Are you planning to refurbish your kitchen? Whether you’re planning to sell your house or simply looking for more convenience, a kitchen refurb pays off.

No doubt, a new kitchen island is central to your upgrade, but with so many options available, it’s difficult to choose the best one.

These are the things to consider with regard to implementing the perfect kitchen island design plan for your home.

What Do You Hope to Achieve With Your Kitchen Island Design Plan

The answer to the question of how to design a kitchen island hinges firmly on why you want to design it. First and foremost, consider your aims for this useful home addition.

Are you planning to use it mostly for preparing food? Will it double up as a place for the kids to do homework or as a seating area when entertaining?

Here are some ideas to ensure your new kitchen island is up to the task:

Extended Counter Space

A kitchen island can help to create a more efficient workflow while preparing and serving meals. Some of the essentials and nice-to-have additions for your extended prep counter include:

• A small sink for washing vegetables
• A built-in cooktop with a chimney
• A microwave
• A dishwasher
• Task lighting

Always ensure you have enough room to maneuver. A clearance of at least four feet around your counter is best. Ideally, there should be enough space for two people to work comfortably, and the top should be the same height as your counters.

A Breakfast Nook

A two-tiered kitchen works best if you plan to use your island as a place for family breakfasts too.

The lower tier should be the same height as your kitchen countertops, so it doubles as prep and serving area. An upper level about 42 inches from the ground is perfect for bar-stool-style seating.

If the upper countertop extends about twelve inches over the edge, you can tuck the stools underneath it when you’re not using them.

Studying or Dining Space

A kitchen island is useful as an extra dining space too. These types of kitchen islands should be about 30 inches high and have no sink or cooktop.

When you design a kitchen island, size is an important part of the deal. Naturally, your kitchen space will play a major role in this, but it pays to note the following.

Larger sinks take up more space, so keep the final result in mind when deciding your island’s size and layout.

You’ll need enough elbow room for every member of your family at mealtimes if you’re using your island for dining.

Remember to allow plenty of space for storage too.

Storage Issues

Storage capacity is an important aspect of kitchen cabinet island design. Kitchens quickly become cluttered and untidy.

More is more when it comes to storage, but remember the main aim of your counter first. If you plan to use your island for prep work, you’ll need to sacrifice some storage to make way for your appliances.

If people are sitting around it, you can’t have under-counter storage.

So, if you want to install ample storage cabinets under your island, you’ll need to make it longer to accommodate all your needs. Designers recommend at least seven feet if you want some storage as well as appliances like a dishwasher, cooktop, and sink.

Appliance Considerations

When you integrate appliances into your island, you need to accommodate their inner workings in your design.

If your sink is on the island, the dishwasher needs to be there too. For prep work, your recycling, trash, and compost bins should be nearby.

In a large kitchen, it’s handy to position your island near the refrigerator for convenience. Alternatively, a small under-counter refrigerator is ideal for things, like sauces, that you regularly use to prep food.

When you’re installing a cooktop, you’ll need to provide for a hood or exhaust vent.

All these appliance considerations affect not only your island design but also its location.

Working With What You Have

Your current kitchen layout and style has a big impact on your kitchen island design.

Unless you’re able to gut the entire room or build on to your kitchen as required, you’ll have to work around these existing features.

Kitchen Island Ideas for Small Kitchens

Space is a major factor when planning a kitchen island, but you needn’t go without an island if you have a very small kitchen.

If there’s no space for an island in the middle of your room, consider positioning it at right angles to a wall or cabinetry instead. This creates extra counter space and bar seating and doesn’t take up as much space as a conventional counter.

When you position a kitchen counter like this, it also serves as a good divider between your living room and kitchen in an open-plan space.

Opt for industrial steel cabinets in lieu of a traditional kitchen counter. These are usually narrower than standard counters. If you want to tone down the industrial feel, get a butcher block countertop installed.

Shelves and cabinets in the base of your island are a must for small kitchens, and an overhead pot rack will also help save space.

A drop-leaf table doubles up as a seating and eating area that you can use as a small kitchen counter otherwise.

If you have an open plan living room and kitchen, fitting booth seating to the back of your counter is a novel way to create extra seating.

A table on castors is the perfect addition to a very small kitchen since you can simply push it aside when you’re not using it.

Larger Kitchen Considerations

Although space issues aren’t a concern when you have a lot of square footage to work with, you have a few other things to bear in mind.

Functionality is the main aim of a kitchen island. If it’s positioned too far from the work triangle of sink, range, and refrigerator, you won’t get the best use out of it.

Unless you’re having a sink installed on your island, you’ll have to move dirty dishes and dripping vegetables from a distant water source. This can cause spills and messes that will soon frustrate you.

Draw a floorplan of your kitchen while working on your kitchen island designs to ensure you end up with a good flow that matches your cooking style.

Try to work with whichever design style you already have in your kitchen. The latest modern kitchen island won’t fit in with a retro-kitchen.

Likewise, a wooden counter can look out of place if all your cabinets are black. There’s nothing wrong with a little contrast.

Interior design websites are a good source of inspiration when you’re out of ideas on how to make it all fit in.

Lights Are Important

Task lighting is vitally important for work areas where you’ll be handling knives and other sharp equipment.

Pendant lighting is a popular option for kitchens, providing function as well as aesthetic appeal.

Recessed lights work best if you fancy a more unobtrusive minimalist look.

Under-cabinet lighting is not good for food prep, but it creates an attractive ambiance when the kitchens not in use. It’s also a good light source for those midnight trips to the refrigerator.

DIY Or Designer

An interior designer is a skilled and highly paid professional. So you should think carefully before hiring one. Yet, there are some instances where going it alone isn’t a good idea.

If you’re new to DIY projects, a designer may be worth every cent. They’ll be able to design a kitchen island that suits your needs right away. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, or what you want, you could end up with an expensive, non-functional white elephant.

You’ll gain a lot of satisfaction from designing and installing your own kitchen counter. The secret is in planning carefully and getting lots of advice along the way.

Be sure to enlist the services of qualified plumbers and electricians for installing cooktops and sinks. A mistake in these areas is a safety risk and can cost you a lot more down the line.

More Design Inspiration

If you enjoyed these tips on discovering your ideal kitchen island design plan, you’re bound to find some of our other interior design articles interesting.

Our website has plenty of ideas for making your home the best it can be from top to bottom, inside and out.