Refreshing your kitchen with a kitchen island
The kitchen has always been the heart of the home, but in recent years it has evolved to be more than just a place for cooking and eating. Design and functionality have never been more important in Australian kitchens, and if you’re after a kitchen upgrade that achieves both then you can’t look past a kitchen island. Discover the benefits of installing a kitchen island for a multi-purpose kitchen, as well as our tips on how to choose the right kitchen island design for your space.
Benefits of a kitchen island in multi-purpose kitchen design
More benchtop space
We’re yet to come across someone who has complained of too much benchtop space in their kitchen! Between the sink, stovetop and appliances, there can often be little benchtop space remaining for everything else involved in meal preparation. Adding a kitchen island provides you with invaluable benchtop space that you can utilise in any way you want. By choosing a surface that can withstand knives and heat, you can use this bonus space for chopping, placing hot pots and pans, as well as a general area to serve food.
Added storage
Need extra storage space in your kitchen? Bring in reinforcements! Whether it’s an in-built kitchen island or something moveable and less permanent, a kitchen island allows you to significantly increase the storage potential of your kitchen. Many kitchen island designs include built-in cupboards, drawers and/or shelves for you to store kitchenware. Another clever storage solution is the edge of the kitchen island which you can use to add hooks and hang up your kitchen tools for easy access.
Multi-functional, multi-purpose kitchen
Kitchen islands are so much more than spaces to prepare food – they serve several highly functional and versatile purposes, including dining, socialising and even working. You can be clever with your choice of bench material to ensure that it is appropriate for a range of activities, from chopping up food, to serving drinks, to working from a laptop. Adding stools or chairs as seating makes for a multi-purpose kitchen where one or more members of the household can enjoy a meal or do some work or study.
Social space
One of the biggest appeals of a kitchen island is the added social element it brings to what is already a buzzing hub in the home. A clever kitchen island design can re-define and merge the dining and living spaces so that the kitchen is no longer just a space for cooking and eating, but for socialising with others. The incorporation of a kitchen island removes the barrier between host/cook and guests/household members by creating a more inviting space where the host or cook doesn’t miss out on valuable conversation while busily preparing food.
Choosing the right island for your kitchen
When it comes to choosing the right island for your kitchen, you need to carefully consider your space, needs, personal style and budget.
Here are our top tips for choosing the right kitchen island design for your home:
- Assess your space – Consider the size, layout and traffic flow (including location of doors). Based on the space available and any limitations, you can choose a suitable shape and size for your kitchen island. Remember, you ideally want an island that makes the space look and feel bigger, not cramped.
- Determine your functionality needs – Identify the primary functions you want your kitchen island to serve – will it be used for food prep, dining, entertaining, work and study, or a combination of some or all of these? This will dictate decisions around the benchtop material, storage and seating.
- Hone in on your style – Your personal style and the existing style of the surrounding kitchen will influence your choice in kitchen island. To ensure you choose a complementary style you should consider the current colour palette, cabinetry and flooring. As part of this, you can select a subtle kitchen island design or use the opportunity to make the kitchen island a statement piece with a unique colour or material.
- Be realistic with your budget – It’s important that you set a realistic budget for your kitchen island design from the get-go. Consider the cost of the island itself, as well as associated installation (including electrical) and any accessories (such as seating). Generally, the greater functionality and versatility you want your kitchen island to bring, the more it will cost.
Get a kitchen island from Kit Kitchens
A kitchen island can unlock the key to refreshing and revitalising your home. Whether your aim is for increased functionality, additional space and storage or a stylish focal point, a well-executed kitchen design with the incorporation of a kitchen island can transform your kitchen into a more versatile and unique space.
When it comes to a multi-purpose kitchen, you can’t look further than Kit Kitchens. We offer the convenience of pre-assembled and flat-pack kitchen design solutions, with the added benefit of our design service and customisation.
Contact the Kit Kitchens team to discuss how we can help you get the right kitchen island for your home.
