Having enough storage space in your kitchen is a challenge at times and adding an entire new set of kitchen cabinets might not fit into your budget. One idea is to add cabinet and drawer space with the purchase of a kitchen island. kitchen islands are popular solution to the lack of kitchen cabinets space. According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association, over 50 percent of kitchens created include islands.
Kitchen islands often come to mind when additional countertop space is required but are not necessarily at the forefront of thinking when you are trying to decide where to put the mixer or new oversized skillet.
There are hundreds of styles and designs of islands to choose from which will coordinate with your existing kitchen cabinetry. Islands can be either stationary or moveable. Most come with adjustable shelves to accommodate your kitchen ware and provide additional kitchen cabinet space.
Look at the floor area available in your kitchen. More than likely there is an island which will fit perfectly in your space, be a beautiful addition to your design, and provide you the much needed additional kitchen cabinet space.
If you are planning a kitchen remodel that will include an island, consider these tips:
- Most importantly, there should be sufficient space between the island and other work surfaces to allow for opening cabinet and appliance doors, and for two people to work without jostling one another.
- Depending on your specific needs, the island can be located so it functions as an integral part of the work area. It can also serve as a divider between the kitchen and the family room.
- Adding an island permits a reconfiguration of the classic "work triangle" of refrigerator, cooktop and sink, because it is an ideal place to relocate either the cooktop or the main sink, or to install a second sink as the focal point of a second work triangle.
- If the cooktop will be located in the island, with a wall oven elsewhere, consider pull-out trays or drawers below the cooktop to store pots and pans. If the island will be a second work station with a prep sink for cleaning veggies and the like, NKBA suggests including a pull-out wastebasket in the kitchen cabinets below.
- Be sure to plan for the mechanicals necessary for the locating the cooktop or sink in the center of the room. For the sink you'll need supply and drain lines, and for the cooktop a ventilation system-either an overhead unit or a downdraft model. Both the plumbing and downdraft unit will require breaking through the floor. That's fine if you have a basement or a crawl space beneath, but could present problems if the room is on a slab.
- If your island will separate the kitchen and family room, it can become a multi-purpose unit that shows a different face to the family room. The use of shallow, glass-fronted doors can be used as display space, while the kitchen side uses standard-depth base kitchen cabinets for no-nonsense storage. The generous countertop is ideal for staging a buffet.
- And finally, don't forget about adequate lighting. Without it, the island will lose much of its functional appeal.
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Kitchen Remodeling