This question can't be answered as written. Too much of the layout decision depends on the home, its size, the windows, the ceiling, and of course budget. For example, islands can be awful barriers, or can be enhancements to the kitchen. There is no way to choose between the choices you provided.

Rephrase your question. If you are deciding between layouts give us that information, photos, and a drawing.

New build? An island in your plan would have a lot of value. Island can exist with L kitchen or one wall kitchen. It just depends....how many are there? how do you live/entertain? One or two people....little socializing at home? then a compact galley is very appropriate. Do a self-inventory/survey of your needs/use /lifestyle/plans for the future.

I really love my large kitchen, which is an L with an island.

In a smaller home, I would probably prefer an open galley, in the form of one wall with island.

I'm hoping for an L with an island as well when I start my new house design...or a shallow U with an island.

I'm also doing an L with an island. I could have chosen pretty much layout as we are adding on and changing the location of the kitchen. I had chosen a U at first due to the kitchen being between a dining room and the new family room...I'm glad that I changed to a large L in stead. More open, easy to have multiple people in the kitchen, less traffic jams.

I did an L shaped with Island. It works for the way we cook and entertain.

In past kitchens... We have had a G shaped , A giant U shaped with inside U island. (really a barrier), Galley kitchen, a galley that turned into a L at the end, a U with a peninsula, an L shaped.. and when we did our final kitchen. We chose an L shape with giant Island and wide wide aiels to accommodate friends and multiple cooks.

Think about the way you cook. If my kitchen were only about cooking I would do the Galley as that is easy for a single cook with various work stations and saves on stepping to complete a task.

The long side of my L has the rangetop and cleanup sink. The short side has double ovens, micro, and fridge/freezer columns. There is also a prep sink in the island, diagonally from the rangetop.

I like a kitchen with FOUR WALLS! The only thing I would change about my own kitchen if I were building new, would be to join it to my breakfast room and have a huge wall of glass front cabinets for all my dishes (yes, I DO have a lot of dishes!). I have a breakfast room next to my kitchen but in a "best-of-all-possible-world, I'd have table space in it and lots more room for cabinets for dishes, which are now in the separate breakfast room.

If I didn't have that much room, I'd have the kitchen wide enough for a big farmhouse table - not a fan or enormous islands.

But then I'm a dinosaur...

Lindley3, we have a sink in our island. We love it, a great place to sweep crumbs into after a party.