Kitchens have become the heart of many homes, a living space where not only do people cook and eat, but where homework is done, and a place where guests love to gather. Space is a key issue with these new, multi-function kitchen areas, and one of the ways people are getting the space they need is by adding kitchen islands. Islands provide additional work space, room for people to sit and talk or eat, and extra storage for the masses of kitchen items we need to run modern kitchens. Kitchen islands have become an almost-indispensable fixture in 21st century kitchens.
Islands can be beautiful and enhance the look of any kitchen. Many of them have the look of fine furniture more than that of kitchen cabinetry. They are also extremely functional. You can plan to have a second sink in your island and will be amazed at how often you'll use it. You can include a stove top and hood, especially if you're using your island as a divider between the kitchen and another room. You can have it built with a raised eating shelf where you can add some bar stools for a functional seating area, you can have plenty of extra storage room, or you might decide to include decorative areas, such as glassed-in sections for displaying beautiful dishes.
If you have an older home where there just isn't any room to build in a dishwasher, you'll find that a kitchen island will provide you a space where you can put one with no problems of door clearance. Maybe you will want to add pull-out bins for trash and compost materials, lots of extra counter space, a wine cooler, or a pull up shelf to house your stand mixer. You will find different models of pre-built kitchen islands in about as many configurations as you can think of, and many of them are on casters so that you can move them around if necessary. Stationary islands are also available and can be built in so that there's no chance of them moving.
If you have your own ideas for the type of kitchen island you'd like to have, you might consider having one custom-built or building one yourself. Islands can be large or small, depending on the space you have available in your kitchen. There are numerous websites that offer pictures of different styles of islands which you can look through in order to spark your own imagination. In addition, the Internet offers you many free carpentry plans for building your own island. You will find hundreds of different island designs as near as your home computer.
Even smaller kitchens can accommodate small islands as long as you make sure that you have plenty of room to move around the island while you're working. A rule of thumb says you need 4' of space between the island and kitchen cabinets and appliances on all sides. That may not be feasible for you, but don't try to cut your travel space down too far, because it will probably cause congestion. One solution to having an island in a smaller space is to install one with pull-out shelves that will give you the extra work space you need it and can then be pushed in to not take up as much room.
The National Association of Home Builders estimates that 80% of all prospective home buyers express interest in having a kitchen island. Therefore, installing an island will not only add functionality to your kitchen while you're living in the home, but it will also increase the sales value of your property and your chances of selling your home.
By:Paul Julian
