Unique and functional kitchen island ideas
If you’re looking to do a complete kitchen remodel for yourself or for maximum resale value, don’t neglect the kitchen island. Once it was just a place to put up some stools so the kids could eat before running to the bus, the island and its role in the kitchen has changed a lot in the last 10 years.
In addition to seating for 4 (or more), today the islands are used to house “luxury” appliances that do not fit in the cabinet frame, such as a second microwave, second oven, wine refrigerator, or even another. stove. The islands are often fully wired for electricity and have plumbing for a second sink. The base of an island can be used as a wine rack. The possibilities are almost endless.
We are often asked if the island countertop should match the style of the existing kitchen countertop, or what will be installed as the main kitchen countertop. In most homes, I’d say it matches, but it doesn’t really have to be, nor does the material have to be the same. In fact, if you’re not going to match them exactly, it’s best if it looks like you’re not even trying to match them, so using a completely different color and surface is perfectly acceptable. For example, we have seen concrete islands when the rest of the kitchen counter is made of granite or another material. We have seen a black island used as a nice “dividing wall” to keep children away from a white kitchen.
How much can we expect to pay for an island during a remodel? This is too difficult to answer because there are simply too many options. A “ready-to-install” stock island that you can buy at a home store with hookups for drain and power can cost around $ 800. A custom concrete countertop island with sink, stove, and wine cooler can easily outshine those $ 10,000.
If you are not just looking for resale value, and we assume that many of you will really want to use your island, just think about the main uses of the island before construction. Will it be a place for the kids to have breakfast or a pastry center for your wife who likes to bake cakes and pastries? Design should really follow function when it comes to an island. For example, if you’re tired of not being able to put hot pots directly on your countertop, install granite on your island, where placing a red-hot pot shouldn’t be a problem.
Plan your cabinet height appropriately. Since most islands will have at least two stools or chairs placed on the surface, you may want to think about the seats or stools first. There are two types of bar stools, one much taller than the other. Unless the island is primarily used for family dining, there really aren’t any strict height rules. It doesn’t have to match the height of the kitchen cabinet, but it often does. If it’s not going to match, it should be higher in most cases.
Islands can also “float”. Smaller islands that are primarily used as a cooking or baking aid can be fitted with wheels and moved around the kitchen as needed to aid in cooking. Whether you are considering a floating island will probably depend on what you have installed on the floor now or what you plan to install (a softwood will cut and scratch).
For those remodeling and looking for an “open” feel where perhaps the wall or half wall separating the kitchen and dining room is knocked down, a strategically placed island acts as a subtle room divider that mentally separates the kitchen from the dining room but with a feeling much more open.