We are refinishing and painting our kitchen cabinets and replacing the outdated countertops with new quarts countertops. Our island current is 108" wide and 84"deep (the bar seating area is curved, so 84" is the max depth. Depth ranges from 66" to 84" along the curve. The island current has a raised bar area. The main level of the island is 108" long and 48" deep and the raised portion is 108" long and up to 36" deep. Raised portion looks smaller in the picture than it actually is. We wanted to lower the bar area to make the island all one level, but if we do that, we will have a seam. It helps somewhat that we are changing to a farmhouse sink, so the seam would start at the back of the sink and extend straight back, ending in the curved overhand. The length of the seam would be 60". Worried about the appearance of the seam, but also want to make it one level. Currently, both levels of the island are huge, so no issue with enough work space. I know the island sounds huge, but the kitchen is huge and it really doesn't look as big in person. We have 10 foot ceilings and kitchen is 22ft x 22ft. We also considered making the bar area lower than the main portion of the island, or cutting off the bar a few inches, so there is only a 3-4 inch rise, instead of 7 inches. There is no option to make the island smaller or use a different material for countertop. We really like the curved island and want to keep the curve. Making the island smaller would look bad since kitchen is so big, and we don't have extra flooring to match the existing flooring. We are having trouble deciding, so we would be so appreciative for any help!

1. Keep island like it is, so no seam.

2. Lower to all one height and accept the seam. We always have a few decorative items in the center, which will break up the seam.

3. Lower the bar portion to table height. Still change in heights, but no seam, and might not look as dated removing the raised bar.