The kitchen is a space for socialising, spending quality time together as a family and making delicious, nutritional meals. As such, it has both a communal and a practical purpose. A kitchen should bring the family together. To do so, it needs the right design and optimal usage of the space. It should make you fall in love the moment you see it.
A kitchen island is a modern addition to the kitchen that helps meet both of its purposes. Usually made of a countertop with storage underneath, the island serves as a social space and a fixture that could separate the kitchen from the rest of the home in the case of an open space apartment.
Because of its size and function, the kitchen island is one of the most prominent design elements in that particular room. Choosing the right style, materials and even an unconventional shape can easily make your kitchen brand new. You can explore classic kitchen island ideas or something a bit more out of the box. Whatever the choice, a change in style will have a definite impact.
If you’re looking for some inspiration, here are a couple of kitchen island ideas worth paying attention to.
The standard kitchen island is rectangular in shape. Its angular nature allows for easier maintenance and placement. Having a larger kitchen, however, makes it possible to experiment with intriguing new shapes and curves.
A curved kitchen island looks streamlined and modern. Its curves can often accentuate the movement and design in the room.
Curved islands are also a great choice for kitchen spaces that aren’t regularly shaped. A smaller section can be positioned towards the narrowest part of the kitchen, creating flow and reducing the risk of the space feeling cramped or cluttered.
Adding a polished countertop to the curved island will increase its appeal even further.
Bringing Disparate Materials Together
The kitchen island countertop and sides are usually made of the same material. To switch things up, consider the use several different materials alongside each other. Not only will such an island make a visual impact, it also creates functional zones that can be used for different purposes. When done well, especially with the help of a home interior design company, your kitchen island instantly becomes a statement piece.
For example, the countertop of the island can consist of a marble and a wooden section. The wood will add warmth and will be perfect for socialising. The marble section allows for easy food preparation and cleaning after the job is done.
Kitchen Island with Built-In Appliances
A kitchen island usually consist of a countertop or it can have such a surface plus some storage space underneath. But a kitchen island can also be utilised to house built-in appliances.
Using the kitchen island as a space for appliances like the microwave, an oven or even a wine cellar is going to be amazing for a small kitchen. While the island itself will need to be heftier, lots of other kitchen space will be saved.
Multi-Level Kitchen Island
Here’s another way to break away from tradition. Usually, a kitchen island has a single level countertop. But this doesn’t have to be the norm. in fact, adding a few different levels will create beautiful movement and also increase the usable surface of the island.
A lower section of the island will be ideal for food prep or making cocktails. The taller section is going to be great for socialising.
And this is just one idea of how multiple levels can be used. Depending on your needs and your family’s lifestyle, you can incorporate various activities into the utilisation of the multi-level countertop.
As a general rule of thumb, a kitchen island features lights above. These are needed to illuminate the countertop.
A great alternative would be to have a kitchen island that features underneath illumination.
Illuminating the base of the island will make it look as if it were floating. This visual can be incredibly striking and futuristic. It will turn the island into a centrepiece that isn’t just functional but also exceptionally beautiful to look at.
Kitchen Island Display Niches
Apart from featuring storage space, a kitchen island can also be used to display a whole host of items.
Some households can feature books and magazines. Some can display a spice and herb collection. It’s even possible to carve out small display niches that will house some works of art. The possibilities are so many and each one will change the appearance of the island completely.
To give the display some added glamour, the niches can be illuminated from the inside.
Straying from Classic Shapes
Apart from choosing a curvy kitchen island to make things different, you can also opt for unorthodox shape that’s completely atypical for the room.
A triangular kitchen island is one such example. The same applies to a circular space. A triangular kitchen island, for example, can create a lot more space and it can also fit in an oddly shaped kitchen. The circular one will be a striking spot for socialising that will allow more people to surround the countertop and make use of it.
The shape itself doesn’t have to be regular at all. Working with the right designer, you can come up with a personalised solution that’s perfectly matched to your needs.
The Home Guide team will be honoured to work on such an atypical execution in your Singapore home. Share what your dream kitchen looks like with us and our home renovation team will bring the vision to reality.
Contact Home Guide today if you want to explore the possibility of a kitchen island and an overall home interior design concept that will completely change the appearance of your kitchen
