Kitchen Islands

Kitchen islands are among the most popular items in kitchen remodeling projects. They offer versatility in style and function. People often add them as part of an overall refacing project. You can choose to blend the island with your countertop and cabinetry or a granite island with wood or laminate surfaces.

Kitchen islands are available in a variety of colors, sizes and materials to suit any home decor. Choose from contemporary, country homestyle or summer kitchen styles. Look through catalogs and home decorating magazines to see the options and unique designs available. Make notes of what you like and features you need in your island.

Adding Kitchen Islands

You can add an island easily, if you have enough room. Look at several islands and get the exact dimensions of the one you like best. Measure your kitchen, leaving between forty two and forty eight inches of space around the entire island. You want to make sure you can open your refrigerator, oven as well as dishwasher easily.

Experiment

To get the feel for how much space an island will take up, try a little experiment. Find a piece of furniture in your home that is about the size and dimensions of your island. Move this furniture into the kitchen and place it where the island is to be located.

Keep it there for about a week or so to help you decide if you can live with it. If it’s too large, look for a model with smaller dimensions. Experiment with a few different sizes to find the one that feels right.

Although there are no rules governing the height, it is a matter of preference and function. You need to decide what area will be used to determine how high to make the counter. If you will be cooking, preparing food or using a built in sink, make the height even with your other kitchen cabinets. Choose a lower height for seating with tables, or a higher counter for stool type seating.

Utilizing kitchen islands the clever way

Consider how you will use the island. Do you need more storage space? Think about your lifestyle and what you will do. You have several choices for cooking, preparing food, clean up as well as storage.

Storage

For storage space, islands can be made to match existing kitchen cabinets and counter tops. While cabinets, drawers or a combination of both can be used to maximize storage space.

Adding bookshelves to the end creates a great place to display your cookbook collection. In addition a few collectibles can be added to the shelves for a more personalized look.

Alternatively wine lovers can choose a wine rack instead of shelves.

Oven

Cooking space can be built into the top of an island, saving space above the oven. This is a great option for kitchens with a double oven.

Consider how you will use the top when choosing counters. A built in butcher block or cutting surface is great if you spend a lot of time preparing food. This avoids cuts and nicks on the surface of your counter.

Countertop

Place an electrical countertop in the middle of the island with cupboards underneath which can be used to store saucepans, and frying pans. As this will free up space for other usage.

If you like to bake, consider marble. You can prepare and roll out your dough right on marble without sticking.

Bar Stools

An island can be used for seating area. Adjust the height lower for table type seating or raise it higher for barstools. Allow about two feet of space per person for comfort.

Sinks and appliances, such as dishwashers and trash compactors can be added to an island in place of cabinets.

Have an electrical outlet added to one side. This is great for cooking with small appliances like electric mixers or blenders.

Portable Islands

A portable island gives you additional countertop area when you need it. These are a great alternative for smaller kitchens. You can purchase one unassembled and put it together yourself easily. Portables usually are on wheels, allowing you to move it out of the way when you need extra space.

You can purchase a moving island with a cabinet for storage space, or get one that looks like a taller table. A built in cutting board surface gives you additional space for cutting vegetables and preparing food. The most common materials used for the top are steel, tile and wood.