It almost seems that if you don’t have some iteration of an island in your kitchen these days, that you’re not only losing functionality, you’re losing an opportunity to get creative. Here are six of the latest ways that homeowners are incorporating islands with style.
1. Calming Cascades
Among the most popular trends out there is the island that uses an incredible material like quartz or marble, not just as the countertop material but as the basis for the entire structure. Cascading from the top to the floor with seemingly effortless flow, the effect is clean, classic, and plays into the popular homeowner aesthetic of keeping things simple and doing so quite beautifully.
2. Make it Mobile
Beep, beep! Incredible functionality coming your way! Smart kitchens get kicked up another notch when you combine a clever design with four wheels for ultimate utility. These on-the-go units can be custom crafted of nearly any material to complement your kitchen’s personal style and options in islands that are literally, ready-to-go are expanding all the time.
Whether they are providing precious extra prep space or moved out of the kitchen to provide buffet options in a dedicated dining space, this is a great way to roll with the changes that today’s families encounter.
3. Go Big AND Go Home!
Apparently it is never gauche to talk about the size of your island. Indeed, you can dream big when your home offers a luxury of space. This example is the epitome of a sophisticated option for modern living, providing optimal space from everything from informal family meals to gracious formal entertaining scenarios and gatherings. In fact, if you have a large room it is prudent when conceiving your island that you don’t underwhelm with something that is too small and throws off the scale of the room. A consultation with a smart design professional will ensure those big island dreams become realities.
4. Color Wonder
The years of dense color are here and we’re seeing it reflected everywhere inside and outside the home in paint, soft goods, and home accents. This island infuses a nearly monochromatic kitchen with warmth with its saturated deep jewel green hue. Yet the look is balanced by the size of the kitchen so it works with the space and pleases the overall palette. The color of this island makes a statement without saying a word.
5. Options for Oddballs
How many times have you returned from the discount warehouse after stocking up only to be frustrated—again— by the lack of storage space for all those bargains, especially for oddball items like potatoes and onions? This island option gets high marks for providing storage for those things and is pretty to look at. No more stooping and wondering, “Which cabinet did I put those in?” because you can plainly see where they are and they make sense because that’s exactly where you’ll be using them. Kitchen storage conundrum, solved!
6. Turn “Find” to “Found”
What a great save! It could be something that has been in your family for years, sitting in your basement waiting for its moment or it could be something you foraged from the side of the road in one of those “another man’s treasure” scenarios. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing a find become a “found,” as in, “I found a great way to use the barn wood from my parent’s house!” Personalization in kitchen design is growing more popular every year, as it brings a sense of connectedness and community to your space that a catalog purchase just can’t. Before using that old wood, however, it’s a good idea to do some research to determine its viability and any long-term maintenance issues you will need to consider. Try a site like diynetwork.com for useful information and resources to help turn “find” to “found!”
