Create Extra Workspace with Kitchen Islands

If you want extra workspace and create a decorative touch to your kitchen, consider installing a kitchen work island.  Kitchen islands offer simple solutions for extra workspace as well as extra eating space.  In addition, some kitchen islands can be custom-build to provide extra electrical outlets, plumbing, and even refrigeration.  

Today, more and more new homes are being built with the kitchen being the focal point of the house.  Most of these modern kitchens are designed with state of the art appliances, cabinets, and countertops, with even more having beautiful kitchen islands for added workspace, and storage.  

The simplest kitchen island is a flat surface island.  However, though simple they are by no means plain, as many have been designed with architectural details such open shelving, corner posts, and inset areas and other decorative touches.  

Other more elaborate kitchen islands are custom-built cabinetry that include a sink, granite, stainless steel, or copper counters, extra cabinets for storage, dishwasher, warming oven, or whatever the homeowner can imagine.  Multi-level islands can serve as both a food preparation area as well as an eating area, with both areas being separated by the step-down or step-up surface.  

When planning to install a kitchen island, your first step is to make sure that your kitchen is large enough.  Otherwise, your beautiful island will only be in your way.  One way to make sure you have enough room is use empty moving-boxes to construct a model in the same shape and size of the kitchen island you want to install, and then keep your model in place for several weeks.  By living with the model you’ve made, you’ll be able to see if there is enough room for you to move freely around in your kitchen or if the new island you want will be in your way. 

If the model is too massive, then so will the island be that you want to install.  By using boxes, you can experiment with different configurations in order to find the best shape that works for size of your kitchen.  When creating your island, make sure that the walkway between the island and your cabinets are between 36 to 42-inches wide, with the distance no less than 36-inches when positioned near a wall and no less than 42-inches when placed near the stove, refrigerator, or dishwasher.  This will allow for safety and ease of use for these appliances so that you will have sufficient room to open and close the appliance doors.  However, because appliance are not all the same size, make sure when designing your island that you will have sufficient room to open and close the appliance doors completely without hitting the island.

As for the height of the countertop of the kitchen island, the countertops can match the existing countertops or it can have an added lower level for use as desk space or as an added eating area.  If you install a higher countertop, then the upper level can be used as bar seating or act as a shield during food preparation if you have an adjacent entertainment area.

Another option is the portable island.  Portable kitchen island give you all the benefits of built-in island but can be moved to provide more walking space when needed.  You can purchase portable islands with stainless steel, tile, or wood countertops, or you can have one custom-built to match your existing kitchen cabinetry.