Kitchen Remodel: How To Choose The Perfect Island

Kitchen Remodel: How To Choose The Perfect Island
February 18, 2022

Many homeowners desire more cooking and storage space in their kitchens, but they often don’t want to alter their current layout or cabinetry. Even if a homeowner is willing to remodel all of their cabinets, they typically need a different solution because the edges of the room might not provide sufficient space for all of the updates they want to make to their kitchen. Adding a central or near-central island is the perfect solution. In most cases, you don’t need to alter existing cabinetry unless you want to invest in those areas. You also don’t need to reconfigure wall space for installation.

When you’re ready to plan your kitchen remodeling in Orange County, FL our team of professional contractors is ready to help! As you plan your kitchen renovations, keep the following tips in mind to help you pick the right style of the island to meet your dreams and needs:

Make a List

The best way to choose the perfect island is to identify your cooking and storage needs. For example, consider the many possibilities of single and tiered counters, a sink, a stovetop or built-in stove, storage drawers, pull-out bins, pull-out cutting boards, open shelves, a fold-down table with stools, or a wine chiller. Consider size and materials as well. Most people invest in a large island, but you’re not restricted at all. If your kitchen has limited space, a small box or round island can still provide you with a helpful, efficient extra prep and storage area. Of course, you might also think about altering nearby cabinetry to open up more space. With materials, many natural and manmade counter options exist, including granite, quartz, engineered stone, and laminate.

Choose a Face

Every island has sides just like the rest of the kitchen cabinets. Typically, one or two of these sides face the work area along the walls where you prepare food, cook, and store dishes and other items. The rest of the sides face outward toward adjoining room doors or other rooms in open floor plans. In design, these sides are referred to as the public sides or “face” of the island. If you want your island to not stand out, then you should consider increasing the height of one side so that the main or secondary counters, if applicable, disappear behind non-work features, such as a bar and stools or open bookshelves. You also need to think about colors. If you pick colors that match the rest of the kitchen, you can make the island blend in with everything else. You can also make the island the kitchen focal point if you choose contrasting colors.

Focus on Convenience

Lastly, it’s important to think about convenience based on your budget and the amount of disruption you think you can tolerate during the remodeling project. Some kitchen remodels involve more extensive, expensive work than others during the installation of a new island. The primary reason is that some features require extra work. For example, if you want to tier circular turning shelves, then you need an island that has at least one rounded side and enough space for those shelves and anything else you need for below-counter storage. If you want a stovetop or oven in your island, the installation also requires some type of ventilation to pull odors and moisture from the area in the same way your current setup likely has a hood and fan. If you want the island to have electric outlets, then an experienced contractor must also install wiring to code.

Personal Touch Contracting is a top home renovation specialist in Orlando and throughout nearby counties. Our experienced team of contractors and remodelers help you at every stage of a remodel, including tear-out, design, and customization, construction and assembly, installation and post-project, on-site cleanup. Call or email today for more information about your kitchen island ideas or to schedule an appointment.