July, 2013 | Our Perfect Kitchen

Choosing the right Kitchen Island table

Kitchen Island with seating Kitchen islands bring comfort and versatility to any kitchen. It provides your family with a nook to eat, sit and even chat. A KITCHEN ISLAND with cabinets, sink, shelves and stove offers a space to store many items such as cutlery, cookery books and so on. Whether small or large, square or rectangular, made from wood or granite, portable or fixed; islands are just fantastic to use. It is available or may be customized in a wide variety of designs, sizes and shapes. But choosing the right island for your kitchen may be a bit challenging. If you are planning to buy an island, here are some factors that can help you make the right decision.

Choosing the right island table

Size

The size of the island table should depend on the size of the kitchen. It shouldn’t appear too prominent. If you have a spacious kitchen and prefer a large island, then you should opt for an island table with a width of 40-55 inches. For medium-sized kitchens, a breadth of 30-35 inches is the ideal size of a island. When it comes to small kitchens, you should choose an island with a width of 24-30 inches. Every kitchen requires enough space for accommodation and that should be the guiding principle when choosing the right size of the island for your kitchen.

Shape

An island usually comes in different shapes; U, L and G shape. However, the G-shaped one has become very popular in modern kitchens. You can also customize the island into different shapes such as square, rectangular, or even triangular shape. If you want to follow the latest trends, then opt for the round shaped islands. It will add class and style to your kitchen.

Designs

An island can be designed depending on the material of the countertop. Most people prefer an island with a granite or marble countertop as it offers you a cooking area where you can safely and comfortably carry out different cooking or baking tasks. Although granite countertops are a bit expensive, they are durable and resistant against heat and scratch. Moreover, they are easy to clean. Apart from granite and marble, you can also choose islands with wooden, stainless steel or laminate countertops depending on your budget.

Portability

A few years ago, islands were often fixed. But today, most islands come with wheels and are designed such that they folded up whenever required. A movable island can be shifted from one place to another place and are perfect for small kitchens. They can also serve other purposes such as dining tables or breakfast tables. The folding version is also best suited for camping.

An island allows you to utilize the available space in your kitchen effectively. It also adds a good ambiance to the cooking space. A kitchen island is one of the best ways to give your kitchen a beautiful and picturesque look. So, when you are looking for the best island for your kitchen, you should consider your requirements, kitchen décor and budget.

What makes Kitchen Island Designs hugely popular?

Kitchen Islands If you want to keep storage, display, functionality and aesthetic appeal of your kitchen at an optimal level, you will have to identify a top quality kitchen island design. A good kitchen design will always focus on the effective utilization of the space available and nobody wants any unwanted and unused space in their kitchen. In these days, several constraints make home construction extremely limited and you will come across a lot of kitchens with annoying and improperly used little enclaves. In order to make these spaces extremely functional, you will have to follow great island designs and it can be said without any doubt that islands have become an integral aspect of kitchen design, especially when you want to create a clear division between the cooking and eating area.

Island designs can be classified into two categories and they include temporary and permanent island designs. Permanent islands will always be an integral component of the main kitchen design and temporary islands can be described as convenient additions to a kitchen that lacks proper storage space. Islands in general will definitely increase the counter work area in the best possible manner and creating a focal point, where your friends and family can come together to eat or talk to the cook, will become a reality as well. All these benefits can be associated with outstanding island designs.

Temporary or mobile islands offer a lot of benefits. With mobile kitchens, you will be able to alter the design of your kitchen on a consistent basis and creating an innovative and fresh look can be achieved with minimal effort. In addition to that, you will be able to move your storage space to a more convenient area, based on your varying requirements. Your cooking requirements during a dinner party or a festive season will be completely different with your requirements on a normal Monday evening and an island can be used to redesign your kitchen in whatever way you like. For example; you can move it closer to the oven or you can take it out of the room for installing a dining table.

Temporary islands can be transported in an easy manner when you decide to move home and the assembling process of the island can be described as extremely simple. For homes with open plan, a visual separation for the space can be achieved with islands and an island can be effectively positioned for facilitating the traffic pattern in your kitchen. If you want to create more space for kitchen appliances an island is the best option available and you will be able to add a refrigerator, cooktop or microwave to any island with great amount of ease and comfort as well. The only limitation is that a Kitchen Island will not be able to cook for you and at the same time, it will solve all your storage and traffic issues in your kitchen with utmost efficiency. It can be said without an iota of doubt that all these benefits have played the most important role in making island designs extremely popular.

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Movable Kitchen Island Design Ideas

Portable Kitchen Island Kitchen islands are common features in the modern kitchen. A kitchen island in the center of the kitchen adds a stylish touch and convenience to cooking spaces. It acts as the focal point of your kitchen and eases the organization of a variety of stuff. There are a wide range of island designs. But movable islands have grown more popular thanks to the versatility. They allow you to change their placement when necessary. You can shift them around the cooking space or completely move them out of the kitchen. The modern island not only serves as a movable island but can also be used as a serving trolley. If you are planning to buy a portable island, here are some design plans that you may want to consider.

Portable Island Design Ideas

Simple Portable Design

This is a simple and cost-effective plan. When it comes to the actual design itself, it’s similar to the conventional islands. You may add closed cabinets underneath the countertop for storage. You can put small kitchen tools in the drawers. The wheels, which are fixed at the bottom of the portable island, allow you to change its position from the center of your cooking space to the corners or out of the cooking area depending on your needs and preferences. When buying the countertop, ensure you consider the kitchen décor and theme, such as the shade and material of the cabinet and countertop, to enhance the overall look of the kitchen.

Serving Trolley Styled Movable Island

If you want to liven up a smaller kitchen, then this is the ideal option. Small islands designed for placing serving utensils and cooked food can also act as serving trolleys that make it more convenient to move meals to the dining space. So a combination of a serving trolley and an island can be perfect and easy to use. The structure consists of a countertop (should match with your kitchen countertop), 2-4 open shelves and 2 drawers. The lower part can also be divided into 2 vertical halves. The right half may be used as a closed unit with compartments and the left one for open shelves.

Dining and Island Combo

Kitchen islands that have breakfast bars have become very popular today. You can choose such a island that also doubles as a dining table or breakfast table. If you stay in a smaller apartment without separate dining areas, these islands are the ideal option. You can get well designed kitchen islands with stools and an extended countertop in front of the base structure. This will allow your leg some room when sitting on a stool and using this countertop as a dining table.

Apart from the design plans given above, there are many more other variations of this movable kitchen furniture. Ensure that the dimensions are smaller to allow easy movement of the island from its place. Look for islands with high quality wheels that have a locking facility. Finally, always insist on a well-organized and multipurpose island.