Ask anyone what their dream kitchen would look like, and they’ll almost certainly include a kitchen island. Bespoke kitchen islands are the height of luxury as well as providing you with a practical space for food preparation, seating and additional storage.
The correct size of kitchen island
The size of your kitchen island is dependent on the size of your room. The island has to be large enough to provide you with a central hub without dominating the available space.
The best rule of thumb is to allow at least a metre between the island and your other kitchen units. This gives you enough space to open cupboard doors, the dishwasher door, or have people sitting on bar stools around the island and still be able to move comfortably around them.
Don’t be a square
The main assumption is that a kitchen island has to be square or rectangular shaped, but this isn’t necessarily the case. With a bespoke kitchen, your kitchen island can be virtually any shape you like as your units can be handmade to fit the design. We created a beautifully contoured pill shaped kitchen island for one couple which became the focal point of their integrated living space.
What will you use your kitchen island for?
As part of your new kitchen design, you’ll need to think about how you’re going to use it and how your island will fit in with your needs. Do you plan to use it to prepare food and for cooking, or maybe you’d like the sink installed in it instead. You also need to consider how you’re going to utilise the space beneath the countertop. Do you add cupboards and use them for extra storage space, to house the hob and oven or other appliances, or do you have other ideas – wine racks perhaps?
If you’re planning an open plan living area, it’s important that the kitchen island will integrate seamlessly with the rest of the space. For example, if your island is on the boundary between your kitchen and living areas, it’s probably best to avoid installing a sink in it. Even if you’re diligent about cleaning up after yourself, there will be times when you’ll have a pile of dirty dishes in the sink, and you don’t want them near you when you’re trying to relax.
Seating
Many people like to sit at a kitchen island, so you need to decide whether to or not incorporate a seating area (in which case you need to factor in worktop overhang for knee space), and if so, do you want to use it as a dining space or a breakfast bar? This may depend on how much you use the dining table, how formal or relaxed your family dinners are, and whether or not you plan to use your kitchen island to sit at when you’re entertaining friends.
However you use it, if you’re going to have more than a couple of seats around it, it’s a good idea to place them around one end. In this way, people won’t find themselves sitting in a straight row, which makes conversation more difficult.
You’ll also need to factor in the space that will be taken up by counter stools or seats when people are using them to ensure there’s sufficient space to easily get around them.
Bespoke kitchen island design
If you are planning your new kitchen and are looking for kitchen island ideas, click here to look at our portfolio of client kitchens. Then book an appointment to visit our Cheshunt kitchen showroom for inspiration and to discuss your ideas with our specialist kitchen designers about bringing your dream kitchen plans to life.
