There have been several threads about this lately with replies from people who have 2 islands. Try searching the forum.

It also depends on your kitchen's size and configuration.

i know but all of that info is scattered, and seems to be people just killing the idea before people do it. id rather some straight up stats and opinions from the people who have lived with them.

I think one of the objections is they become barriers because someone will put an appliance or something vital on the outside island so you have to walk around to get to it. I think if you have a large enough kitchen and the extra island is essentially just a floating bank if cabinets then your scenario could work.

my plan is the 2nd island would strictly be for buffet/hang out and stools. no outlets or sinks. something like this, just alot less black

You have to have electrical in every island.

why for electrical code? what makes it an "island" vs a "table"

I do not or will I have two islands but I have a friend who has a set up like above it makes for awkward entertaining people are standing butt to butt between the two islands. I also find it aestheticly unappealing.

Islands are stationary, permenant parts of the kitchen and require electrical outlets by code. A table is not a stationary or permanent part of the kitchen, is intended to be moved around, so it doesn’t require electric. If you want an island that doesn’t include electric I believe you have to put it on wheels, which would look odd in your arrangement, IMO.

IMO they are just a PITA and do not function how you imagine at all. The fact is people rarely go where you want them to and why not just a get a couple of bar tables if that is what you are planning for at least those can be moved.

You need at least like 20' of width to make it all fit. Pretty big...

How about a tall table with no chairs if you like to stand while eating? a permanent space waster for a party convenience to solve a problem that doesn't exist.

Popularity of a stupid idea doesn't make it a good design choice. People become invested in their stupid ideas too, and don't want pushback. They want affirmation, not objectivity. Just like you.

You're not asking the right questions. Or working with the right Pros.

I suspect GreenDesigns, like many of the pros here, has many clients who have had many arrangements, and thus has the benefit of input from a much larger sample size.

I've worked in a couple and they can be okay or bad, functionally. One thing that they both shared was looking bad, like a department store or a lab.

The one in your image won't impact function as it's apparently JUST for sitting and is out of the way. I think a table would look better, be more flexible, and be more comfortable.

We're about to renovate our kitchen and will be replacing the very LONG single island we currently have with two shorter islands. The single island looks nice, but we have to walk a mile around it every time we use the pantry or the oven. We're hoping that breaking the island in two will improve flow and will also use up some wasted space at the end of our kitchen where it's too small for a table but too large to leave empty. Could be a big mistake, but in our case, the space and our preferences seem to call for 2-islands.

Eating Tide pods and running yourself over with a car while you dance badly is popular too. Many people have done it.

You're not inderstanding a few things about widely photographed bad ideas. They go viral because they are different. Not because they are good ideas. They photograph well. They don't live well.

The fact that you got caught up eating Tide pods isn't surprising. The fact that you won't come to your senses will end up costing you though. Your idea is dysfunctional to family interaction. It does the exact opposite of what most people want to have happen in their homes.

To me, it looks commercial/instutional, I wonder if it would make sense if you were running a commercial kitchen.. I really (personally) hate xtra high table sets, it’s bad for people who have mobility issues, you can’t put your feet on the ground to rest, I’d rather have a normal height table. If I had extra room and a window it would probably fill up with plants. Do you do a lot of really extensive entertaining, like every week, every month? Oh and I’ve never managed to have a kitchen with even 1 island.

Your island isn't an island. It is an immovable table that just costs a lot extra. It requires expensive cabinets, stone, and electrical.

People might do homework there, but it's too tall to make that really comfortable. They aren't going to hang out there when cooking activity happens in the kitchen. It isn't close to the action. When the cook starts prepping, people will be in the way, gathered around the action. The won't be on Key West when Miami is the hot spot, to continue a metaphor

I've designed kitchens with two islands. Each was designed as proper workstations, with water, in a multi cook family. They also had spots to sit and chat with each kitchen worker. They required a series of designated refrigerator drawers, accessible to each station.

They involved more work in the initial phases of cooking to gather things from cold or dry storage. But because of the added hands, the overall workload was made easier. It worked OK for a single cook. But it was far less efficient for a single cook than if it had been designed for a single cook, instead of a family of cooks.

Cat, your "two islands" sound like they'll be one island with a walkway in the middle. That doesn't detract from functionality at all. (Make sure it doesn't look like a diner, unless that's the goal. :P)

It's when you get two stacked up such that one is outside of the working triangle (or whatever it's called these days) that it stops being as useful. But as always, it depends on the overall layout and how the users of the kitchen do stuff. Ad if the outer island is just for eating like OP is planning, it will function just fine. It just might look weird.

You got the right answer on the first reply: it depends. Don't make this decision based on a generic poll. Post the layout and get real, useable feedback. The closest thing to two islands I've used was in a commercial kitchen where there were stainless steel work tables (not really inslands) set up next to each other. I've never been in a house where that set up would have made any sense, even on thanksgiving. It sounds like you actually want cocktail tables--perfect for standing around and having conversations.

I like my peninsula. It gives me more storage space than an island. It keeps people OUT of my work zone. They hang out on the other side of it, and it's perfect. Not in my way.

I currently have a weird 2 island configuration. They are commonly referred to as "the prep island" and "the eating island". They are not really separate (think 2 diamonds places corner to corner like a figure 8)

For 20 years, entertaining has been a breeze - and the stools around the eating island (that are pretty much outside the overall U shape of the working part of the kitchen) are always occupied by guests who are close enough to talk, but not in the way. We've eaten at the island, counter height, on decently comfy barstools every night for these same 20 years.

I do think they work for us because they are "close" to the action - and there's no good place to stand / sit around the other island where it wouldn't be completely obvious that you'd be in the way. (Our current kitchen is not huge)

Not replicating this in the new house - but - the 2 island discussion should be one confined to a specific layout and not complete sweeping generalities.

I've had peninsula kitchens and now a kitchen with an island (just one - no room for two). The peninsula and the island in both kitchens served the same purpose - to provide additional counter and storage space, and to keep visitors out of the working part of the kitchen while being within chatting distance of the cook. We had/have barstools for both peninsula and island, but no one ever eats on either one since the dining table is nearby and is better for conversation. I honestly don't see the point of a second island unless your lifestyle and your kitchen size accommodate hiring caterers to do the work while you chat with the guests in the living room.