Interior design is always an interesting part of moving into a new home. Especially if you’re a home design enthusiast, you’ll love working on ideas for your new kitchen. Even if you’re not that much into cooking, a charming and modern kitchen could get you to change your mind. The kitchen island has become one of the most important features of home design today. They are stylish, luxurious, and highly functional. When breaking the kitchen area with an island, you get space for cooking and entertaining. Depending on the size of your kitchen and the purpose of the island, you could choose the perfect idea for your home. Here are some of the most interesting ones to inspire you and help you move in the right direction!
Continuous surfaces
If you want to achieve a luxurious and rich ambient in the kitchen, you can always do so by having continuous surfaces. This will create a sleek look and it will make your kitchen seem flawless. The work surface should be at the centre, while the continuous countertop will cover the island top and sides. This type of island is called a “waterfall”.
It is the perfect way to style the space and make it feel glamorous. The best thing is that it will protect the cabinet sides from damage. Besides, your kitchen will have a certain flowing feel to it – making it seem like it has no beginning or end. It’s a rather neat solution. When it comes to the colour schemes, you could go for something natural and refined.
Open-plan space
Open-plan living spaces are pretty neat – they are large, well-lit, and very functional. However, they can be a bit problematic if they’re not properly filled. Namely, they can seem vacuous. If you don’t feel like having overly large spaces in your home, you can always break them up with some strategic furniture placement.
When you have a longline island, the space between kitchen and dining or living spaces is naturally divided. You can, then, design one side of the island for cooking and meal prep, while the other side can be used for shelving. This will help you use the space, make it seem more manageable, and get the most from the practical side as well.
Mixed materials
When it comes to materials, marble is usually used for kitchen spaces, as it looks as luxurious as possible. However, if practicality is your biggest concern, marble won't be a good fit for your kitchen worktops. Since it is a porous material, it's prone to staining, pitting, scratches, and nicks. That means that cooking every day might bring more headaches than enjoyment!
On the other hand, the right kitchen worktop material might be granite, wood, or quartz. If you still want to use marble in the kitchen, you are welcome to. Mixing materials will bring the kitchen to life and picking the right combination will make the kitchen seem heavenly. Make sure to pick the right colours as well and the island will look fashionable and be functional!
A dining table
The kitchen can serve perfectly as the dining space as well. If you don’t know where to put the dining table, the solution is rather simple – make an island extension of it. The table will bring you more storage space and it could serve as the work surface sometimes as well. Most importantly, it will welcome your family and friends into the kitchen.
With some cute chairs, the table could fit perfectly into your island. This will be perfect for meal prepping with the whole family as well. Make sure to get your children to the kitchen and spend a whole day just cooking! It’s a great bonding activity and learning opportunity! Your friends will appreciate this as it is amazing for some get-togethers.
Ample space for seating
The kitchen island is a good idea as long as you think of all the details. For instance, sometimes, the kitchen is small and there is no space for the dining table. If there is no leg room at all, you'll have a problem. On the other hand, making sure that legroom is created will make the kitchen more functional and even more luxurious.
If the kitchen is really small, you could leave enough space for two or three chairs. About 70cm of space should be enough for each person. This way, there’ll be enough space for knees and even elbows. Make sure to pick some quality dining chairs in the right colour and material. You can use them to create contrast or to match the shades you already have in the kitchen.
Moveable island for tight places
When you don’t have much space, you aren’t damned to have a poor looking kitchen. On the contrary, a small kitchen can be as stylish and luxurious as a large one. The trick is to just be more careful and strategic when designing such a kitchen. You can create extra workspace and storage space by creating multifunctional pieces.
For instance, the moveable island can solve these issues quickly. A portable kitchen island will help you use the space however you need to. When cooking, you could use it all; when dining, you could just move the pieces away. As this kind of island is freestanding, it won’t limit you in any way and you could still maximise the space even in a small kitchen.
Bright colours
One of the best ideas when it comes to home décor is playing with the colours and shades. Your kitchen could have all high-end pieces and it could still look boring if the colours aren’t right. If the kitchen is painted in neutral tones, then having the central island in a bright colour could be a hit. It will make the kitchen seem refreshed and renewed.
This is a great solution for older kitchens too. If your kitchen looks tired in a way, you could always bring it back to life with some splash of colour. Deep red or deep blue would work perfectly. They will be great motivators as well when you don’t feel like cooking. These colours call for action and they could make the cooking process even more fun!
Glass doors
True luxury is in the detail. Even when it comes to the outfits, the accessories are what make them stand out and look breathtaking. The same goes for homes. In a kitchen, glass doors on the cabinets could bring more style than anything else. This is a perfect solution for larger spaces and kitchens with pale worktops.
If you need more light in the room and you want to drive attention to the details, glass doors are a must-have! They will look best on the central island. Since glass reflects light, you'll create a sense of an even larger room. Make sure to fill these cabinets with some gorgeous plates and silverware. This will prove to be both practical and aesthetic.
Stylish and functional storage
Storage is usually a problem in any home. Especially if you have small rooms, you may feel like you just don’t have where to store all the stuff away. If that’s the case, you could change some things in your home design. As far as the kitchen is concerned, you can always use one side of the island for storage only.
Kitchen appliances and accessories take a lot of space. Whenever you can, you should put them away in some concealed drawers or sideboard surfaces. Keeping these things away will help you keep the kitchen tidy and clean. Having expensive appliances and pieces means nothing if the place is a mess. That is why having more storage options is always a good idea.
Good lighting
Of course, the whole kitchen needs to be well lit. However, you can agree that the most important space is the one you use for cooking. This is where you’ll need most lighting and that’s usually the island. This is why you should make sure that the lighting is really good in your kitchen, especially in the island area.
If you don’t have enough natural light in there, you should think about multiple lighting options. The main focus of the light should be fixed right above the centre of the island. When it comes to the other options, you could get some lanterns or overhead spotlights.
A breakfast bar
Finally, a fancy kitchen has a breakfast bar. A kitchen with multiple zones is as luxurious as possible. Having one space dedicated for meal prepping and having a breakfast bar next to it could look amazing and increase the value of your home.
While L-shaped kitchen ideas are pretty popular, an L-shaped breakfast bar will be unique and special. With such a piece, you’ll double the amount of seating and you’ll create a more sociable cooking space. It will bring you closer to your guests and make it easier for you to serve food and drink!
Conclusion
A kitchen island is a great idea that will bring style and value to your home. It is charming and practical and it can fit the vibe of your home flawlessly. Make sure to read through these ideas and find the one perfect for your home.
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