From catching up over a cup of tea to gathering around for a Sunday roast, kitchens are often the bustling heart of family life, and what better way to elevate your space than by creating a wonderful hub within the room itself?
Kitchen islands are one of the most sought-after features, and here at AD3 Design, many of our clients are keen to include one in their interior. As well as bringing a stunning presence to your space, islands can transform the ergonomics of your design, enhancing your worktop and storage areas while improving the flow of your room. For some fantastic ideas on how to introduce a kitchen island to your space, our designers have put together a collection of inspiring tips and advice.
Utilise Worktop Space
At AD3 Design, we specialise in the design and installation of modern and traditional kitchens. Over the years, we’ve seen a big increase in the popularity of sleek contemporary styles, with the concealed kitchen look becoming more and more desirable.
A seamless bank of cabinetry creates a stunning visual effect, showcasing your choice of surface finish and establishing a wonderfully minimal aesthetic. A run of tall units also offers amazing storage capacity, with the option to conceal multiple refrigerators and freezers. However, opting for plenty of tall units can require sacrificing crucial worktop space. This is where the kitchen island comes in. An island can help unleash design potential, allowing you to achieve a convenient layout while providing the counter space needed for food prep. A stylish island can even make the ideal place to position appliances such as a hob or sink.
Enhance Entertaining
Kitchen islands can make a wonderful focal point when entertaining guests. They create a great place to gather, which can help put visitors at ease. However, they also establish a boundary between the cooking area and the rest of your space, allowing you to get on with preparing the meal uninterrupted. With the option to include a hob on your island, you can dazzle your guests by cooking in front of them without even pausing your conversation. If you enjoy hosting, adding bar stool seating to your island is a fantastic way to enhance your kitchen design and also makes a great place to grab a coffee day-to-day.
Add A Dining Island
Bar stools are ideal for enjoying a casual drink or laidback brunch, but for more formal meals, you might prefer something more spacious. If fitting a dining table into your kitchen is a bit of a squeeze, or you have ample space for multiple seating areas, a dining island could be a perfect choice.
Extending out from your island, a dining bar gives a little more room for you and your guests and can be tailored to accommodate any number of seats. You might even want to consider lowering the bar to complement more comfortable traditional dining chairs rather than bar stools. For some of us, an uncluttered, functional kitchen space is the key. The term less is more does have a very real, practical application here. We’re talking sleek cupboards, solid panels, and clean lines.
Make The Most Of Your Seating Choice
Bar stools don’t just make a handy practical addition to your kitchen island. The look and style of the seating you choose will transform your design and bring another dimension to your interior. Bar stools offer a wonderful opportunity to add a pop of colour. Alternatively, you might consider adding an on-trend industrial edge, a stylish Scandinavian touch, or a glamorous, feminine accent. Introducing elegant bar stools to your island opens up a whole world of wonderful design potential.
Elevate Your Design With A Pop Of Colour
In recent years, we’ve gotten much braver when it comes to embracing colour in the kitchen. This year dark forest greens, rich plums, autumnal ochres, dusky pinks and sage hues are all the rage, while navy blue continues to endure. If you’re tempted by a vibrant and luxurious colour scheme but equally admire a more subtle understated look, a kitchen island offers the perfect place to add a beautiful accent that won’t dominate your design. Creating a two-tone colour scheme brings depth and personality to your space, drawing attention to your stunning feature island without overwhelming the room.
Emphasise An Island Using Lighting
As well as offering a host of practical benefits, kitchen islands can look truly stunning. And one way to enhance the presence of your island is to add stylish accent lighting. Positioning elegant pendant lights over your island helps to highlight it, while the warm glow from the lighting creates a beautiful cosy and relaxing ambience, perfect for an evening of entertaining.
Choose A Design That Works With Your Layout
In order to benefit from having a kitchen island, it’s important to find a design that works with the dimensions and layout of your space. An island that’s too large can get in the way, whereas too small and you might find the compact storage and workspace more challenging than helpful. Furthermore, an island isn’t the only option if you’re looking to enhance your kitchen. A peninsula can offer the same fantastic benefits while cleverly complementing more compact layouts and tricky architectural features.
Stylish, sophisticated and remarkably practical, it’s no wonder kitchen islands are such a popular design feature. If you’d like to know more about introducing a kitchen island to your space or if you’d like to discuss your upcoming project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our knowledgeable team.
We’d be delighted to hear the ideas you have for your project; you can call us on 01942 815953 or email sales@ad3design.co.uk.
