How to Design Your Own Kitchen Island

A large island with stools is a great place for family and friends to gather before meals.

A kitchen island can make cooking and cleanup go much faster. Having this space near the sink for laying out items needed for food preparation saves steps. Adding a cook top or other features to the island brings everything to a focused area. If there is enough room, the island can become a social gathering place while the cook is busy preparing a meal, too. Constructing a well-made island will add to the overall value of the home, because buyers typically consider the amount of available kitchen space when making their final decision to purchase.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Measuring tape
• Sketchpad
• Graph paper

1. Measure the entire kitchen space and define a basic island layout to fit around the appliances and the cabinets already in place. Use graph paper to designate the location of all counters and appliances. Sketch an island space that is 2 feet by 4 feet, for example. Create the island large enough to allow room to move around its perimeter. Keep at least 48 inches between the edge of the island and a nearby counter, if possible.

2. Decide what features you want to include. Plan to add a cook top space, sink for washing vegetables, and an electrical outlet for small appliances. Add special features such as a highly-curved faucet, so you can fill a large pot with water, for example. Include a butcher block top in one section for chopping as another possible choice.

3. Select construction materials. Build an island by selecting two or three cabinets that will be fastened together. Construct the island of 2-by-4-inch boards covered in bead board paneling as another choice. Plan to add a tile or laminate counter top. Choose doors for hiding shelving under the island, along with any crown molding that will fit around the floor edge perimeter.

4. Fine-tune the design further on a sketchpad. Add a second level for chairs vs. stools on one side, for example. Plan to build the island as a bar space for cooking, along with a lower level for eating, if this fits your needs. Sketch either a bar with a sleek finish or a cabinet with heavy wood detailing, making its architectural design fit your house.

5. Draw the final design with all amenities using colored pencils. Sketch the dimensions and details on graph paper, along with nearby cabinets and other fixtures. Color the bar hunter green with a white top, for example. Leave the bar white and use fine gray streaks to represent a bar with white marble, as another choice. Buy materials once you're pleased with all of the details you've selected.

References

• This Old House; Building a Better Kitchen Island; Duo Dickinson; This Old House magazine
• Home-Improvement-and-Financing: Kitchen Island Design
• Ask the Builder; Kitchen Islands; Tim Carter; 1993-2011

Resources

• Ron Hazelton's House Calls: How to Design and Build a Kitchen Island
• Kitchen Island Designs: How to Build a Kitchen Island in 6 Easy Steps