Kitchen Island Plans

Nowadays, you can see islands in almost every kitchen. The addition of this element is beneficial in many ways. It increases the workspace and helps you in better arrangement of the appliances. While planning and setting them in your kitchen, you need to consider a few things such as the available area, budget, island size, designs, etc.

Area Available

The first thing to consider is the area available for the installation. Start by measuring your kitchen. While doing this, don't count the total area, measure only the available free space. This means excluding your counter, appliances like the fridge, furniture such as the cabinets, and any other items occupying the floor area. Now, you have to fit the island in this area, accordingly opt for the size. Always remember that you need to keep enough space to move around the island.

Size and Placement

Once you finalize the size of the island after checking out the area available, you can further decide on the placement. The usual idea is to place it at the center, without touching the walls, but you can choose from other options. You can place it in between the kitchen and the living room. This style is very popular these days, where the islands are used as a partition between the living room and the kitchen in place of a wall. Another idea is to place it in between the kitchen and the dining area.

Requirements and Design

You first need to decide the reason of installing the island. The plans will vary according to your needs. Do you need some extra workplace? Are you opting for it so as to have extra storage? Do you just want one for enhancing the look of your kitchen? If you want it just for giving a grand look to the room, all you need is some classy material for making this. You can opt for the most stylish designs, which might not have many storage options.

If you need storage, opt for one with lots of drawers and closed shelves. The accessories to the island are also important, like a stove, sink, etc. Are you planning to place a microwave over it? Are you going to have stools around? One idea is to fix the electric switches and outlets for the appliances on the side walls of the island, which provide great convenience. Most of the time the exhaust hood is also included depending upon its usage.

Budget and Finish

When other elements are finalized, it's time to look at the material to be used. This will mainly depend on your budget. If the budget is not a problem, you can go for the best material for making one. There are also those available at a lesser cost. Perfect laminate or wood finish, decorative drawers and cabinet handles, and an elegant counter top will give a posh look to the island. Make sure that the counter top is exactly the same as your existing kitchen counter top. Also the laminate used needs to match the existing cabinets and furniture in case of remodeling. For outdoors consider the type of outdoor furniture placed around. The counter top will essentially be a few inches larger than the base. Make sure the borders and corners are well finished.

These plans will definitely help you to beautify your kitchen. An island is surely the focal point of the kitchen and it gives a smart look to the entire area. So, making it the best and choosing an elegant design is essential.