How do you like your black tap? I was itching to use black in our home but my husband is against it. Thinks they won't stand the test of time. He's probably right haha

Hi Lil, I believe your original plan works much better than the revised version. While the notion of ideal working widths is great, the larger problem here is the post. I worked on a project very similar to this last year where a post could either be connect to, or separate from the island. What we found was that by separating the island the space between island and post became very awkward. It's not enough of a space to comfortably walk through or be seated at the island in front of. Instead of your room feeling open and generous in proportion, it is going to start to feel cramped and awkward. We have a kitchen in our showroom (Kitchen Studio Tauranga NZ) with a 6ft gap between bench and back wall and it works wonderfully. It allows someone to work at the sink and a second at the island with ease. Stick with the original plan. It will feel a lot more spacious, without compromising work flows.

Depending on your taste of course, I would introduce some colour - either as tiles or a glass splashback. Personally I think you will need to fill the entire area otherwise there are simply more lines to take in and will create an unwanted feature. We've had a glass splashback painted back and it was super easy to clean. For one kitchen, we've gone for a bright yellow to give it some pop. You can also have photos too but it's not as easy as the file sizes mean that they need to be taken/supplied by a professional photographer. If tiles is your preference, there are many great patterned tiles out now. Good luck!

Karen Wynne lwynne809@gmail.com 0438340219