The Modern Kitchen Island

Gone are the days of taking your kitchen island for granted. 

Undoubtedly, islands are a hot item for modern kitchen designs. Having a kitchen island makes prepping and cooking meals a breeze as everything you need is within arm's length. An island improves your kitchen's overall flow and function to accommodate more people in the kitchen. An island also gives your kitchen a more intimate and welcoming atmosphere. We could go on and on about all the ways an island improves the design of our kitchens. However, sometimes we underestimate the potential kitchen islands have in our kitchen designs. Here are a few ways we can maximize the design of our kitchen islands.

Storage: You have the opportunity to use all four sides of your island for storage. On the short sides of your island, you can add storage shelves or racks, cabinet doors, and pull-out drawers. The short side of your island is a great storage space to organize small everyday items such as any office or school supplies, napkins, table linens, and other small kitchen necessities. On the longer sides of your island, you can add more pull-out drawers for your everyday pots and pans, dinnerware, and other kitchenware items.    

You can take advantage of the storage opportunities in your island in other ways too. You can design your island to include your sink and kitchen appliances such as your microwave, dishwasher, or a small wine fridge. By creating your island to include storage for your smaller everyday items and your kitchen appliances, you have the opportunity to maximize the use of the cabinetry along the main walls of your kitchen. Now you have the opportunity to include specialty cabinetry items such as a pull-out spice cabinet, a knife block, utility organizer, and other pull-out storage items. 

Additional Dining Space: When we think of our islands adding extra seating to our kitchen, most of us think of adding a few barstools around our island. However, there's another way to add additional seating to your kitchen besides adding a few barstools. You can also add a dining table to your island, which opens the door for more customizable options in your kitchen. You can choose to add an extended countertop to create the space for your dining table, or you can choose to add a built-in seating area that extends from your island with a dining table in the center. Adding a dining table to your kitchen island is a great way to enhance that intimate family setting in your kitchen. It's also great for when your family members want to gather in the kitchen while you're cooking in the kitchen. It allows them to be in the kitchen without imposing on your cooking space. 

Another bonus to adding a dining table to your island design is adding a coffee bar or wet bar! In the area where your breakfast nook or informal dining area would be, you can include another cabinet unit into your kitchen design for an at-home coffee bar, wet bar, or both! Who could resist enjoying their favorite morning brew or cocktail from the comfort of their kitchen!

Aesthetics: Last but not least, your island becomes a stunning focal point for your kitchen. When designing your dream kitchen, you spend multiple hours searching for the perfect countertop to complete your dream kitchen design. So once your countertops are installed, you want to be able to show them off! With all the storage your island adds to your kitchen, you're able to conceal more of your kitchen items, you have more countertop space to display your gorgeous, luxury countertops. You can emphasize your luxury countertop by adding a waterfall edge to your island design for a grander focal point. Another way you can accentuate your countertops is by adding a beautiful accent tile to the front of your gorgeous island.

Today's modern kitchen islands add so many benefits to your kitchen design. Additional storage, seating, and gorgeous aesthetics are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to island designs. With the right design and imagination, your kitchen island design can become so much more to help fulfill your kitchen's potential to become the true heart of the home. 

If you're ready to remodel your kitchen, call our office today at 210-680-5626 to schedule your appointment for a First Look consultation! Our team of design experts would love to have the opportunity to design your dream kitchen and help you fall in love with your home all over again.

----KM BUILDERS is San Antonio's premier design-build remodeler specializing in kitchens, bathrooms, room additions, and whole-house remodeling. We boast the largest in-house staff in San Antonio offering architectural design, interior design, and cabinet design for all your home remodeling needs!----