20 Kitchen Island Tips To Enhance Your American Home

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Dream of a small yet spacious kitchen? Well, it’s time to turn that dream into reality: and there’s no better way than a kitchen island.

Contrary to popular belief, kitchen islands aren’t only for large kitchens – they can be used for small ones too. In fact, many home owners use kitchen islands help free up space. Intrigued? Read to discover the best kitchen island tips for your home!

Best Kitchen Island Tips To Enhance Your Home

White has always been the color chosen to add light, and make spaces look bigger than they actually are.

By choosing a completely white kitchen – think white paint on the walls, white furniture, and a white kitchen island – you add luminosity to the overall space.

One idea to play up a 100% white kitchen is to use wooden countertops. Since wood as a material tends to be water-resistant and less porous, it is a popular pick for making kitchen countertop spaces.

To give unity to the island with the kitchen by means of the color, add details in the forms of wood-like shelves, decorative elements, etc.

If you want to highlight your kitchen island with color, ensure that it’s made of the same material as the rest of the kitchen furniture/decor.

In this idea, the kitchen and the island maintain the same style and countertop, giving unity to the space.

Try to differentiate using color instead: paint it a prominent, eye-catching shade such as purple or blue.

By doing so, you’ll create a focal point for your kitchen, and a beautiful kitchen in two colors. This style is very much in trend at the moment.

Another option to highlight your island through color to buy brightly-colored pre-made furniture.

In this instance, red is an eye-catching color that captures attention immediately.

To further highlight your island and give the kitchen a rustic and chic look, you can choose to make the entire wooden island, even the table.

Use medium-toned wood with visible grain for more intense vibes.

Another way to add wood, giving it a more elegant style, is to combine it with marble with marked veins.

The textures of these two materials will transform the atmosphere of your kitchen drastically, into one with a lot of personality.

One creative way of creating a dining table while integrating wood at the same time, is to buy wood furniture which use natural finishes.

The so-called “imperfections” of such pieces lend great dynamism and elegance to any kitchen.

To create a very modern and elegant kitchen, choose the color black to highlight your island.

Rather than make space look heavy, the color black will, in fact, add a great deal of visual interest.

For even more contrast, you could choose to add a wooden bar.

If – instead of highlighting your kitchen island – you prefer it to remain inconspicuous, ensure that colors used are consistent.

To create the illusion of a set, do it with the same colors of furniture and table as the rest of the kitchen.

One of the great advantages of having an island is that you can add a breakfast bar without much effort.

Just leave some legroom, add two stools and that’s it!

Another way to create a breakfast bar on your kitchen island is to add a surface (made of wood or other materials) to make it work as a table. For example, you can add a floating piece of wood to your kitchen island.

Hey presto – extra space to eat, without actually taking up any space.

Prefer low tables and want to take advantage of the space available? Add a dining table to your kitchen island, and you’ll have yourself a 2-in-1 item.

This idea is great when you have the kitchen open to the living room, and not much space for a traditional dining room.

Buying a pre-made island is not quite the same as building a customized one, but you could always adapt furniture purchased for this purpose. Choose minimalistic furniture that visually looks less “heavy”, and which matches the rest of the kitchen.

This is a great way to let light and sight through your island, making your American kitchen look bigger. A very good idea for small kitchens, without making the space look overloaded.

To have an island with storage and a large breakfast bar, you can opt for this idea. The open bar not only allows you to add many more chairs, since both sides can be used.

It also visually integrates the spaces and lets in light, giving the feeling of a more spacious environment.

If space permits, an “L” shaped kitchen island is a good option to get the most out of this element. Now, you can 1) have space for the sink 2) cook, prepare food and eat, all on the same surface.

Not all islands have to be rectangular – you can also choose to use curved lines. Especially in the breakfast part, curved lines add more support space and great visual interest.

With a type of island that has a lot of storage and support space, any small kitchen will gain functionality and order.

These modules are special to keep your kitchen organized, and provide a surface on which to prepare food.

Are you a lover of all things vintage? Then this idea is for you. Using a piece of recovered antique furniture, create an island for your kitchen. Vintage items add plenty of nostalgia, and are aesthetically appealing as well.

Before being placed in the kitchen, make sure the furniture has received the right treatment (to withstand the heat and humidity of the kitchen).

For small kitchens, a versatile island with wheels is the best option.

It adds storage space, breakfast area and support surfaces, while giving you the freedom to move it where you need it.

You can choose an island or kitchen bar that has it all: storage space, space for cooking, breakfast bar, noble materials and visual opening.

Not only does this island model give your kitchen an industrial feel – it also integrates different functions in all possible spaces, even at the top.

Conclusion

As you have seen, there are many ways to add an island to your kitchen. No matter the size of your kitchen, you will surely find an idea that fits your need.

Why hesitate? Buy a kitchen island today!