Black Kitchen Island With Seating Tags

Some of Fenimore’s favorite elements are deep, pull-out drawers for pots and pans, and drawers with mechanisms that lift a mixer or other small appliance up and out for easy use. Also: drawers designed to hold containers of spices, and deep drawers holding metal containers for serving utensils.

Although the surface of the kitchen island is suitable for cutting and chopping, appliances add value by fully utilizing the middle-of-the-kitchen space. To truly maximize the use of your island, consider installing a stove top directly into your kitchen island or purchasing a mobile cooktop.

Fenimore has a trash can built into her island, with a stainless steel opening in the island’s surface where unwanted items can easily be swept during cooking. It’s a detail that didn’t add much to the cost but makes life exponentially easier.

Set your island apart from the rest of the kitchen with a one-of-a-kind antique cabinet. From old dressers to beautiful antique bookshelves, using old furniture to create a stylish kitchen island is not only an interesting way to decorate your kitchen space, it’s also an affordable one.

When limited room prevents you from attaining the kitchen island of your dreams, you can use an old trick: the wheeled cart or island. This mobile unit allows you to expand your available space and you can easily roll it into a corner or against a wall when not in...

Counter space in the kitchen is essential for easy meal prep and storage. Kitchen islands expand the available room to chop vegetables, prepare dishes and hold hot food. Therefore, one of the most important aspects of a kitchen island is the counter space....

In the end, that island “has become the literal hub in our home for socializing,” Fenimore says. We’ve asked Fenimore, founder of the design firm Studio Ten25, and two other interior designers — Los Angeles-based Betsy Burnham and New York-based Jenny Kirschner — for their thoughts on great kitchen-island design...

Think of how you are going to use this area: will you eat a quick dinner, sort through the mail or prepare the delicious salad that pairs with your signature dish? A large kitchen countertop will allow you enough space to arrange your ingredients neatly and keep things organized....

Because careful planning is so important, Burnham suggests working with a designer on kitchen-island design or finding resources online for drawing up a floorplan....

Other tiered sections can be used for cleaning, cutting or even countertop appliances like stovetops and built-in grills. You can divide a multi-tiered kitchen island with separate colors to accent a small kitchen island space. ...