If you’re giving your kitchen an upgrade — and provided you do have enough space! — you should consider putting in an island. A kitchen island is stylish and very versatile, and will quickly turn into the most-useful space in your kitchen.
You can use it for meal prep, cooking, cleaning, and for quick meals or cups of coffee. It doubles up as a family board game space, and your son can do his homework on it while you cook. You could use it for work-from-home calls too, while you roll out rotis alongside. And what’s more, the space below the counter comes in immensely useful for extra storage!
Have we sold you on the idea? Here, we’ve curated some of the best kitchen island ideas that you can drool over, and possibly copy in your own home!
Elegance in Marble
This marble-and-wood island makes the most of an open-plan space, with seating for four and a compact sink integrated into the lovely wraparound counter. The beautiful grains of the walnut cabinets offer a gorgeous contrast to the white Italian marble countertop. Glass half-globe lights above the island offer focused lighting.
Farmhouse Chic
We love the welcoming warmth of this farmhouse kitchen, and so will you! The mellow tones of sun-kissed mahogany wood are perfectly matched by small beige tiles on the countertop and backsplash. The old-fashioned cooktop is cheerfully cluttered with a medley of spice jars, ready to dish up deliciously hearty meals! The island is in peninsular style, fixed to the wall at one end.
Smart Compact Kitchen
This tiny kitchenette in a studio apartment is smartly designed with just the bare minimum of storage and counter space. The compact island is simple; just a freestanding granite slab fitted on the wall and supported by a metal leg. Note the cheerful colour combinations, and the way the deep scarlet lamp perfectly matches the inside surfaces of the open white cabinets! The open plan kitchen space is cleverly delineated by the use of stone flooring.
Wood and Metal
Metal frames lighten the look of this IKEA styled kitchen, with an unexpected dusky pink countertop and island providing colourful contrast to the oakwood Shaker-styled cabinetry. At either end of the island, sleek open shelves on metal supports hold pretty crockery and bowls for everyday use. The seating area is in white quartz.
Black and Grey
If your kitchen is on the smaller side, you might want to copy this compact and highly functional design idea! Grey granite seamlessly covers the backsplash and tiny counter and extends in a perpendicular into a floating peninsular island bar that is held up by a single steel leg. A tiny refrigerator and microwave are fitted under the counter, with the rest of the space taken up by cabinets and drawers that are finished in a dark grey laminate.
Stunning Black Kitchen
This stunning black kitchen is everybody’s dream, with floor to ceiling cabinetry in matte black, and a view to die for! The 3 feet wide island has seating to one side and a worktop with a sink on the other, the whole encased in decadent black Italian marble. The cooktop is enclosed within a compact niche on the black cabinet wall.
Garden Views
Here’s a lovely idea; a kitchen with a courtyard attached! Sleek modular cabinets in wood run along the entire length of one wall, with plenty of storage space extending all the way to the ceiling. The compact island is in silken cream laminate, and extends out into a low wooden breakfast table that has seating on both sides. Designer straw paper lamps above the table cast pools of light.
Country Style
What can be prettier than this country style kitchen, with olive-green Shaker cabinetry and subway tiles above the counter! The matching island is done up with an overhang to one side, and comfortably seats two for breakfast. Open shelves and deep drawers below the island provide extra, much-needed storage. We love the olive green beams on the ceiling that tie the rustic look together.
Steel Grey Luxe
A thick wooden slab is fashioned into the top and side of this kitchen island that seats four; two on either side, in an upmarket villa housing project. Steel grey laminate in a matte finish has been used to finish the modern cabinetry, and contrasts well with the rich grains in the mahogany tabletop.
Island with a Bar
Here’s a lovely farmhouse style concept with warm panelled wood cabinetry and old-fashioned granite countertops. The long central island is fitted with a bar unit at one end, with a unique crisscross wine rack and open shelves on either side for more bottles or glasses. Cast iron lanterns that hang from the ceiling add a charming touch.
A Touch of Green
This tiny kitchen is worked around a vintage cabinet that has been upcycled with bright green enamel paint, and features rough-hewn floating wooden shelves and an island countertop. The lighting grid above the breakfast counter is fashioned out of a bamboo pole that is left unfinished and uses Edison lamps for a pretty glow. Herbs are grown in little wooden planters suspended on one wall.
Deep Green and Grey
Deep forest green and greyish brown make a lovely pairing in this island kitchen. Here, the island is used just for storage and as an additional workspace, and does not allow for any seating. An open shelf takes the space of upper closed cabinets, and the designer has done away with the backsplash altogether.
Your kitchen design choices will ultimately boil down to your personal tastes; it’s your home and you know what works best for you! If you’d like to incorporate an island in your kitchen and don’t know how, call a HomeLane designer. We’ll help you build the kitchen of your dreams!
