Tag Archive: kitchen islands


Great Kitchen Island Ideas – 3 Things to Include 3 Things to Avoid

Filed Under: Uncategorized
Feb.26, 2010

There is a lot of truth that the way to a mans heart is through his stomach and that begins in your kitchen.If you are building a new house or redoing an old house take care to give special attention to your kitchen. For me I believe that the heart of my house is the kitchen. I love top cook and I like the fact that my kitchen is designed to be open to my living area so that even when we have quests everyone can join into the conversation and no one gets left out because they are the cook. That is usually me. I want to share my ideas on what I think a beautiful kitchen should have and one that will be used a lot. Lets talk about the kitchen island today and things you will want to be sure it has.

1. SIZE Make your kitchen island big enough Size does matter. Make you island big enough to allow you a big enough work area for more that one project at a time.

2. LIGHTING Be sure to add the proper amount of lighting directly above the island The last thing you want is an island without enough lighting to be able to read your cook books or see what wonderful dish that you are preparing.

3. ELECTRICAL OUTLETS Have your electrician add and electrical outlet into your island. What a wonderful buffet you will have if you can load all that food on your island and KEEP it warm. If you do not have any outlets in your island how are you gonna plug up those crock pots and slow cookers.

I am sure you may come up with more ideas of things you will want to add but this is my list of my kitchen island ideas. I enjoy my kitchen more than any room in the house because we love to have company over and especially our kids and grand kids. To me a kitchen island is a wonderful addition if your kitchen is used a lot and maybe if you just plan to sale soon. The kitchen is one off the biggest selling points of any house and one of the hardest to change the structure of so you better do it right the first time. Below are some kitchen island ideas of things you do not want to do.

1. Avoid making walkways around your island to small Be sure that you have enough walking room around your kitchen island. Kitchen designs with center islands usually allow for walking but a good way that I have found to be sure is this..

Side Note When your kitchen is still in the building process and the floor is bare take a black magic marker and a tape measure and lay your cabinets out on the floor.Once you can see where your cabinets will be you will have a better idea of how much room you will have to move around.

2. Avoid leaving wasted space beneath the island Remember to make use of all space below you island.

Believe it or not their is a lot of storage space to be make underneath the island. Use the space below your island to add storage, a wine cooler, your microwave or a number of other things you can come up with but use the space.

3. Avoid not adding plumbing Adding a small sink to your island will be something you will always be grateful for. It is amazing how big of a mess you will not make if you have a sink at your disposal.

I hope you enjoy your new house and your new kitchen. As you are building Please come join me at Dime decorating for unique ceiling ideas for your new kitchen and cheap home decorating ideas for your whole family.

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All About Kitchen Islands

Filed Under: Kitchen Remodeling
Aug.30, 2009

If you want to add a dramatic decorative element to your kitchen, consider installing a kitchen island. Besides the beauty and interest an island adds to a kitchen, it will add work space and storage space. This is usually one of the biggest complaints by homeowners, the lack of room to prepare meals, and shortage of storage space. An island solves these problems and can even add extra seating and eating space to a kitchen. You can add a grill or sink for added convenience in the kitchen.

Most islands are basically tables that are a bit taller than an eating table. Even the most basic kitchen island will add extra space for the preparation, serving and eating of meals. Adding a special touch or two will bring an interesting design into the room. You have to put cabinets under it to get additional storage space, however.

The storage space that can be built into an island can suit your owner needs. Extra drawers, cabinets, big open spaces for large appliances; whatever your storage needs can be addressed.
Many custom built islands include such luxury features as an extra sink, an extra cook surface (a grill or burners), warming ovens, small refrigerators, etc. YOU can even put a dishwasher under the kitchen island. Adding specialized surfaces such as granite or butcher block make meal preparation easier. You can combine any and all of these features for you own unique kitchen island.

There are even multi level islands to add further flexibility and customization to your choices. A higher level may contain an additional sink or cook surface, with a lower surface for serving meals. These kitchen islands are usually larger in size to accommodate the added uses.

Since there is such a variety in the size of kitchen islands, you have to choose the one that will fit best in your kitchen. Measure the area where you want to put the island and put a piece of furniture or some boxes to emulate the amount of space that will be used. This will help give you the visual impact of the island. Try leaving them for a couple of days, walking around them to make sure the space is workable.

You will need at least three feet on each side of the island for a walk around area. You want to have plenty of room to turn and use your regular counter space and appliances. When measuring, make sure you open all of the appliances, cabinets and drawers in your kitchen to make sure you have enough room.

If you don’t have the proper amount of space for an installed island, you might think about a portable one. These islands come with wheels and can be moved when not in use. This way, you can gain the additional workspace you need without losing critical movement space in your kitchen. These, of course, will not allow you to add and special features such as a stove top or a sink to them, although they often have some storage space.

Concentrating on the topic of cabinets, he wrote mainly for http://www.kitchen-cabinets-tips.com . You can come across his abstracts on kitchen islands at http://www.kitchen-cabinets-tips.com and various other sources for kitchen islands knowledge.

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