The kitchen island is one of the stand-out display pieces of any great kitchen design.
The kitchen island is one of the stand-out display pieces of any great kitchen design. As a designer, it’s critical to spend some time considering how the island is implemented within the design as a whole as well as its functionality and purpose. The best selling point for a kitchen island is its versatility – it can adapt to so many situations and home lifestyles that the only limitation is truly the imagination of the homeowner. Let’s take a closer look at just how versatile the kitchen island can be!
Dining and Entertainment
An island’s natural placement near the center of a kitchen makes it a perfect destination for socializing. However, more and more homeowners are turning to the island for additional dining space, especially in smaller areas. You should determine the function of the space as a whole – does the kitchen need to share space with the dining area? Is the homeowner struggling with space concerns in general? Amenities such as high-top chairs combined with extended counters can help you make the most out of the limited space available.
Cooking
In other spaces, the kitchen island will serve as an integral component of managing workflow in the space, creating additional work zones for meal preparation and cooking. To that end, there are several ways to really optimize the usage of the kitchen island in other aspects of the kitchen design. You’ll want to design the placement of kitchen appliances to fit with the placement of work zones on the island itself. The very countertop surface material of the island can also be a big help for homeowners as well as it can be made out of an impervious, easy to maintain material such as quartz.
Other Amenities
A kitchen island can also hold a wide variety of other amenities to make it more functional for the homeowner. A wine drawer/under counter refrigerator is a great way to create a beverage center away from the main refrigerator. You can install an extra sink for food preparation purposes, or even implement a rangetop and hood for a striking aesthetic. And if a homeowner is struggling with storage space in their current kitchen, a kitchen island can also relieve those space issues by providing extra drawers, shelving, and cabinets underneath.