Kitchen Island Design: Add a Kitchen Island to Your Kitchen Cabinet Design for More Counter Space

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Many kitchen designers these days try to incorporate some sort of kitchen island into their designs, with good reason. Islands are great for adding counter and storage space to kitchens. They can serve as gathering points, food prep stations, and clean up areas. Some islands do one very well, but the best kitchen islands are versatile enough to do all three.

Island Cooking

Would you like to cook at your island? Cooktops are easy enough to install. Generally, they just drop into a regular sink base cabinet. To ventilate, one can use either overhead or downdraft ventilation. Either is fine, just remember that either choice will probably mean installing duct work that vents outside.

Food Preparation

When space for preparing food is at a minimum, an island can save the day, giving you an area to perform the tasks that you would normally do along the wall. But with this sort of set up, you can face your family or guests while you work. A bar sink for washing vegetables and cleaning knives will be necessary, along with enough counter space to spread things out a bit. If you want your island to double as a clean up area, remember that dinner plates probably won't fit in a bar sink; you'll need a full size sink in the island for washing those. If someone is going to help you with meal preparation, there is now room for two people to work without running into each other.

Seating

With the addition of a breakfast bar or seating area, your island can serve as a place for family and guests to gather while you prepare a meal. Help children with homework and fix dinner at the same time; it is easy enough to just look over the counter rather than leaving your task and walking to a separate table. It's also easier to converse with guests if they're sitting just on the other side of your cooking area, better than yelling across the kitchen.

Islands are popular because they make sense in so many kitchens. Convenient, stylish, and practical, an island is a welcome addition to most any kitchen design or remodel.

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craig@thecabinetfolks.com