when I was growing up.

I love booths, but they need to come with someone to serve and wait on you.

We also chose to forego formal dining. We had it in our last house and rarely used it. We have a breakfast/dining area in our kitchen and a large island. Wouldn't change it! Our kitchen is honesty the heart of our home (well, we do love to eat). My 6 year old and his friends set themselves up at the island to play cards, Legos, etc and I still have room to meal prep. We use it for seating overflow when hosting dinner (mostly kids up there, still). I would be hesitant about booth/banquette seating for the reasons mentioned above- somebody always needs out!

I dislike booths because of the scooting.

But don't plan on homework at the island. We do that now. Homework. Projects. You name it, it gets done there as it's the only space. DW hates it. A lot. She's trying to prepare a meal and there is homework stuff everywhere! The kids never keep it cleaned up no matter how much you nag them.

We are planning an island in our mudroom for these activities in our new house.