The kitchen is the center of the house which is probably one of the busiest spots with high traffic flow. As the hub, it’s perfectly understandable to add another feature that can make it more functional and comfortable for everyone. It’s because it’s a place not only for cooking but also for dining, socializing, and even finishing your assignments or your little ones.
Therefore, you would want to add a feature that can become the centerpiece in it and it’s a kitchen island!
If you are planning to remodel your kitchen and add an island, our divesanddollar.com team has prepared some quick and easy tips before you decide to buy one!
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How to Choose Perfect Kitchen Island
Know Your Kitchen Shape
As you may have known that not all floor plans can accommodate a kitchen island, for example, a galley or peninsula kitchen. It’s because these kitchen plans are narrow and made of two parallel work areas centered around an aisle of floor space.
Adding a kitchen island will only make it feels more suffocated because there is not much space to walk around. Otherwise, a U-shaped or L-shaped kitchen is usually suitable to have an island to create more additional and functional workstations.
Get a Perfect Island Size
A kitchen island indeed consumes space so you have to make sure of its size carefully. An island should be 4 feet (121 cm) long and a little more than 2 feet (60 cm) deep minimum. Also, it should have 3 to 4 feet (91 to 121 cm) of space around all sides to accommodate foot traffic.
Meanwhile, for homeowners who have an open plan concept for their kitchen that faces a living room and dining room, it’s also important to choose the right size so it doesn’t enhance the narrowness of the area.
(You may also love to read these: Blue Kitchen Ideas: 27+ Inspirations to Create a Stylish Hub)
Focus On Your Purpose
Depending on your regular cooking activities, the height, additional storage, and material of the kitchen also vary.
- If your purpose of adding an island is for food prep, a butcher block countertop is a perfect choice which is also good for chopping.
- If you only use the island to arrange and display the ingredients you will cook, a stylish top with marble, recycled glass or granite is the best suit. However, a marble top is also perfect for kneading if you love baking.
- Meanwhile, if you use it for cooking, heat-resistant top materials like tiles, stainless steel, stone, and metal are good ones to put hot pans.
(You may also love to read these: 25+ Most Inspiring Concrete Kitchen Countertop Ideas For Stylish Decor)
Keep It Illuminated and Bright
Lighting is indeed an important part to make any area look more stunning so it would be better to add a lighting fixture that focuses on the island. Having adequate lighting on the island will make it easier for you to get everything settled and precisely organized.
In this case, you can try installing simple lighting fixtures like pendants, recessed lights, or even task lamps if you have the island connected to the countertop. These types of lighting fixtures are quite easy to install for you who have standard ceilings.
Consider a Moveable Island
Do you have a small kitchen but still want to try a kitchen island? Instead of choosing a standard freestanding fixed island, you might want to try a portable island instead. Since this island is moveable, you can always move it when it’s not used.
Otherwise, when you need more additional space to put some ingredients for food prep, you can easily slide it in and also use it for cleaning the clutter. This island style is definitely suitable for a small or minimalist kitchen but still works as its main purpose.
(You may also love to read these: 25+ Uniquely Stylish Minimalist Kitchen Island Ideas for Stunning Decor)
Look for Additional Features
No matter the size of your kitchen, it’s always great and even better to have more storage to put your kitchen appliances neat and organized. With this consideration, try looking for a kitchen island with storage around it. It can be open shelves, drawers, or even an open bottom part so you can use woven baskets for some stuff.
Another feature that you can consider is adding or choosing the one with mechanics features. For example, additional electrical outlets can help to make the kitchen workflow more efficient, especially if your family works around the island often.
Keep the Rules On
It’s also very understandable that a kitchen island can be a cozy spot for a dining nook. If you would also want to make it an informal dining spot, again, you have to get the correct size so you can choose the perfect chairs and stools.
You have to think carefully about the space between the countertop and the seats so it won’t touch the knees. A 2 to 2.5 feet (71 to 76 cm) counter works best with a chair, a standard 3 feet (91 cm) counter is served best by a low stool. Meanwhile, a 3.5 to 4 feet (106 to 121 cm) counter requires a bar stool.
(You may also love to read these: 15+ Beautiful Bar Stools For Kitchen Islands Set Under $200)
Conclusion
Getting a kitchen island is indeed a very functional and helpful feature that will help you to get a more comfortable cooking time. It also gives an extra charm to your kitchen and makes it looks more attractive. However, as we have explained above, you have to take note and consider some points whether you want a standard island to cook or make it as a dining nook. It’s because you don’t want to make your kitchen feels suffocating and cluttering by having an oversized one.
We hope that these tips can give you quick inspirations to choose a perfect kitchen island. Though you don’t always have to have an island in your kitchen, it’s also a great investment to make your kitchen looks more attractive!
