Kitchen Islands Go Front and Center

Add extra work space and decorative interest to your kitchen by installing an island. The kitchen island can be as simple as a small table or as elaborate as a custom-build, electrified, plumbed, tiled cooking center. Find ideas for how to add an island to your kitchen and see photos of great islands.

It seems as though families are getting smaller and at the same time, kitchens are getting bigger .

Designers are using industrial appliances, state-of-the-art cabinets and countertop materials, and including a kitchen island whenever possible.

A kitchen island looks beautiful in most settings and adds work space, storage area, and room for additional appliances.

If you look through decorating magazines or attend Decorator Showhouses. you ll see that most kitchen islands are longer and wider than ever before. A flat surface island (rather than mulit-level) is a simple solution and contributes a simple elegance to a kitchen. Architectural details such as bump-outs, corner posts, inset areas, and open shelving add personality and style to the kitchen.

While a kitchen island can be as simple as a table with open legs, many new kitchen islands are being designed with useful and decorative touches, making a kitchen island a focal point in the kitchen.

Some kitchen islands are elaborate custom-built pieces of fine cabinetry and include a sink, granite counters, a cooktop, cabinets for storage, a second dishwasher, a warming oven, or a small refrigerator.

The sky s the limit if you have room.

The simplest and most common kitchen island has a single surface. like a tabletop. But a multi-level island can incorporate both food preparation and eating areas, wine racks, cookbook shelves, bar sinks, deep fryers, and other amenities. A step-down or step-up surface adds interest and separate work areas.

A large kitchen can, in some cases, accommodate multiple islands. A food preparation island near the sink or stove serves as a work space. A serving or eating island can convenient and useful.

Read on for tips about how to comfortably fit a kitchen island into your home.