# Peninsula kitchens in Tenerife

> Peninsula kitchens in Tenerife: how a peninsula differs from an island, depth, overhang and clearance, and which kitchens suit it better than a central island.

A peninsula is a run of kitchen units joined to the wall or the rest of the kitchen on one side, with the other three sides free. It gives you almost the same benefits as an island (extra worktop, a breakfast bar and a divide from the living room) in kitchens where an island will not fit, because it only needs clearance on one side.

- **Less space than an island.** Because one end rests against the wall, it saves a whole walkway.
- **Easier services.** Power and water come in from the wall, with no need to dig up the floor.
- **Breakfast bar and divide.** It defines the open-plan kitchen and gives you somewhere to eat breakfast without a table.

Peninsula kitchens are the alternative to an island when the space will not stretch any further. Tenerife has plenty of flats and apartments with a mid-sized open kitchen, both in Santa Cruz and in the south, where an island would leave 70 centimetre walkways and simply get in the way. A peninsula gives you the same breakfast bar and the same open-plan feel while taking up far less floor space.

## The difference between an island and a peninsula

The difference is that an island stands free, with clearance on all four sides, while a peninsula is joined at one end to the wall or to one of the runs of the kitchen. That connection has three practical consequences:

- You only need clearance on one side, not two.
- Power and water come in from the wall, without lifting the floor to run pipes or cables.
- You move around in a U or G shape, with a single way into the work area.

That last point is an advantage if you have children or if you would rather nobody walked through the kitchen while you cook, and a drawback if two people cook at once and keep bumping into each other at the entrance.

## Peninsula sizes

A peninsula needs a depth of 60 centimetres as a working worktop and at least 90 centimetres of clearance to the units opposite. These are the reference measurements:

- **Depth:** 60 centimetres if it is only a worktop; 90 to 100 if it has a breakfast bar with an overhang for knees.
- **Bar overhang:** 25 to 30 centimetres to sit comfortably.
- **Clearance between the peninsula and the units opposite:** at least 90 centimetres, 100 to 120 if the appliances open into that walkway.
- **Length:** there is no strict minimum, but under 1.2 metres a peninsula adds hardly any worktop or seating.

Because the peninsula forms a U with the rest of the kitchen, check that the base unit doors on both sides do not clash when they open.

## When a peninsula beats an island

A peninsula is a better choice than an island in these cases:

- When the kitchen has less than about 3.5 metres of clear width, the point at which an island starts to fit comfortably (we explain it on our [island kitchens](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/island-kitchens/) page).
- When you open a closed kitchen onto the living room and use the stub of the wall you knock down to anchor the peninsula.
- When the floor is a solid slab with no void and taking services to the middle of the room means breaking it up.
- When you want a clear divide between kitchen and living room, without the kitchen becoming a through route.

The island wins when there is space to spare, when several people cook at once or when you want the kitchen to be the heart of the home.

## What to put in the peninsula

A peninsula can take a hob or a sink, but the most practical approach is to keep it as a worktop with storage underneath and a breakfast bar facing the living room. If you put the hob there, the extractor ends up in the middle of the open-plan space and splashes reach whoever is sitting at the bar. A sink works better, as long as there is some clear worktop either side.

On the side facing the living room, the peninsula can have open shelves, a shallow unit or simply a panel in the same finish as the kitchen. It is the usual arrangement in [open-plan kitchens](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/open-plan-kitchens/), and it is often fitted as a continuation of an [L-shaped kitchen](https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/l-shaped-kitchens/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a peninsula be turned into an island later on?

Only if you left enough clearance on the wall side when it was designed and if the services can be run under the floor. In most kitchens it is not feasible without redoing part of the building work, so it is best decided from the start.

### Can the peninsula go up against a window?

It can, provided the worktop sits below the sill and the window opens without hitting anything on top. In many Tenerife homes with a low window onto the terrace, it is a way to get a breakfast bar with a view.

### Does the peninsula need a leg or support at the end?

It depends on the bar overhang and the material. With an overhang of 25 to 30 centimetres, the worktop usually just rests on the units; if the overhang is bigger or the worktop is thin (slim porcelain or sintered stone), you need an end panel, a leg or concealed brackets so it does not flex or crack.

### Can the peninsula be extended into a dining table?

Yes. The end is extended with a top at table height, around 75 centimetres, supported on a leg. That way you sit on ordinary chairs rather than stools, and in flats with no room for a dining area it takes care of everyday meals.

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Web version: https://cocinaentenerife.com/en/peninsula-kitchens/

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