21 Stunning Kitchen Island Ideas to Inspire Your Home

Be inspired by the kitchen island ideas that you can apply to your house.

A kitchen island may be the most important part of your kitchen. It adds a focal point, and have various functions from cooking, preparing, to dining.

If you are planning to remodel your kitchen in the future, a kitchen island should be something to consider.

To inspire you, below are 6 stunning kitchen island ideas that you can make in the kitchen.

Complete the Kitchen Island with Seating

The kitchen is where the heart of your home is. Most of the family members would visit the kitchen and spend time there even if it’s just for a quick snack. So, why not make it comfortable for them to hang out?

Adding seating to the kitchen island would be one of the perfect kitchen island ideas for your home. Make use of bar stools to balance the height of the kitchen island so that it can be used to prepare food on one side and hang out on the other.

Sink in the Kitchen Island? Why Not

Putting the main sink on the kitchen island would probably save your time and make the kitchen is even more efficient. It’s different when you put the cooktop on the island, the range hood would block the view, and it blocks the view of the whole kitchen.

Placing the main sink on the island means that you would have more room on the main countertop for the stove, dishwasher, microwave, oven, and refrigerator.

Worry about dirty dishes? You might see immediately that with a beautiful sink on the kitchen island, no one would dare to leave dirty tableware without washing it.

Rustic Kitchen Island for a Country Home

Many people love a bit of rustic touch to their house. It also works well for the kitchen island ideas you are looking.

Colors like white, natural oak, and light pine might give a stunning look for the rustic kitchen island. For another option, try olive green to a stylish yet classic look on the island.

Lighting Over the Kitchen Island as a Focal Point

The best thing about having a kitchen island is that you can add hanging lighting to work as a focal point. Take note that you might want to keep the stove in the main kitchen so that you can create stunning lighting set on the island.

Here are some types of lighting over kitchen island ideas that you can try:

Task Lighting

If you need main working lighting over the kitchen island, try open-bottom fixtures with medium light bulbs. The combination of a downward fixture with the right light bulb will illuminate the work area without giving it harsh lighting.

Ambient Lighting

The ambient lighting works as general lighting for your kitchen. To work with this kind of lighting, you may apply more than one hanging pendant with medium light bulbs.

If you use the kitchen island more for snacking than preparing, you might as well want to use a dimmer to create an intimate ambiance.

Accent Lighting

Just like its name, accent lighting adds a piece of art to your kitchen island. It creates a focal point by highlighting the features of the island such as color, texture, and materials.

Kitchen Island on a Budget

One of the most expensive elements on the kitchen island is probably the countertop. While marble kitchen island countertops might seem unaffordable, you might opt for a cheaper version of it: laminate engineered quartz.

The laminate countertop gives the same look as marble yet cheaper and lighter. As another option, granite tiles may look elegant but remember to be careful with the grouting as it might not be resistant of water.

For the island, opt for pine wood which is known for its low price and high durability.

Got a Limited Space? Try a Portable Kitchen Island

If you have limited space and still want to work a kitchen island, portable kitchen ideas might be the one for you. It might come in a design of foldable table or movable cart.

The best thing about this portable kitchen island is that you can freely choose the material and design. It might have plenty of storage besides the functional top.

Tips in Choosing Kitchen Island Model

In choosing the island’s model, there are several things to consider. From the function to the price, you need to choose your kitchen island carefully because it would be most likely to be there for a quite long time.

• Decide the Function and the Storage

Before you place the kitchen island, you need to decide what countertop that you need. Is it a cooktop, sink, or plain preparation area? Once you get a hold of the function, you can go to the installation process. Remember that you also have to decide how much storage that you need under the island.

• Consider the Material

The material determines the durability and price of the kitchen island. It is true that the better the material, the higher the price would be. However, you would always find an alternative material that matches the expensive version of it.

• Work on a Budget

Making your kitchen island ideas come true might need a lot of work and money. Make sure that you work on a certain budget to avoid overspending. See if there are works that you can do by yourself to minimize the budget on labor.

Creating a kitchen island is like giving a soul to your house. Once you have a comfortable kitchen, it would invite the whole family to spend lovely time together there.