Kitchen Island Design Ideas – The Look, Size, and Features

Kitchen island design ideas include not only choosing the right look for your kitchen, but also choosing the right size for your floor plan and the right features to suit your needs.

Fortunately, with 80% of all homebuyers considering kitchen islands essential, manufacturers offer islands in a design and style to suit nearly every taste.

However, you don’t have to be a new homebuyer to consider a kitchen island.

Older homes with awkward kitchen floor plans or oversized kitchens, apartments with an open or limited space layout, or renovated kitchens with odd dimensions can inspire a kitchen island design idea that will benefit the overall design.

A style for each size

The dimensions of a kitchen are a primary concern when choosing a kitchen island. Large islands are very useful for creating a kitchen “room” within the room that separates the cooking area from the eating area.

Additional options like breakfast bars and installed appliances can help achieve the sink-stove-refrigerator ‘triangle’ layout that is considered one of the best kitchen design ideas.

Apartments and condos with an open space design can use a larger kitchen island to divide the kitchen area from other living areas.

Some kitchen islands are on casters and can be moved between meals to convert the needed space into multi-use areas.

Smaller islands are very versatile, especially if they have wheels, and can be used where larger islands won’t fit; often two small islands work better than one large island.

The islands are available in many styles and designs that are sure to complement your own design ideas.

Contemporary, Traditional, American Folk and French Country, Avant Garde or Hip, and others are all popular styles.

Many kitchen islands are wood and use northern maple, red oak, poplar, birch, and plantation-grown exotic hardwoods, but others are built with stainless steel, some blend wood with stainless steel.

Island tops are typically hardwood, granite or marble, stainless steel, or butcher block, which are typically hard rock maple affixed to the ends or edges to prevent cracking and warping.