Both plans work well. A U-shape usually involves a penninsula which divides the room so it may restrict?the path to a table or exterior door but it gives a lot of continueous counter and a larger?walking space between work areas. An island, however, usually creates better traffic flow but now?you ?have a seperate counter and normally a smaller walking space in the work area. The size of the island may be an issue and that we would discuss to see what the options are.