The influx of information has made it easy for people to have access to valuable information that would in the recent past be difficult to access. Designing Kitchen Island was not a common thing for most people given the complexity and the cost involved, however things have changed and it is possible to make use of creative ideas available here to transform your kitchen island with seating into something quite luxurious and relaxing.
With a bit of creativity and some help, you can get one of any range of great kitchen island designs without paying a ton of money for the pleasure. Take a look at five of my favorites!
Just Grab a Table!
A kitchen island is loosely defined as an independent counter/table area in your kitchen. When we think of one, we usually think of one piece, all solid with things like drawers or even an extra stove top. But they don’t need to be like this. Getting another table-one that matches your kitchen décor of course-and placing it in your kitchen can turn that spare, boring table into some great extra space. Just make sure that it’s solid enough to hold your things, fits with your décor and will fit in your kitchen properly!
Chairs in this case could be things like stools, a couple of full size chairs or a couple of smaller chairs, depending on the design of the kitchen island.
Reclaimed Kitchen Island
If you have an eccentric taste in décor, you enjoy colors and you like to bring disparate pieces together, then a reclaimed kitchen island may just what you’re looking for. You can really do whatever you want, but some ideas include reclaimed objects put together with a wood top, creating your own island from wood, steel or other materials in a workshop or even just slapping something together! With the rise of the shabby chic trend, this sort of kitchen island creates a wonderful talking point and can really let you showcase your personality. Of course you’ll want to ensure that you have chairs to match!
Kitchen Cart
Well, it may not be the traditional large island, but a kitchen cart is perfect for smaller kitchens. Many kitchen carts are less than two hundred dollars and feature some great extra space. From storage to fold out cutting boards and of course, extra work space, thee carts give you a tiny island of peace in the middle of your kitchen chaos. Plus they can be wheeled out for serving food and drinks or to create more space in other areas of the house as required. You can find some pretty nice ones if you do a bit of digging and no one need ever know how cheap they are!
With kitchen carts, you probably won’t need chairs, although a nice stool nearby may provide some seating for a quick cup of coffee or tea while you’re doing other things.
Think Outside the Bookcase
A few small bookcases can make the base for a great kitchen island with a lot of storage possibilities. Simply place two small bookcases back to back (or more!) and then use a solid piece of wood or stone for the top of the piece. You can mix and match to your heart’s content and you get a wonderful piece for your kitchen that will store a vast amount of goods and won’t cost you nearly as much as it looks like it should cost.
The important bit here is to ensure that you choose bookcases which will be large enough to give you an appropriate work area. There’s no sense in having a little tiny kitchen island that won’t be much use to you, so make sure to measure things out carefully before you start throwing things together. It’s also important to use smaller chairs or stools so that you don’t inadvertently block your storage space.
Round Peg in the Hole
When we think of kitchen islands, we usually think of something rectangular or square shaped. But your island certainly doesn’t have to be that! Oval or round islands are great because the rounded edges are graceful and cause less damage to people who have a penchant from running into things! They can also be easier to fit in smaller kitchens and they look absolutely beautiful. Have fun experimenting with different shapes and sizes to see what will fit in your kitchen.
If you have the money and the space, go for something really whacky like a large horseshoe shaped island that gives you a great bar space and a great spectator’s area for your cooking adventures. Fun times! We’ve also seen donut shaped kitchen islands with the ability to get into the ‘hole’ for one person and seating around it and many other shapes beside. So take some masking tape, mark out in your kitchen what sizes and shapes will suit your room best and be creative!
Chairs in this case will depend entirely upon what kind of island you get. Round island look nice with round stools, but otherwise, it will depend on the size and shape of your piece.
Adding Your Own Storage….
This isn’t precisely a kitchen island design, but here’s an idea: Don’t forget that when you’re putting together your island that you can always add your own storage options. There’s nothing wrong with doing things like adding extra hooks, paper towel rolls and spice racks and whatever else you can which will look right to give you the maximum amount of storage space to any piece.
And don’t forget that if you have made your own kitchen island, you can make it as large or small as you want, space in the kitchen allowing, and that means you can really decide what kind of storage options you want.
Kitchen islands don’t have to be extravagant, expensive affairs. Some of the best ones are those which are made on your own or created from pieces which people would never think of as being used in a kitchen or simply made in such a way as to be different from the rest. Kitchen islands are an easy way to think outside the box and really make your kitchen an extension of your personality. So don’t be afraid to move beyond what’s prebuilt in your home: add your own style and care without breaking the bank with these and more kitchen island design ideas!
