Kitchen Islands – Everything you need to know

Kitchen islands are now an essential part of kitchen design, largely thanks to the move toward larger kitchens and more open-plan spaces.

Kitchen islands incredibly flexible and can work in many different scenarios – they might be long and slim, running parallel to the work area, neat and round in a compact space, or broad and spacious housing a sink, appliances, water filters and of course plenty of extra storage space.

Kitchen islands assist the ergonomics of the kitchen, forming part of the “work triangle” making it easier to reach everything you need when cooking and cleaning.

WHAT IS THE BEST KITCHEN ISLAND SIZE?

The best size for your kitchen island of course depends on the size of your kitchen and what the dining space setup will be.

However, ideally, you need to factor in a space of at least 100cm between the edges of the island and the next piece of furniture, whether that be the kitchen cabinets or the back of a kitchen chair.

As a guide, the minimum size of a kitchen island should be no smaller than 4ft long by 2ft deep (1.2m long by 0.6m deep).

The kitchen island height should be between 900mm-1m. Include a 300mm knee clearance for kitchen island chairs
For kitchen islands with seating – allow an overhang of 250-300mm
Allow a minimum aisle width on all sides of 1m between the island and adjacent counters or walls
When you are integrating a dishwasher fridge, oven, or drawers that need to open don’t forget that these need enough space to be able to open and you need to be able to load and unload them comfortably – allow al least 1.2m

KITCHEN ISLAND Ideas - Appliances

Your Kitchen Island can be a great location for some of the important appliances you will install.
Once there is a power supply, water and waste pipes the list is very impressive. We have designed, built and installed solid wood kitchen islands to accommodate the following appliances and features: