KITCHEN ISLANDS

“Islands have become the heart of many kitchens in recent years,” says Jamie Wallace, Certified Kitchen Designer with Calla Lily Designs in Fergus Falls. “They allow a space for families to gather for meals, children to take care of homework, or guests to help with meal prep a gathering. They can also serve as work stations for parents working from home or craft centers for kids while meals are prepared. Their size and accessibility on all sides can allow for many to gather around them.”

Today’s kitchen islands provide additional seating, working, entertainment, and storage spaces. They also help us streamline our kitchen routines.

“Islands make countertop space, storage space, and walking space more efficient in a kitchen,” says Amber Peluso, designer with Center of Design in Audubon. “We determine what kind of island is needed based on the layout and the desired functionality, along with the design style of the homeowner.”

To determine how to use your kitchen more efficiently (and what to add to your kitchen island), first consider your kitchen workflow. Most of your time will be spent moving between three main locations.

“We want to always consider the work triangle,” says Interior Designer Sara Godfrey, owner of Sara Godfrey Design in Alexandria. “Your work triangle includes your range or your cooktop, your refrigerator, and your sink area. Oftentimes, the island can accommodate one of the three to create this movement."

If you’re not moving smoothly between all three points of the work triangle, a kitchen island can help. First, you’ll need to document your kitchen’s trouble spots in detail.

Bonnie Bell Albers, Kitchen & Bath Designer at Counterstone Cabinets in Fergus Falls, comments that besides their more functional attributes such as adding workspace and storage, there is also a visual statement that kitchen islands create. "Kitchen islands can be a delightful way to add visual interest creating an eye-catching focal point,” she explains. “The island's decorative components can accentuate your sense of style reflected in other areas of the home.” Bonnie adds that ideas for the island might include using contrasting color to the perimeter cabinets, or textural decorative elements like wainscot paneling, shiplap paneling, or the classic farmhouse “X end” panels. “Using legs to support the countertop overhang or incorporated to support open shelving, adds signature style. Be it classic, metro, English estate, bungalow columns, or Roman classic, legs add an element of fine craftsmanship. Open shelving at the end of an island is a great way to showcase your favorite pottery serving bowls or baskets."

Pay attention when you’re in the kitchen to note any issues that pop up as you’re preparing and serving food. These are problems that your kitchen island can solve.

“Do you want more countertop space on your perimeter? Throw your sink on your island,” Peluso suggests. “You will also get a view of your home while you're doing the dishes. Or, you can keep your island top completely free for

Sara Godfrey, Interior Designer/Owner of Sara Godfrey Design

prep, serving buffet style, and dining. Depending on your household needs, islands can serve as extra storage space designed efficiently with organizational pullouts and hidden doors.”

As you go about your week, you might realize there’s nowhere to put groceries when you come in the door, the microwave feels miles away from your cutting board, or there’s no room for all your favorite kitchen tools. Perhaps guests have to move through a busy cooking space to grab a beer from the fridge at parties, or you need overflow seating for big family gatherings. Your needs determine your island’s features, so providing a list can make the planning process go more smoothly.

Before you get too deep into the planning process, you’ll need to make sure there’s actually room for an island in your home. Here are some basic guidelines to follow:

“Not many kitchens can accommodate an island,” explains Godfrey. “Is there enough space? We want to make sure that it’s going to have really great scale and proportion and not look too small or too large. Do we have room for adequate walkway?”

At least 36 inches between the counter and the island edge is recommended, but Godfrey says 42-48 inches works even better.

“We call that a two-person kitchen,” she says. “Someone can be working at the island and someone else can be walking past and doing other tasks in that kitchen.”

If you have a small cabin, a historic home, or a narrow galley kitchen, a kitchen island probably won’t fit in your space. Maybe you can’t make permanent changes because you live in an apartment or rental home, or perhaps a major kitchen project just isn’t the budget right now.

In these situations, a floating or freestanding island can be a good compromise. It adds functionality at a more affordable price point with no remodeling necessary.

“It can be a repurposed piece of furniture with a solid surface top or butcher block top to accommodate functions like chopping, prepping, or even serving as an additional landing space for dropping off groceries,” Godfrey explains. “It can be custom-made or even have the ability to relocate, perhaps on casters."

Since you can push it off to the side when it’s not in use, a floating island gives you maximum versatility. Godfrey recommends keeping the bottom open so it doesn’t look heavy, especially in small kitchen spaces.

Of course, if you have the room and the budget, your options expand considerably. A double island is a popular choice. They are a striking design element that can add many functional zones to your kitchen.

“I love double islands,” says Godfrey. “If you have the space, you now have so many different zone abilities. We did one where one island was on the baking and breakfast cabinet side so the kids could do their morning routine and not be in the way of what we call the chef’s portion or the work triangle portion. You can do a hosting side, too. You have four sides that can all serve a purpose.”

A double island can contain different finishes and still look coherent. Its size means that work surfaces can be adjusted to accommodate homeowners’ needs and provide barriers for safety or convenience.

“It has become most common for the island to be one height so that it’s more comfortable for kids to sit at and to allow large counter surfaces for work projects,” says Wallace. “But, when there is space, we can also have raised bar seating to allow a small barrier to the work area of the kitchen or to separate seating from cooking areas.”

It’s tempting to think you can just expand a traditional island to make it as large as possible, however, shape matters. And you can go too large.

“If your island is too big, it's difficult to clean” cautions Godfrey.

Definitely consult a professional before installing a double island. They can help you add style and functionality in a way that’s easy to access.

If there’s a bottleneck in your work triangle, a kitchen island can help. A lack of prep space is a common complaint. The experts can add vertical or horizontal pull-out cutting boards to save space. The additional countertop surface on an island gives you much more room to mix, knead and blend.

Adding a small sink expands your prep area. You can rinse items right in your workspace and you don’t have to worry about dripping water on the floor as you move them to your prep space.

Installing the microwave right into the kitchen island can also minimize trips back and forth and keep people cooking and reheating out of each other’s way. It gets the microwave off the countertop, which creates additional workspace and minimizes visual clutter. Plus, it’s wheelchair and kid accessible, so everyone can use it.

Adding extra cabinets and drawers can significantly increase a kitchen’s overall storage space. (That’s especially important now, as many kitchen designs emphasize open shelving or eliminate upper cabinets altogether.) Storage can be added to the ends of the island or tucked behind the seating area.

Storing items inside an island keeps counters clear for a cluttered look. It’s especially useful for concealed cumbersome kitchen tools and gadgets and items you don’t use every day. A blender, colanders, or bulky stand mixer can be tucked into a cupboard until needed. The same goes for crockpots, pressure cookers, instant pots, air fryers, and serving dishes you only pull out for special occasions.

But you can store your everyday dishes and glassware in the kitchen island too. Keeping these everyday items closer to the ground means that entire household – including kids, those with mobility issues, and shorter family members and friends – can serve themselves and put away dishes with ease.

“What we’re seeing a lot of is large drawers in the island on the functional side (the non-sitting side) with dividers for dishes and glassware,” says Godfrey. Strong glides and sturdy drawer construction means you don’t have to worry about breakage.

A mini fridge is a great addition for anyone who entertains on a regular basis. Stock it with beer, soda, or seltzer for parties and holiday weekends so guests can serve themselves or use it as a wine, produce, or snack fridge all year long.

An island can serve as a minibar, complete with glassware and garnishes. You can add a coffeemaker, tea bags, cups and small breakfast items like granola bars, fruit and baked goods so guests can serve themselves whenever they roll out of bed. (A breakfast zone is also a good solution for busy families who want to streamline their morning routine.) Both beverage zone options can be set-up on a floating island and pushed back against the wall when not in use.

People who entertain often might also want to add an ice maker to the island to keep up with demand. (A second garbage is also a handy addition.) Make sure there’s plenty of space for seating and serving and enough outlets to keep hot foods hot if you’re serving buffet-style.

“Some of our favorite features when designing islands for the whole family include charging drawers for small electronics and plenty of outlets for use by all,” says Wallace.

At least one outlet per island is required by building codes. These outlets can be tucked away under countertops to conceal devices while they charge or camouflaged with special outlet plates.

Amber Peluso, Interior Designer Center Of Design

They can be built-in or hidden away when not in use.

“There are so many bells and whistles you can add to any cabinetry,” adds Peluso, “with our favorites being pop up outlets out of the countertop and hidden storage.”

Think about where store your most-used gadgets, like a blender or stand-up mixer, then make sure there’s an outlet nearby.

If tablets, phones, or laptops frequently clutter up your counter space and compete for outlets, make sure there’s enough room for all of them to charge. (Ideally, find a way to tuck them out of sight while they do.) This is also a great way to keep them out of kids’ bedrooms at night and monitor screen time throughout the day.

Creating a kitchen space just for kids can be a handy way to supervise big kids’ homework sessions and keep the little ones in sight. (Keeping all the school-related stuff contained in one location is an added bonus.)

Use drawers to store pencils, paper, and crafting materials, or repurpose cabinets into cubbies for bags and books. A dedicated snack zone with drink pouches and healthy treats allows kids to serve themselves and then settle in for a work session. This is an elegant solution for adult artists and crafters who don’t have a dedicated workspace or sufficient counterspace, too.

Carefully consider stool and countertop heights. Everything needs to be safe for kids now, but the adults in the house will also need to use the space. Adding additional storage behind the seating area can expand storage capacity.

“We like to hide storage on the backside that will store craft items or seasonal items,” says Godfrey. “We use push cabinets without hardware so you don’t bump your knee or your foot and accidentally open them.”

Nobody wants to look at your trash can. Ever. Hide it from view inside your kitchen island instead. It’s a handy solution for other disposal systems, too.

Create a hidden recycling station or add a trash compactor. There are also several small indoor composters that make it easy to transform kitchen waste into nutrients with no mess or unpleasant smells.

Sara Godfrey, Interior Designer/Owner of Sara Godfrey Design

Your pets are a part of the family. You can modify your kitchen island to accommodate their needs as well.

Put a dedicated feeding station into the end of the island. It keeps the dishes out of sight and minimizes the risk that they’ll be kicked over during the day. Just make sure it’s not too close to your seating area. Bonnie Bell Albers at Cornerstone Cabinets states, "The end of an island can be an excellent location for a pet feeding station. Cabinet insert accessories pull out to contain pet food storage bins and storage for other pet supplies. Add toe kick drawers and you can easily reveal pet food bowls and when dinner time is over; push it closed and out of the way."

You can also build in a space for a dog or cat bed. Your pets will feel sheltered and protected. And the bed will be out of the way while in use.

There are dozens of ways to use a kitchen island. Choose the ones that make sense for you and your household and to get the most joy and ease out of your kitchen. L&H