Some of us have a gift for visualizing what's not there. Most of us don't. Many people need some sort of aid to help them see "what could be." Here at Platinum Kitchens, we love our design software - It helps us get our vision across to a client who may not be seeing the same thing in their heads as we are in our's. However, sometimes even our software doesn't quite paint the picture it should. On occasion people need a little more.
Since islands are so desirable due to functionality and aesthetics, we try to maximize island size. Often times a kitchen will already have an island but we feel that it's 90 degrees in the wrong position. Other times the kitchen has a peninsula (connected to a wall) but has enough room for an awesome island (not touching any walls). Of course, we draw these designs up and show them to clients but sometimes the homeowner will have to make a template to get a better feel for the proposed island. That's the case in the above photo. While a template doesn't provide an accurate sense of volume it does show walk spaces and work surface. It may provide enough information for you to feel confident pursuing a specific direction.