Country-style kitchen islands with storage

The latest ideas from Country Homes Today, islands play an essential part in functional kitchens, providing a handy area to prepare food, store equipment or even sit and eat,' says Emily Evison, Designer, Harvey Jones Kitchens .

A cleverly designed island can be home to as much or as little as you desire, with appliances, storage, sinks, a breakfast bar and even an integrated dining table built in. Planning your island into your working triangle by incorporating a sink into it, for instance, can maximise the worksurface space in other parts of the kitchen. If you choose to put a hob on your island, ensure there's sufficient distance between where children might sit and the cooking element.

An island can also be useful for creating zones in a larger room, acting as a divider to separate cooking, dining and even living areas. Don't make it too wide, though - an island where you can't reach the centre is a poor use of space.

Sitting at the heart of this kitchen is a statement cooking station. The island includes a large five-burner gas hob set into a professional-style brushed stainless-steel worktop with a powerful extractor above.

If your island faces a dining area, adding shallow glazed cabinets for glassware and crockery will ensure the essentials are close to hand when it is time to lay the table. This design also includes a sink with large pull-out recycling bins to one side and a dishwasher on the other.

Designed as a dedicated preparation area, this bow-fronted island has a sink, two bins (one for waste and one for recycling), plus pull-out storage with integrated trays and chopping boards.

Creating a visual boundary between cooking and eating areas, this handcrafted island has a bold dark blue painted finish to distinguish it from the rest of the cabinetry. The glazed cabinets facing the dining area are used to display prized china.

For more country-style kitchen ideas, take a look at our galleries.