With all the attention—and space—kitchens have been getting in the last few years, islands have become almost a standard feature. Personally, I think they're great, but they have to fit—both in their size and placement within the kitchen, and in the way they're used. My Way I enjoy cooking—either alone or with my wife—and the island in our kitchen is something I couldn't do without. We have a little larger than average U-shaped kitchen (see illustration) with a 3x4-foot island. It's used primarily for food preparation, chopping, slicing, and the like. Since the kitchen isn't a major thoroughfare in the layout of our house, we can get by with 33 inches between the island and adjacent base cabinets. This cuts down,
