Kitchen Island - The Harmonious Element in the Kitchen Design



Two Island Kitchen

Two Island Kitchen

The kitchen island is the most coveted component of a kitchen design. It is the number one requested feature in a kitchen remodel, bar none.  Unfortunately the size of your kitchen greatly impacts whether or not you can have an island. Galley kitchens and small kitchens lack the necessary space required for this design element.

The biggest challenges to incorporating a kitchen island into the design are the location and the size of the island.  In order to have a workable design the island needs to fit into the kitchen; not disrupt the kitchen.  It can be any size and shape, however, traffic flow patterns and the overall structure of the kitchen space should dictate both the size of the island and where it can be situated to be the most effective for your family needs.  In the two island kitchen design pictured above my challenge was to situate the main island under the coffered ceiling.  This was a new construction home so putting in the plumbing and  the electrical would be done after my placement of the island.  All islands must have electrical outlets.

What cabinetry or appliances you want in the island depends on your needs and your budget. In this kitchen the main island housed the sink, dishwasher and trash compactor as well as  drawer base cabinets.   The second island had a vegetable sink, cookie tray cabinet and cabinets with accessories like a cutting board and spice racks and a cookbook shelf.  Cabinets choices will depend on what you want to do at that island.  Regarding space around the island, in general plan  on 42" to 48" on any side that faces another appliance such as the oven or dishwasher where a opened door can infringe on the space.  On other sides at least 36" is recommended.


Homeowners love islands for three main reasons:  storage, work space, sociability.   In other words, you get a lot of bang for your buck when you can incorporate and island into your kitchen remodel.

Storage:


Six large drawers

A designer will work with you to figure out the cabinetry layout in  your island.  This requires some thought because this is a very versatile space.  Take some time to think about the purpose of your island: prep space, cooking area, clean up space, eating space.  Different purposes require different cabinetry.  If it's a cooking island you will need a spice area, pot/pans, etc.  If it's for clean up then you need drawers for dish towels close at hand, etc.  Popular items in the island: Trash/recycle cabinet, small or large sink, dishwasher if it houses your main sink, pots/pans drawers, microwave, undercounter beverage/wine refrigerator, drawer base cabinet, tray cabinet.  Every island is different because the kitchen space and the needs of the client are different.

Work Space:
Although we all like as much work space as possible, you need to keep in mind the size of the kitchen and the scale of the island within that kitchen.  The island can not impede the cook's task  in any way.  Kitchens are family rooms but they are designed chiefly for the cook.  If you have a sink or cooktop in your island then you should have ample room on both sides of the feature to work.  

Sociability:
An island in the kitchen is a big magnet.  It's the gathering place when you have a big party, a few guest or just the family at home.  The biggest advantage of an island is that it allows the cook to be part of the conversations. It separates and includes the cook at the same time as long as the island is placed correctly within the space.  Another big factor in the sociability aspect of this harmonious element is that it often is used to delineate in large spaces or open floor plans by bringing the kitchen into its adjoining room without any confusion.  You can have your living room or dining room on one side of the island and the kitchen on the other.



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The Two Island Kitchen

Nestled in the high desert on an acre of land, this new construction home needed a large kitchen that could serve as a gathering place for friends and family and also provide a view to the beautiful desert landscaping outside. Before the roof was on, I was at the house measuring and helping to guide where the electrical and the plumbing needed to be placed.

As you can see from the floor plan to your right, this is a big kitchen. The homeowners wanted two islands if possible. Islands are sometimes hard to fit in a kitchen because they need a certain amount of space around the island - 42" for one cook or  48" for a two cook kitchen.  A walkway should be at least 36".

The bigger island follows the path of the coffered ceiling above it. It is a part of the clean up zone meaning it has the main sink, dishwasher and a trash compactor as well as a cutting board in the drawer base cabinet. There is a 9"overhang on the ponywall of the island. The purpose of the overhang is for dishes when they have parties, they did not want seating at that counter. My clients are tall so the height of this counter is 45" rather than the normal 42" counter height. Again, it's all about meeting the needs of the homeowner.

The smaller island is part of the prep area. It has a small sink since it is closest to the refrigerator. It also has a bookcase and a cabinet for cookie sheets and muffin pans. The tray base cabinet is closest to the double ovens.

There is plenty of storage space in this kitchen. There is a utility cabinet beside the refrigerator, There are deep pot and pan drawers below the cooktop and there is a lazy susan cabinet in both the upper and lower corner cabinets.

Appliances are a critical component of every kitchen. They must be purchased before hand so the designer knows how to fit the cabinets around them. In this kitchen we have a 36" French Door Refrigerator with cabinets built in around it. A special oven cabinet had to be ordered for the 30"GE Profile and a 36" cabinet base was ordered for the 36"GE Profile cooktop. The cabinets are Kraftmaid in Hickory wood with a Honey Spice finish.

The kitchen turned out beautifully and my clients are very happy.