You don’t need us to tell you by now: Love Island is back on our screens again. And amongst all the drama and the stolen kisses and the shiny, shiny teeth (we’re looking at you, Jack Fincham), we here at Kitchen Design Centre thought it was worth turning the spotlight on a different kind of island! Kitchen islands are a fantastic feature we absolutely love here at Kitchen Design Centre, and here are just a few of the ways they can be an amazing asset to your kitchen.
You don’t necessarily have to be a keen cook to know that counter space is one of the most valuable resources in any kitchen. It’s probably not surprising, then, that this is one of the most common uses for most kitchen islands! The extra elbow room never goes amiss, whether in large or small kitchens, and it’s also fantastic for giving greater definition to the space, creating natural walkways and passages around the island to increase the flow in your kitchen (as it does in this traditional shaker-style kitchen). This is especially useful for busy family kitchens, allowing you to all move round each other!
Following on from increased workspace, your kitchen island also acts as a natural extension of your cooking area, too. You can add in another prep sink, for example, for washing groceries, or a cooking hob so that you can prepare and cook everything right there on the island. Some might choose to have ovens and warming drawers, or combination microwaves built into it, while others might opt for integrated dishwashers. Gathering the bulkier appliances into one place like this not only makes things more convenient for you, but can also save valuable space elsewhere (such as along the walls) for storage or dining areas.
Alongside workspace, storage for plates, cooking gadgetry and utensils is yet another of those much-valued resources in modern kitchens. A kitchen island, therefore, can give you a handy place to integrate some handleless storage and free up other areas of your kitchen. Again, this is great in terms of convenience, as you’re no longer having to ferret away anything in various drawers around your kitchen. It’s never fun to have to go hunting for them all separately before you start cooking! Having increased storage space also means you can organise things a bit more, so that you’ve got your knives to hand right near your cooking area, rather than having to bundle them with your barely-used pots and pans on the other side of the kitchen.
If you have a contemporary designer kitchen and you’re after something that blurs the boundaries between your cooking and your dining area, you won’t get much better than a stylish kitchen island! It makes an ideal space for seating and dining. This is especially true if space is at a premium, as a tall island with a breakfast bar (and bar seating) can take up half the room that might be required for a full-length dining table and chairs. This social kitchen diner makes use of a kitchen island with an integrated dining table, so that the customers can chat with their guests as they whip up their latest delicious meal!
We hope we’ve given you a couple of ideas – but this list is by no means exhaustive! If your mind is buzzing with ways to se your kitchen island in your design, why not pop in and have a chat with any of our friendly kitchen designers? We’ve got showrooms near you in Barrowford, Blackburn and Manchester, and we’ve always got the kettle ready and waiting if you decide to pay us a visit!
