What size kitchen island should I pick?

When you think of the word “island” you might conjure up an image of a deserted land cut off by stormy seas. But, when you put kitchen in front of it, it becomes a picture of family life, effortless style and comfort. Needless to say, deciding what size kitchen island works with your space is a key consideration for its overall function and aesthetic appeal. So what do the experts think?

Kitchen island 101: the fundamentals

Measure up!

A prerequisite to selecting a kitchen island is knowing the space like the back of your hand. Often a kitchen island unit acts as a focal point or centrepiece to a kitchen, so it’s important to measure up to get the placement right. You’ll want a natural, open look that doesn’t unnecessarily sacrifice precious floor space.

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Forget one size fits all

Just because you have a small or unusually shaped kitchen, doesn’t mean that a kitchen island won’t be possible or that you’ll have to compromise on the options you desire.

Kitchen islands are surprisingly versatile, with many layout and design possibilities, augmented by the fact that most home furnishing companies will offer bespoke dimensions tailored to your needs. As long as you accurately estimate what size kitchen island will complement the room, there’s no need to hold back.

Functionality

Next up, you should have a good idea of what you want to achieve with your kitchen island. Is your aim to create a ‘social hub’, squeeze in some extra dining space or are you looking to break up an open plan design with a food prep zone?

Workflow

Here, you should prioritise your kitchen’s workflow. To help do this you can follow one of our favourite interior design concepts – the kitchen work triangle. This means leaving your three main work areas unencumbered, so you can easily navigate your kitchen. Blocking access to your oven, fridge and sink should avoided at all costs!

Getting dimensions right

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Working out how much room you need for an island involves calculating the space between kitchen counter and island, or indeed any other nearby surfaces. You’ll need to know the size and shape of the room to capitalise on what you’ve got to work with. And ideally, you should be working with a room that is 4x4m at a minimum.

Working out the clearance zone

In principle, a kitchen island should have a wide enough clearance zone for people to pass by comfortably and safely. Passageways should be between approximately 100cm (40 inches) and 120cm (48 inches), depending on the runs of cabinets or worktops in the vicinity.

How far should the kitchen island be from cabinets?

Keeping the minimum clearance zone in mind, for an island without seating, you’ll need at least 100cm (40 inches) between it and surrounding cabinets. If it’s a bar island with an overhang for seating, you will have to factor in 30cm (12 inches) extra to account for bar stools.

How about the space between the kitchen counter and island?

The exact same principles are applicable to the space between the kitchen counter and island. One size doesn’t fit all, but if you stick to the golden clearance zone of 1m you’re set for a safe kitchen environment – just make sure that they are nearby enough that you can move utensils between the countertop and island.

How much space is too much?

Having a large, beautiful kitchen is aspirational to many, but can you ever go too big with a kitchen island? We’d argue that sometimes you can have too much space between a kitchen counter and island.

Having an empty space of 150 cm (60 inches) or more between surfaces can start to feel cavernous, drifting from the fixed kitchen and looking a bit aimless. Keep your workstations at an optimal distance to each other by heeding this key figure.

What size kitchen island will fit?

Maximum

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A standard kitchen island is about 100cm in depth. Surpassing a conventional width or length could add significant cost to your project or simply overwhelm the décor with its expansive worktop. If you go any bigger than 300cm, you will have to inquire whether your worktop of choice is available in a single piece.

Minimum

Equally, you don’t want your kitchen island to be so small as to get lost within your kitchen plan. We suggest that anything under 100cm x 100cm isn’t really worth the hassle.

What’s the optimal height?

When you ask yourself what’s the best height for a kitchen island it’s useful to think in terms of counter height vs bar height. An average counter is about 90cm in height, which will accommodate a barstool of 70cm. For a bar at 105cm, your seating would ideally 75-85cm tall, giving you plenty to peruse when looking for bar stool ideas for your kitchen island area.

A brilliant rule of thumb for fitting in seating is to leave 60cm (24 inches) per person, allowing everyone to sit comfortably. An L-shaped overhang will let you slot in seats on two sides of the kitchen island.

Factoring in overhead lighting

When installing your island, you should also consider your lighting options. You’ll need 76 cm (30 inches) of clearance from the tip of the fixture to the countertop to avoid heads knocking into them. There are many ways to spotlight your island and improve lighting from installing a trio of pendent lights overhead to selecting sleek recessed lighting to name a couple.

Kitchen islands

Hopefully, now you’ll have more of an idea about what size kitchen island will enhance the style and function of your space. Kitchen islands remain trendy to many an interior design enthusiast as they have an uncanny ability to move with the times due to their versatility. Enjoy the creative puzzle that island placement poses and plan for the kitchen of your dreams.

For more furnishing and decorating inspiration stop by our interior design blog.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens