I love an island kitchen! They work for a number of great reasons and the creative opportunities abound. Here are a few examples of great kitchen islands:
Great Stone!
I really like the way the stone counter looks in this kitchen. The light color works well with the creamy color cabinets against the dark wood floor. I also noticed the open shelves on the end, and I like the undermount prep sink!
Great Woodwork!
I’m a wood guy. I love beautiful woodwork and one of these days I’ll get around to photographing some of my own work. Given that bent, I love this island. To me, it looks like art. Functionally, I like the space available underneath so you can sit around it and eat! Something like this wouldn’t cost much to have made. It’s relatively simple!
Great Feeling!
One of my favorite functions of an island is that they provide a place to congregate in the kitchen. People love to hang out in kitchens and islands provide a place to do just that! This one offers seating, storage, and a huge counter space. Looks like a huge kitchen and I gotta say…LOVE that blue cabinet! And the yellow walls…dark floors too!
Great Table!
An island doesn’t have to be a specifically designed cabinet. Some of the best kitchen islands anywhere are really just tables, placed in the kitchen. I love the idea of a kitchen with a table right in the middle of it! When you see that, you know you’re in a home that values family, freindships, and time spent together.
Well…Just WOW!
There aren’t words for this one. How cool is that? Cha Ching! $$$
If you have an empty space in your kitchen, maybe you ought to go island style! Thanks to Julia for hosting Hooked on Fridays at her awesome blog, Hooked On Houses!
We’re Hooked on REAL Islands at Forever Wherever! Great pictures…go see.
So, which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. And everyone is welcome to comment! If you have any questions, just ask me there. I’ve been answering questions inside the comments and that seems to be working well, so I’ll try and keep after it!
I do like a table smack in the middle of the kitchen. That’s where I ate growing up. Not quite as permanent as an island.
Terry Kearns’s last blog post..Amazing Chadsworth Cottage and Chadsworth Columns
Hi Tim!
I love the islands you picked for this post. Unfortunately, my entire kitchen is the size of one of the islands shown…but I can dream and the Cha Ching! $$$ Wow one is my favorite…oh my!
Mary Beth’s last blog post..Easter Centerpieces
Hey Tim~ I am drawn to the last one! Love that gnarly wood, but, I have never liked the stovetop built into the island, nor do I like a sink there. Who wants to see all your dirty work, you know? I like my dishes hidden in a deep sink until they can be cleaned. The stove is just messy and too much. Islands should be for the buffet and for decorating, of course. Oh, and for homework too!
Misti England’s last blog post..Chair Repair: A Dog Story
What great photographs of kitchens with islands! I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite, but I’d probably go with the first one you posted because it’s neutral enough to look great in all seasons. Thanks for this inspiration! ~Arleen
Arleen’s last blog post..Inspiration ~ More Decorating with Pink and Green
I like the blue table as the island best. That whole kitchen has a very warm and welcoming look and feel to it. I really like how the blue table stands out against the cream cabinets. The light fixtures are very cool too 🙂
Kelly @ DesignTies
DesignTies’s last blog post..Hooked on… copper!
I never really thought of a table as a kitchen island. Oh, the modifications that could be done to a beautiful old table…sigh.
Mrs. Petrie’s last blog post..The Art of Casa Petrie: Part I
I love the first one! I always wanted an island too, but this house didn’t have one. Oh well.
Jenny’s last blog post..Our Backyard by Abby & An Interview
I love the last one, and junk stores often have big pieces that you could renovate. People often overlook them because of their size.
Jane @ Beach House’s last blog post..Still wood obsessed
Love islands! Especially the last one! You’re right – CHA CHING! I can’t wait until we get one put into our kitchen (which for some reason didn’t come with one…although it would work perfectly…)! Thanks for sharing!
~angela
Angela’s last blog post..Hooked on: March Madness
Tim, I like #1, the stone is beautiful…but my fav is the last one. I like the feeling of it…big, warm, inviting.
Shawn@lifeatbuttercupfarm.com’s last blog post..Mood Enhancement in the Dominican
The “WOW” one has me hooked (line and sinker!)
What great island photos! I’ve had a couple of kitchens without islands, and I don’t know how I got along without them. Mine now is the hardest-working surface in the kitchen. Wish I had one as pretty as some of these, though! Maybe someday I can fancy it up a bit. 🙂
So glad you joined my party today, Tim! I always love coming over here to see what you’re talking about. Have a good weekend!
Julia @ Hooked on Houses’s last blog post..Hooked on Toile
I love me some islands too. The bigger the better, with chairs all on one side, and topped with soapstone, would be a dream……Right now I have a dual height island that my husband customed made which allows my family to sit up bar height and watch me cook and bake. Thanks for Sharing!
Suzy Homemaker’s last blog post..Fashionable Friday…
Such fantastic images! Happy Friday, Happy Spring, Happy~Happy Everything!
Laura Ingalls Gunn’s last blog post..Happy Spring!
I LOVE the first island, although I’d prefer it didn’t have a sink. I love an island for prep work and for putting out a buffet for guests. But the granite, the creamy paint and the shelves of the first one are right up my alley.
I have a question for you Remodeling Guy. My kitchen is a U shape, with the door to the garage at the open part of the U. (does that make sense?) I’m wondering if I have room for an island. Is there a general rule of thumb for how wide a kitchen ought to be to have room for an island? Perhaps a standard width of passable space there ought to be between the cabinets and the island? I’m also wondering if it will make access to my garage awkward if I install an island. Thanks for your awesome and inspiring blog!
Thanks for all the comments..
Christy – I’ve installed islands in kitchens with as little as 36″ on both sides. The island in that case was 24″ wide, so the total space available was 8 feet. In my opinion, that was a little too tight. Another foot would have been good, or a smaller island. But it worked, and the client was pleased with the outcome.
I don’t think the garage door access would be an issue, at least not from what I am picturing in my little mind. 🙂
Tim
I love a great island as well. Big or small, permanent or temporary. I really liked the woodwork one. I think islands offer a great way to jazz up a kitchen — with color or an interesting material mix. cheers, -susan
susan’s last blog post..Black and Brown in Harmony
I like the woodwork island best, but I am drooling all over my computer over all of them! And for the forseeable future my “island” is a small table I got for my very first tiny apartment and has since fit well into every kitchen I’ve had – except one that had combined kitchen/dining area. I do love for people to be able to be right in the kitchen while we’re cooking, eating or just hanging out by the coffee pot.
Abbie’s last blog post..Home. Happy and healthy.
The very first island was my favorite! I have a very small kitchen so I do not have room for one, but I am always drooling over other people’s!
Kristin’s last blog post..I heart faces, GREEN!
Thanks for checking out my Hooked on Copper post 🙂 And no, I don’t think you’re crazy for wanting to make a copper sink — go for it!! 🙂
Kelly @ DesignTies
DesignTies’s last blog post..Hooked on… copper!
Tim, I’ve always loved the kitchen island, too. My dream island would have the prep sink, a refrigerator drawer, and plenty of storage! I even would like the shelves on the end for all of my cookbooks! A girl can dream….
Tim,
I found you over at Hooked on Houses….I love the cha ching$$$.
Blessings!!
Renae Moore’s last blog post..A Gentleman’s Farm
I have a question for you but can’t seem to figure out how to contact you. I wanted to know your thoughts about painting exterior brick. We have 1970’s orange brick on the outside of our home. It’s ugly, to put it mildly. We really need to repaint the exterior of our home, as the parts that were constructed from wood were painted about 15 years ago, and it’s time to redo it. My hubby wants to choose a color that matches the orange brick, I want to paint the brick a neutral color so we have more options for the wood parts. Hubby thinks (maybe jokingly) that it will lower the value of the house. Anyway, what are your thoughts on painting/glazing/whatever it’s called exterior brick? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. I LOVE your site!
Hi Sarah,
Sorry you couldn’t find the email me link. The easiest one to find is in the about page. But others are scattered throughout. I plan to get something up on the main page one of these days.
Painting brick can be a great idea, but your husband is right that, in some areas or if not done well, it can lower the value of your home. The most important thing is doing a nice job and using good colors.
Have a look at what The Nester did to her last house.
And if you look at this post at Bella Casa, you’ll see that she also has the same thoughts as you. I left a comment on that post with further explanation.
Best of luck to you… and you can always email me at tim@remodelingguy.net
I’d have to say the fourth one… I just like the design of that kitchen overall.
Farmer Gal’s last blog post..No Eye Has Seen…
We’ve got the shelves on the ends of our kitchen island and they have been wonderful for magazines, kids’ books, puzzles, cookbooks, etc. The only problem is keeping the top cleared!
Hi, Remodeling Guy 🙂 I’ve been reading your series over at the Nester’s and I did subscribe to your feed awhile back! Here’s my question…
We are getting ready to have hardwood floors installed. We’ve landed on bamboo with a cherry-ish stain. On our main floor, we have a living room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, 1/2 bath and laundry room. I REALLY want to put the hardwoods down in ALL those rooms but my husband is adamantly opposed to it, stating that the risk of leaks in the kitchen/bathroom/laundry room isn’t worth it (but in my defense, he has no experience *hehe*). I’m asking your opinion because I noticed a lot of the pictures you post have hardwoods in the kitchen. So…. whadya think? I love the look but I certainly don’t want to make the wrong choice!!!
Alecia Bahna’s last blog post..Baby Cooper is here!
Kitchen islands have an opportunity to be dramatic and a big focus in a home. There are many attractive design options for cabinetry, counter tops, ranges, range hoods, lighting, pot racks, etc. One of the design options we think is very elegant and both modern and timeless is a copper kitchen. A copper kitchen may consist of any or all of: a copper range hood or island hood, a copper sink, regular double sink or farmhouse hammered copper sink, copper pot rack, copper backsplash, copper counter top, copper hood or light canopy, copper bowls, copper accents, copper scuplture, etc. Copper is great not only for it’s aesthetic beauty and durability, but also for copper’s antimicrobial, germicidal properties. See ideas at Copper Kitchen
Rutland Blogger’s last blog post..Gutter Garden – Copper Gutter Garden