Kitchen island

Those interested in kitchen design know that the kitchen island is useful and versatile. It can act as a kitchen table, a storage place, a dividing boundary between spaces or a favorite spot for breakfast or a glass of wine. For many of us the idea setting up a kitchen other than the classic way is always about space, about a big house with a big kitchen. Not always so. Even smaller kitchens can be fitted with islands, the important thing is to find the best solution to make it useful, not cluttered.

How to make your kitchen island useful and clutter-free

The island is the central place you easily reach from any part of the kitchen and enhances its functionality. However small it may be it can give you several advantages:

• creates extra space you can use when cooking
• can be used as a table, bar or place for a quick breakfast
• create storage space which, it's true, are never enough
• it can delimit spaces in a kitchen open to the living room

Some useful tips if you're thinking of the island as a DIY project

If you decide to set up such a place that is also a storage space, the following information may be useful. If you also want to use it as a dining table, remember that your knees need space when you sit down, and drawers and storage areas can be distracting. That's why the table top should have an edge at least six inches outside the supporting structure. That way you can sit comfortably at the table without having to walk into the cupboard.

If you choose a wooden worktop, Dippanels can offer you the solution. They have panels in various species (cherry, pine, ash, beech), as well as the "Vintage" oak version which highlights the authenticity of the wood (knots, cracks, colorations). In addition, they have the option of customization which you can have the countertop in the shape and size you want.

Here's another useful piece of information. In order to be comfortable at the table, a person needs a 60 cm wide space. Basically, 60 cm of the side parallel to you should be yours. Ideally. If this condition cannot be met, you should be aware that less than 40 cm is uncomfortable, and it is difficult for two people to sit comfortably at the table on a side less than 80 cm.

In addition to moving around it, if the island is fixed, you should not obstruct access to other objects in the room. Cupboards, drawers and appliances around it should have space to open. When designing the island, remember to leave between 80 cm and 100 cm of space around it. If you don't have it, consider a mobile island.

Kitchen island ideas

When the kitchen is small, the spaces to create an island are not exactly handy. That's why sometimes you can use subterfuge to create an island: a cupboard on castors that can be hidden under a worktop, a wooden board attached to the wall that can be pulled down only when needed, an extension in the L of the existing countertop, an arrangement that acts as a partition.

1. Partition wall

I think it's the most common way of designing an island. The kitchen is no longer separated from the living room by a wall, but by an island that can be used as a storage space as well as a table. To make the separation as clear as possible, it's a good idea to make the island higher, like a bar table, with bar stools. Build an enclosed cupboard that blocks out light for a clear dividing wall feel.

Of course, such a space should have a very good hood over the stove to prevent as much as possible the spread of odor everywhere. Don't rely on windows alone, they're not enough to eliminate odor. It needs to be vacuumed up.

When choosing which countertop to put on top, think of something that can go with your living room furniture. Wood is a great choice for its warmth and beauty, not just visually but also to the touch. A wooden countertop invites you to lay your hands on it and doesn't feel cold like a stone countertop. With wooden worktops oak, ash, cherry, beech or antiqued oak, which exist and can be purchased very simply, it will not be difficult to find the optimal solution for such an arrangement.

2. Island on wheels

The easiest thing to do for a small kitchen is to fit out a multifunctional unit on wheels so that it can be moved around when the space gets too small and cramped. There are lots of possibilities for making such an island:

• a cupboard that can fit under an existing worktop, fitted with castors and the top replaced with a wooden worktop;
• an old piece of furniture that can be reused in this way. The most suitable are wardrobes with lots of drawers, so you get lots of storage space. The cupboard is fitted with castors and a hard-wearing granite, wood or laminated chipboard top.
• a good solution could also be a table on wheels similar to the ones used in restaurants to bring different dishes. I don't know what they call it now, but the old waiters used to call it a gheridon. Topped with a worktop, it can be the perfect island.

3. Minimalist furnishings

There are situations when a kitchen island really can't be set up for lack of space. As much as we would like it to be, the cramped space doesn't even support a cupboard on wheels. Yet there are solutions for such places. A wooden countertop The wall hook which, when lowered, rests on the cupboard opposite can be the table you need for breakfast.

Another idea might be a footed, ironing-board-like countertop, clamped to the inside of a cabinet door. When you need to improvise a kitchen table you open the cupboard and the inner board will take the place of the table.

Sometimes wood can be the solution to make your kitchen the way you want it. A thick butcher's block countertop or a butcher's block modern with built-in sockets and accessories can make your kitchen island a favorite spot for family and friends.