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A kitchen island can elevate the look of any home. Islands are made from a variety of materials that give any cooking space a distinctive personality. Since they’re often the focal point of your kitchen, they’re a great place for friends and family to gather to cook, eat, and just enjoy each other’s company. They are truly a good choice if you’re looking to revitalize your kitchen and make the most of your space. We’ve compiled a list of some of our picks for the highest-quality kitchen islands.
Top Kitchen Islands Worth Considering
Home Styles Kitchen Island
– Best Overall
Key Features
This elegant-looking island is made of durable, high-quality Asian hardwood. It offers a drop leaf that’s convenient and functional to provide additional serving space. It features easy slide storage drawers and comes with antique pewter hardware. The island’s top might arrive with small holes. Its classic look makes this kitchen island the best overall on our list.
Home Styles Large Kitchen Island Set
– Most Durable
Key Features
This Home Styles kitchen set comes equipped with antique nickel hardware for beauty and durability. The built in storage drawers are easy to slide in and out. The cabinet doors come equipped with adjustable shelves. The island also features open storage on either end. Sustainable hardwood and high-quality countertop material makes this island durable. Some of the pre-drilled holes may not be properly aligned.
Home Styles Nantucket Kitchen Island
– Most Adaptable
Key Features
This Nantucket Kitchen Island is made of hardwood and engineered woods. The black finish is sanded and distressed. This stylish island comes with two adjustable shelves, a storage drawer, and a cabinet. It also features a convenient drop leaf. The breakfast bar extends for extra room. The color might fade after some time.
Dorel Living Black & Rustic Oak Kitchen Island
– Most Beautiful Design
Key Features
The Dorel Living kitchen island comes with bar stools and features beautiful bevel detailing on its top. It is highly functional and comes equipped with a towel rack, cupboard, two drawers, and an overhanging countertop. It also features sturdy solid wood feet. The cabinet is deep. Some may find the stools to be uncomfortable.
Buying Guide for Kitchen Islands
A kitchen island is a cabinet that comes with a tabletop and that is used in cooking spaces. As the name implies, it is an item that stands solo, isolated from the rest of the kitchen. It usually comes with its own sink, open space, and sometimes seats. You can consider it a tabletop space for work such as food preparation, which also provides a sink for cleaning up, a place for small appliances, and a spot for the family to gather over meals.
For a while, islands were not considered a necessary part of the kitchen, but over the years, they have evolved to be a major component and are made use of in many homes around the world. Now, they are the foundation of any important kitchen space, not only because of the beauty and class they add, but also for several other reasons, which we’ll highlight in this article.
Importance of Kitchen Islands
If you already have a kitchen island in your home, here are a few points to ensure you’re utilizing it to the fullest. If you still have not made up your mind about getting one, the following points will fully convince you.
Extra storage space
A kitchen island gives you more space to store more things in your cooking area. To enjoy this benefit, be sure to get an island that comes with built in cabinets, pull-out drawers, and shelves by the side, in which you can store kitchenware or other home equipment. This also guarantees that your kitchen does not look messy and jam-packed with stuff.
Family time
If you are married and have a family, a kitchen island is one of the most important things you’d need in your home. It is useful for the moments when your family wants to gather around and cook or eat a meal together. It also offers a place to just rest and keep your loved ones company as they work in the kitchen. If you have kids, a kitchen island can serve as a spot where they do their homework while you make dinner, or a safe place where they could sit and help out with minor tasks.
Function and style
The modern kitchen island is one piece of furniture that perfectly combines function and style, in the sense they are great for the aesthetics of your kitchen and offer a wide range of functions. They can be used as a work space for food preparation, cooking, and cleaning up after meals.
For ideas on how to style and decorate your kitchen island, check out this video from Kerstin Cobb:
Most Important Features of Kitchen Islands
A kitchen island can come in a variety of different styles and shapes, as well as with different accompaniments and features. If you have never gotten a kitchen island and its many uses mentioned above have convinced you to get one in your house, then you would need to know a few things to look out for when you go shopping. Check out the following:
Size
The size of your island should be dependent on the size of your kitchen. An island that is too big or too small for the space available would not be effective. So, if you have a large cooking space, you should get a large kitchen island, and the same goes for small kitchens. The average size of an island should be between 38 to 42 inches in width and length.
Seating
It is important to get a kitchen island that comes with chairs to sit in. Islands with ample seating can also be used as dining tables.
Storage
You should get a kitchen island that affords you enough storage space, especially if you have a small cooking area. Storage spaces should include deep drawers, cabinets, racks, or flat slabs.
Mobility
You may consider getting a kitchen island that is mobile. It should be light and should come with tires for easy and quick storage. A mobile kitchen island can give you more space, lighting, or ventilation when you need it. However, if you have a smaller kitchen, you might want to anchor your kitchen island to the ground so it doesn’t move around at the slightest nudge.
Sink
A kitchen island that comes with a sink is one option that may make make it easier for you to clean up after preparing meals. Especially if you have a large kitchen, having two or more sinks would ensure that you don’t have to move dirty equipment around the space to get them clean.
Price Range of Kitchen Islands
The price of a kitchen island vary based on the type of material used to make it, the basic features it offers, and its size. The most common materials used to make an kitchen island are wood and ceramic. Tabletops are sometimes made of glass.
Cheap
$100-500. At this price, you can shop for a basic kitchen island that does not necessarily come with an aesthetic addition to your home. They usually just offer the simplest of features like a tabletop for food prep and a drawer for spices.
Mid-range
$500-1,500. If you shop for a kitchen island at this price, you would get one that combines function and style effectively. That is, it adds extra class and beauty to your kitchen and at the same time comes with most of the necessary features.
Pricey
$1,500-3,000. This price range covers the most expensive kitchen islands you could ever get and the most luxurious too. At this price, you get one of the largest sizes possible that comes with a set of chairs, tires to aid mobility, sink/plumbing work, and different layers of racks and drawers.
People Also Asked
Q: Can I use a kitchen island as a dining table?
A: Yes, a kitchen island can be used as a dining table, as long as it has comfortable seats and is far away enough from the cooking area to prevent heat and discomfort. However, you might not want to use your kitchen island as a dining table if you get a lot of guests over at mealtimes. It would be better to keep them occupied at a spot outside of the kitchen area.
Q: Can you put an island in a small kitchen?
A: There is a kitchen island for just about every kitchen. All you have to do is ensure that you get a perfect size and one that compliments your kitchen.
