Island or peninsula: which suits your Koh Samui home?

Islands and peninsulas both add worktop, storage and a place to sit. On Koh Samui, where kitchens often open onto living rooms and terraces, the choice shapes how the whole space works.

An island needs clear walkways on every side, usually around one metre or more. A peninsula is attached to a wall or a run of cabinets, so it needs walkways on fewer sides and fits narrower rooms.

An island lets people gather all around it and works well in large open-plan villas. A peninsula creates a natural divide between cooking and living areas, which suits homes where guests sit at the counter while you cook.

A sink or hob in an island needs water, drainage, power and possibly ventilation brought through the floor. A peninsula can often take these from the adjoining wall, which can make installation simpler.

Both add cabinets, but an island usually needs more finished sides and a larger worktop. A peninsula can be a cost-effective way to gain storage and seating in a smaller kitchen.

Send us your room dimensions and we will sketch both an island and a peninsula option, with walkways marked, so you can choose with confidence.

A working island is usually 90 to 120 cm deep. Below about 90 cm there is little room for both base cabinets and seating, and above 120 cm the middle of the worktop becomes hard to reach and clean.

If you want seating, allow a worktop overhang of 25 to 30 cm so knees fit underneath, and about 60 cm of length per stool. At the standard worktop height of around 90 cm, choose counter stools. A raised bar ledge at around 105 cm hides cooking mess from the living room, but it is less comfortable for long meals.

A peninsula follows the same rules for depth and overhang. Check that its end does not block a doorway or the route to the terrace.

Many Koh Samui kitchens sit beside wide sliding doors that open to a pool deck. Guests heading for a cold drink or the bathroom should not have to squeeze past the hob, so keep the main walkway on the living side of the island or peninsula, away from the cooking zone.

A drinks fridge or a glass cupboard at the outer end of the island lets people help themselves without entering the kitchen. Choose floor tiles with some slip resistance around the island, because wet feet and spilled water are part of daily life in a pool villa.

Doors left open in the evening also let in the breeze, which can blow across an island hob and scatter grease and steam. If the island faces the terrace doors, this is one more reason to keep the hob on the wall side.

Putting the hob on the island lets the cook face guests, but it brings practical challenges. An island hood hangs in open air with no wall to guide the smoke, so it needs to be wider than the hob and more powerful than a wall hood to work well. Ducting it outside means running a duct through the ceiling, which must be planned before the ceiling is closed.

A sink on the island is often the better compromise. You face the room while washing and preparing, the dishwasher sits beside it, and the hob stays against a wall where a hood captures steam more easily. Allow at least 30 cm of worktop on either side of the sink and put the seating at the opposite end, away from splashes.

For a peninsula the same logic applies: take services from the adjoining wall and keep the cooking against a wall.

An island is seen from every side, and its back panel faces the living room, where stools knock against it every day. Ask for a durable, wipeable finish on the seating side, and consider a slightly recessed kick panel so feet and stool legs do not scuff the front.

Large overhangs of stone or solid surface need hidden steel supports, so mention seating early. In villas close to the beach at Chaweng, Lamai or Bophut, salt air reaches the kitchen whenever the doors are open, so choose stainless or coated brackets and hardware that will not rust.

Because an island stands on the floor away from the walls, the plinth area is where moisture from mopping and pool water collects. Sealed bottom edges, moisture-resistant boards and adjustable plastic legs keep the carcass off a wet floor and make it harder for termites to reach the timber unnoticed.

The most common mistake is fitting an island because it looks good in photos, then finding the walkway shrinks to 80 cm once the dishwasher or oven door is open. Check walkways with every door and drawer open, not just closed.

With peninsulas, the trap is the corner where the peninsula meets the main run. Without a corner solution, that space becomes a deep cupboard nobody can reach. Plan a carousel, a pull-out or access from the seating side instead.

Other easy misses are forgetting sockets on the island for a blender or laptop and choosing the layout before deciding on appliances. Fix the appliance list first, then the layout, then the finishes. If you are unsure which option fits, send us your room measurements and a few photos and we will mark up both.