Kitchen islands makes life easier and happier, providing a place to prep, rest, and gather. But don’t just pick the first kitchen island that looks nice. Think about how you use your kitchen, what you wish you could do in your kitchen, and what will make your kitchen feel complete and unified. Use these ideas to get you started.
A Sink in the Island
When you choose to include a sink in your kitchen island, you’re adding a whole new prep station to your kitchen. Set dirty dishes in one sink while you food prep in another. Now getting dinner on the table — or a whole party set out for your guests — won’t be a problem.
Add Furniture Elements
Let yourself be inspired by your favorite furniture styles, and incorporate their shapes, details, and flourishes into your kitchen island.
Add Shelves
Include shelves on the end of your island for handy storage that doubles as decoration. Keep your colorful cookbooks there so they’re easy to grab while you’re cooking, and let them add visual interest when not in use. Or store beautiful dishes that long to be displayed. Or keep your daily dishes out on the shelf so they’re easy to grab all day long.
Give It Color
Your kitchen island doesn’t have to match the rest of the cabinetry in your kitchen. In fact, when you choose a different color, it can add fun personality to the room. Choose a typical cabinet color that works well with the rest of your kitchen, like white, gray, or black — or be a bit daring, and choose a color that pops.
Think About Storage
A kitchen island is a lot of square footage that can and should be dedicated to storage. Again, think about how you use your kitchen. Do you entertain often? Do you eat breakfast standing up? Do you move to the dining room each night for a more formal sit-down dinner? Do your kids tend to gather in the room? Is homework done in the kitchen?
Now, how can you include storage to make your kitchen time easier, less cluttered, and more efficient? Think about installing a microwave down below so that little ones can easily make their morning oatmeal. Include a closed cabinet where homework supplies can be stashed out of sight. Install deep drawers for pots and pan storage, or include a cabinet where your special dishes can be safely stored.
There are countless ways to make your kitchen island storage space work for you. Give this topic some good thought before making a decision.
Think About Seating
How often do you think you’ll have people sitting at the kitchen island? Will it be used every day? Make sure it’s large enough to accommodate your family. If you need more seating, or if you would like the seating to be somewhat separated from the island, consider putting your table next to the island. Or build a lower bar-like table onto the island. This makes it easy to transfer food from the pan to the plate, and it keeps everything — and everyone — in once place without needing to tidy up food prep right away.
There are countless ideas for kitchen island storage, placement, shape, and style. At New Life Bath and Kitchen, we love nothing more than taking your kitchen ideas and dreams — and turning them into reality. Let us help you design the kitchen of your dreams.
You can view a sample of the kitchens we’ve remodeled in Los Osos, CA here.