Your kitchen island provides a strong center for additional workspace, after-school activities, or planning your next big event. However, it’s only as good as it’s designed to be. In many cases, a poorly designed kitchen island can often be more of a hindrance than a help, keeping your kitchen from reaching its fullest potential.
If your kitchen island is more blah than brilliant, it may be time to consider where you could take it to get great results and true efficiency. In this article, we’ll walk you through all of the basics so that you can consider all of the possibilities with your existing or a new kitchen island. From specialized appliances to phenomenal aesthetics, here’s how to boost the potential of the kitchen center island in your Buffalo home.
Amazing Kitchen Island Design Ideas for Your Home
The Right Size and Shape
To start, you need to determine how much space you have available for your kitchen island. Around the edges, you’ll want 36” of space for opening cabinets and movement. However, if you add seating, you’ll want to bump that clearance up to 44” for the same access.
There are a range of common island shapes that you may not have considered. Rectangular or square are fairly common, but you can also have an L-shaped or curved island if it fits better with your kitchen’s needs. You can also decide whether you want a single or multi-level approach.
Functional Features to Consider
There are several options available that can boost the overall functionality of your kitchen island. Seating options can include built-in benches, bar stools, or regular-height chairs at a lower section. You can add storage with cabinets, open shelves, drawers, and basket nooks.
You can add built-in appliances including dishwasher drawers, a mini fridge for beverages, or a microwave. You can also gain specialized extra workspaces such as a butcher block for food prep or a stone countertop for specialized baking and pastry techniques.
Creative Material and Finish Options
There are also multiple ways that you can finish the kitchen center island in your Buffalo home, including a wide range of materials depending on your needs and preferences. Countertops can be made from butcher block, concrete, natural stone, tile, and many other materials, giving you a unique surface compared to the rest of your kitchen.
Similarly, you can select from a wide range of finishes for your cabinetry, including wood, painted, or metal. Though it can be tempting to go with the latest trends, going with somewhat neutral finishes can provide you with more flexibility in the future.
Lighting and Ambiance
Lighting is an often-overlooked part of the planning process for your kitchen island. There are a range of issues to keep in mind when you plan your lighting for your new island, and the right lighting can make a big difference in the functionality of your island. The most important aspect of lighting for your island is task lighting, which allows you to effectively see what you’re doing.
You may also want to consider whether you want to get pendant or recessed lighting to illuminate your main work areas. Similarly, you can add a touch of drama to your new kitchen island with LED strip lights or under-cabinet rights.
Maximizing Storage and Organization
Your new kitchen island can provide amazing opportunities for improving your kitchen’s organization and storage layout. The options are almost endless, providing you with the capability to create a perfect island focused on your needs.
Among the possible options are pull-out shelving to expand your workspace even further, spice racks or drawers that tuck away and protect the full flavor of your ingredients, tuck-away trash and recycling bins, pop-up mixing stands, and customized inserts to maximize storage space.
Multi-Purpose Island Designs
In western New York, family and friends spend time together in the kitchen, while strangers are kept in the formal areas of the home. To improve that feeling of coziness in your kitchen, why not make your new kitchen island multi-functional?
Adding castors to your kitchen island provides flexibility in location, allowing it to be moved out of the way when it isn’t needed. A charging station is often a very handy option in our technically linked society. Bookshelves give you a great place for cookbooks, and dining extensions make informal kitchen dining easy.
There are a wide range of options available for your kitchen island, and it’s easy to customize your plans to include your hobbies, style, preferences, lifestyle, and needs. A well-designed kitchen island can transform your existing kitchen, making it a more comfortable and functional space overall without the overall cost of a complete kitchen renovation.
If you’re considering getting a new kitchen center island for your Buffalo home, you’ll get great results when you work with the experienced professionals at Modern Flooring & Renovations. Our team in Buffalo provides installation services, design ideas and more, and are dedicated to providing you with amazing results that suit your lifestyle, interests, taste, and preferences. Why not reach out today to get started?
