The best kitchen island ideas for a sophisticated and functional feature
The best kitchen island ideas for a sophisticated and functional feature
The best kitchen island ideas tick a number of design boxes – first and foremost they should enhance the layout and flow of your kitchen, whilst also providing extra preparation space, storage solutions and complement the broader design choices of the kitchen as a whole.
“Kitchen islands are not just there for visual appeal; they are extremely functional too," says Al Bruce, Founder of Olive & Barr. "From adding extra worktop space to offering additional seating, a multi-functional island has become the must-have feature for one reason; they provide a simple solution to every kitchen’s needs.”
Kitchen islands are also designed to facilitate entertaining. “I love my island – it’s a really sociable part of the kitchen where people can gather and chat," says Tom Howley, Design Director at the eponymous kitchen company. "It has plenty of workspace for prepping and a hob for cooking; and because it’s centrally positioned, I can face my guests while I’m prepping dinner without turning my back on anyone. If you have the space, seating around the island means people can gather around and enjoy little pre-dinner tasters.”
How to plan a kitchen island
Emily Rumble, kitchen designer at Tom Howley advises: “The dimensions of your kitchen island will always be influenced by the size and layout of your kitchen. The first thing I do when I start to design a kitchen island is plot out the depth of the cabinetry. I’ll then look at the walkways between the cabinetry and where the proposed island will be. I consider what is happening in each walkway, such as placements of sinks, fridges and hobs and the amount of space required to open doors. If it is a high-traffic area, I recommend making the island slightly smaller – this makes the whole space feel much more comfortable and spacious.”
Aside from the layout, there are lots of things to consider – whether to match your kitchen island to the rest of the room, or make it a feature, what materials to use for the countertop (there are some interesting choices in our list,) with or without legs, with or without castors – the list goes on.
Here, we look at 19 fabulous kitchen island examples to provide ideas and inspiration.
Clever and creative ways of designing your dream kitchen island. From layout to colour to cabinetry, take inspiration from these 19 kitchen island ideas.
