Think About The End Result
The end sections of an island unit often get overlooked, but they can be a prime location for extra storage that is handily within reach. Adding a single rail or row of hooks for hanging tea towels and oven gloves is an obvious solution that requires only the minimum of effort.
Alternatively, adding a section of open shelving at one end of an island run will give extra space for storing cookbooks or crockery. A slimline butchers block could also be slotted in if space allows or consider a trolley on castors that can be wheeled in and out of action as needed.
Create A Large Peninsula In A Smaller Space
Ok, this technically isn’t an island, more a peninsular but being central to the kitchen we’re running with it. A fantastically unique and generous island design by Belgian architect Dries Otten this minimal and modern kitchen idea features a clay-colored semi-circle workstation attached to the middle of the back wall of the kitchen.Topped in brown veined marble and with a stovetop and sink, the island is a functional part of the cooking process as well as a space to prep and sit. The kitchen itself is small with not a lot of work surface around the edge and the island is a playful example of how to incorporate a large island in a small space kitchen.
Kitchen Island Centerpiece Ideas
If you have a kitchen island, chances are youve wondered what to fill it with. Decorating your kitchen island with a centerpiece can be a great way to add personality and style to your kitchen. But what do you put there without making it look cluttered?
SHOP TRAYS
If you have a small kitchen island, you may not want a centerpiece at all. Or if you have little kids who will be tempted to climb up and grab any decor off the island, you may want to wait on creating a display until they are a bit older.
But if you have a large island or just feel like your kitchen island is a little bare, then an island centerpiece is a great decision.
There are many different ways that you can decorate your kitchen island with a centerpiece. Here are some tips and ideas:
SHOP VASES
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Utilize A Wooden Tray
When you use the rule of three for your island, sometimes it can be difficult to keep things together. Using a wooden or decorative tray helps you keep your items together and feel cohesive.
Its also convenient because when you need extra prep or cooking space, all you have to do is lift the tray, and everything moves with it.
You can clean easily by sliding the tray out of the way, and your items will have a designated space, which adds a personal touch to your style.
Use a wooden tray for a farmhouse or rustic-style home or a metal tray for a contemporary or industrial-style home.
Keep Your Island Functional And Stylish With These Ideas For Countertop Decor
Sophie Flaxman is a home writer. She hops around the world keeping on top of interior trends and gathering inspiration, which she channels into her writing. Her niche is firmly placed in all things interior design, home, and lifestyle. Sophie has also produced content for home and interior design-focused digital magazines, including Foter and Decor Aid. She is an experienced communicator with a professional background in public relations and marketing. Sophie received a Joint Honours degree in History of Art and Spanish from the University of Bristol in England. She is currently pursuing an interior design certificate from KLC School of Design in London, where she is preparing to tell stories through interiors that inspire and serve and create experiences worth remembering.
Kitchen islands are the heart of the contemporary home. They’re a casual gathering point for families to cook, dine, relax, entertain guests, and enjoy spending quality time together. Big or small, free-standing islands make a functional addition to any kitchen, providing an extra work surface and additional storage. Utilities aside, kitchen islands also offer the perfect platform for expressing your personal style and elevating your kitchen decor. We’ve rounded up our favorite decor ideas to spruce up your kitchen island and turn it into a stylish focal point.
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Use A Floating Effect For Extra Wow Factor
A cantilevered bar in solid walnut puts extra wow in this 5m long island conceived by Forbes Rix Design . The floating effect was achieved using a steel box frame structure that was concealed under the countertop and between the cabinets, then bolted to the concrete floor, explain Andrew Hall, director, Woodstock Furniture . Not only is it guaranteed to impress, but it also leaves more flooring visible, which boosts the sense of space.
Guide To Kitchen Island Centerpiece Ideas And Styling
Amy Leferink at Interior Impressions
The kitchen island in your home serves many roles: It may alternate between a food prep space, a homework spot, an entertaining nook, and much more. So how do you ensure that this space is both functional and stylish on a daily basis? We spoke with designers who chimed in with tips and tricks galore about choosing a centerpiece for your island based on its size, finish, and purpose. Keep reading for lots of detailed insight and get ready to create the display of your dreams.
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Go Big With An Island Made From A Vintage Find
An island can technically be created out of anything you can rest a worksurface on. This stunning open-plan historic interior boasts a kitchen island made of a vintage mirrored display cabinet. Stacked with vintage glassware, china, and silverware, the island becomes a glittering, charming piece of furniture in the center of the room creating an incredible-looking talking point and space to entertain.
And note the kitchen island lighting too. The Mid-century vibe globe lights create a beautiful contrast with the vintage island, tipping it over from a classic vintage kitchen to something more edgy and contemporary.
Kitchen Islands With Seating For Four
Here is our pictures of kitchen designs with islands that seat four.
Portable stainless steel kitchen island with chrome no-back bar stools
The movable stainless steel counter island on wheels gives this kitchen a modern, industrial, sleek aesthetic and sets the tone for the other design elements of the space. The backless bar stools, range and refrigerator, and even the storage shelves all share the metallic and chrome finish. The subtle use of a white marble back splash and a light tan wood flooring adds a nice touch.
Breakfast bar island with wood countertop and round Aro bar stools
The central kitchen island has a surface made of dark black granite and is accented by the pops of green from the mid-century modern pendant lighting fixtures located above it. The white cabinetry, walls, and ceiling are complemented by the warmth of the wood of the cherry flooring, wooden counter top for the breakfast bar, and the dark brown leather upholstery of the Aro stool seats.
White quartz kitchen island with adjustable height bar stools
The Quartz counter island is the defining piece of this kitchen design. The white cabinets, painted walls, and moldings all complement the color of the island. There are splashes of wood browns and metallic chromes seen on the adjustable height swivel bar stools, kitchen appliances and equipment, and the glass dome pendant lights.
Contemporary kitchen island with breakfast bar
Large two level kitchen island with Felix bar stools
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Style A Decorative Tray
Trays are a practical option for small kitchen island decor because they are easy to lift up and move to quickly free up valuable counter space. Trays also make surfaces look tidier and serve as a landing spot for most-used items. In this kitchen, a collection of cooking essentials in an artful arrangement serve as both decoration and utilitarian function. The display maintains the same neutral tones and organic textures to match its serene backdrop.
Think Beyond A Conventional Rectangular Shape
Think outside the box when designing a kitchen island with a dynamic shape thats totally unique. Its a brave move to step beyond classic rectangular designs but the pay-off can be huge in terms of visual impact. Here, we designed the island to look like a beautiful piece of furniture. It reflects the owners adventurous personality, while also helping to zone the open-plan room and create a clear division between cooking and relaxing, explains Jane Powell, designer, Roundhouse .
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Devote Budget To Bookmatching
A stunning slab of stone can be showcased in several ways around an island.
Bookmatching, where slices of stone reflect their neighbors, or slip-matching, which uses stone slices to produce a continuous effect, are effective techniques but, where possible, a seamless piece of stone mounted across the front of a unit is especially awe-inspiring.
Kitchen Island Decor Tips Conclusion
These tips will all work regardless of whether you have a large island or a small kitchen island without much space.
One youll take great pride in as well!
For even more kitchen decorating and design ideas, be sure to check out these posts as well:
In this group members share photos with their design questions and dilemmas from their own home. We all chime in with our best advice!
Its also great for sourcing hard to find items and pieces.
Lastly, to help you even further with your home projects, download my FREE DESIGN CHEAT SHEET, its loaded with all sorts of quick tips and handy measurements.
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Use A Clear Vase To Display Pretty Stems
For easy kitchen island styling, get a large clear glass vase and fill it with your favorite greenery. Some easy options for a minimal look include eucalyptus and cotton stems.
If you want a brighter cheery look, try tulips. You can use this vase independently or add a fruit bowl and candle beside it.
Ideas For Your Kitchen Island Surface
Here are several ideas on how to make your kitchen island surface more attractive.
Harvest Motif and Cinnamon Bundle
Base: Black Wood Panel Board
Spring is here and which means its the perfect season to bring in the fresh blooms in and on your kitchen island. On a clear vase, arrange your flowers and ferns. Choose a glass vase in a botanical or urn shape.
For your base or accent colors of greens and whites, use Variegata greater periwinkle, dusty miller, or asparagus fern. At the same time, your primary colors are auburn, amber, or yellow flowers such as chrysanthemum, strawflowers, and marigolds.
Dont forget to add your secondary color of blues and violets such as hellebore, pig squeak, and Virginia bluebells.
Grounding your harvest motif is a black wood paneled rectangular or round board. Place your harvest motif on the wood board on the left and have your cinnamon stick bundle on the other side.
You can choose to have a gold dish to hold your cinnamon sticks. You can either add plain or scented white candles amidst the ensemble.
Cookbook Display with Quartz Crystals
Base: wood cutting board with feet
Make your décor functional by stacking up 3-4 cookbooks or lifestyle books on your center island. Pair it with a large quartz crystal thats at least 2 inches above your stacked books.
Place them on a wood cutting board with feet, preferably with gray and white textures. Finish off with 2-3 succulents on white vases spread over your arrangement.
Citrus Fruits and Candles
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Set The Mood With A Sea Of Candles Across Your Kitchen Island
Candles always manage to set the scene in any room. Whether you’re hosting a romantic dinner at home or you want to create a very warm and inviting ambiance, placing candles on your kitchen island is fool-proof. While small candles are a great way to create a sea of light scattered across your counter, large candles can make better centerpieces when it comes to styling a modern or clean space.
This Mango Wood Hurricane Candle Holder from The White Company is a chic option that can be filled with whatever candle you like. Since each piece is hand-blown, no two candle holders look the same. However, if you prefer to switch up the style of your candles frequently, this large, faux-wood candle from Target works great as well. Also, since the kitchen is where you prepare food and eat meals, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t overwhelm the room with too many scents or smells.
The Back Of The Kitchen Island
Any of these three end panel options can also be applied to the back panel of your kitchen island.
However, you might want to weigh the cost of decorating the back of the island against its visual effect.
If you’re putting bar stools on the back of your island, those chairs might cover up the trim of a detailed back panel and hide the millwork decoration from view.
Usually, the end panels of an island are more visible than the back panel. Discuss with your designer whether or not decorating your island’s back panel is a good fit for your design and budget.
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Kitchen Island Styling Ideas
With a kitchen island such a central feature, coming up with clever kitchen island styling ideas and tips will have a big effect on the overall decor. From colour choices and worktop materials, to handles, drawer pulls and fittings, thoughtful details and clever finishing touches can make all the difference.
Here’s how to style a kitchen island with ease…
Small Appliances & Bread Boxes
I am grateful to have enough storage space in my home to keep our small appliances off of our countertops. Most are stored in our cabinets and pantry. We also have a small space near our bedroom that is perfect for our Keurig.
It is nice to have some of the small appliances you frequently use on your countertops out, especially items you use daily. I encourage you to find attractive ones to add to the beauty of your well-styled kitchen!
An attractive bread box is a great place to stash more than just bread. If you have room, I highly recommend adding a pretty one to your countertop to hide any odds and ends you may want to access easily.
Whether you have a large kitchen or a small one, I hope you will make an effort to style your counters! The kitchen is the social hub of your home and should be as beautiful as you can make it.
You can find additional sources below.
Happy Decorating!
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Build A Multifunctional Island
Kitchen islands are a perennial favorite but are even more in demand are islands that work hard to incorporate all the extra elements from multifunctional living. This island is a beautiful piece of furniture and houses reams of storage underneath as well as a bench to sit on or display tableware.’At the planning stage try to make your island as large as you can comfortably fit into your kitchen,’ says Sam Hart a designer at Roundhouse Kitchens . ‘If its too mean in size you wont get the benefits it will bring. It will become a focal point and youll want enough space around it for people to sit and socialize.’
‘Make sure it has plenty of built-in storage, good extraction, and a robust kitchen countertop for food prep. If you have a large open plan space an island is great for zoning it and creating a natural barrier between the cooking/living/dining areas. A further big plus in an open-plan space is that an island can be made to look more like a piece of furniture.’
Our Best Lighting Tips
We are huge believers that lighting is the most impactful item you can add to a home. However, choosing the right lights and installing them properly doesn’t always come easy. So we compiled a list of our top 20 lighting tips to help make it easier. Be sure to bookmark or save this post because it will be incredibly helpful for every room makeover you do!
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Kitchen Island Designs With Seating
Kitchen Islands can come in really handy for open space layouts. But the process of designing island seating can be somewhat an overwhelming process if you do not know the right step. The reality of deciding on the essential elements requires knowledge and the article will make sure to leave you with an understanding of varieties of island seating.
As a rule of thumb, analyzing the layout of the kitchen space is of importance. This leads you to ponder on the quantity of consumers and the estimated usage time along with their circulation pattern. This, in return helps you to understand to create the bigger picture on landing to a decision approximately.
However, thinking few years ahead of time will help to last the design in advance. As the National Kitchen and Bath Association refers a gap of 36 should be left on all sides of a kitchen island. The seating will require more space along with living and walking space.
Kitchen island seating can vary according to the layout. For an example, seating along one side or on both side are pretty usual. Kitchen island seating can be served on three sides for large islands. The short ends are used to allocate space with a long end. Sometimes, as a strategy of saving space island seating can be transferred to a corner in the kitchen.
Kitchen Island seating also varies in height. The bar height, counter height and the table height are a few examples. The design options are often used considering the functionality.
