Kitchen island is a very useful and multifunctional element of the interior. Regardless of how small your kitchen is, we suggest that you take inspiration from our ideas and advice that will allow you to make your kitchen space as useful as possible.
- Correct arrangement of an island in the kitchen
- Small kitchen island restaurant type
- Islet - cutting block
- Use of other furniture as a kitchen island
Even for the smallest kitchen island one can find many applications. If you are looking for ideas for small kitchen islands, when buying, pay attention to such features:
- A sufficiently large working surface.
- The possibility of using an island as a dining table or a breakfast rack.
- Equipped with additional useful space: drawers, shelves, hooks.
- A convenient size and shape that will not interfere with movement around the kitchen.
A practical island with a breakfast rack should be equipped with open shelves, so you can sit comfortably, without bending your knees into the body of an island - or overhanging table top, under which you could slide chairs.
If neither one nor the other has an island, you can always equip your purchase with a new table top. Make sure that the new table top is large enough to provide a ledge of (at least) 15 cm, and strong enough to fit the kitchen needs.
Correct arrangement of an island in the kitchen
Once you decide that you need a kitchen island, you should think about what size it should be. The usual rule is that between the island and kitchen furniture should be a distance of 90 cm (105 cm if the island is in front of the door of the stove, refrigerator and other kitchen appliances).
The best place for a kitchen island is usually a kitchen center or, if it is an open plan, a corner island can limit the kitchen area.
Although a distance of 90 cm will allow two people to move freely around the kitchen, here and there you can limit yourself to a distance of 80 cm - in case it's a place where you rarely walk. Take a newspaper or a paint tape - and mark the boundaries of the place where you are going to put the kitchen island to make sure that the distance between it and other furniture is sufficient. So, choose the most suitable place for the island.
If you find that in your kitchen there is absolutely no room for a stationary kitchen island, buy a mobile island that can be pushed aside, pushed under a table or moved to another location as needed.
You do not have to go to the store and buy a kitchen island or order it. There are lots of ideas for using other furniture as islands, which can suit your little kitchen where much better.
Small kitchen island restaurant type
Go to the store, where the restaurant equipment is sold, and choose an industrial steel table. They weigh a little, but are very strong and durable (especially those made of stainless steel), are presented in all variety of shapes and sizes and are relatively inexpensive.
For more functionality, select a table with a towel bar so that you can place hooks and kitchen towels on it, as well as open shelves under the countertop. It's great if the table is equipped with wheels so that you have the opportunity to move it often, although such restaurant-type tables are usually light enough and can be easily moved without wheels.
Islet - cutting block
A chopping block is an excellent alternative to a kitchen island. Such a working surface is designed for kitchen needs, and you can put a couple of chairs next to it to sometimes use it as a table.
Use of other furniture as a kitchen island
An inexpensive and effective way to supplement the kitchen with a small kitchen island is to use other pieces of furniture as an island. It can be such furniture as:
Console table
Console tables, as a rule, are narrow enough to be placed behind a sofa or in a corridor. There is a huge number of shapes and sizes of such tables, their usual height is about 75 cm, so they are great for the kitchen.
Chest of drawers
Find a new application for an old chest of drawers, превратив его в кухонный островок. Подберите комод со множеством полок, выдвижных ящиков и других полезных для кухни приспособлений. Chest of drawers, который вы видите на фото, был в прошлой жизни витриной магазина.
Table-bar counter
A high dining table of the appropriate size can be an ideal kitchen island and serve as a dining area and working surface. On the sides to the table you can attach hooks for placing kitchen utensils.
Table-book
A wonderful way to add an extra functional surface is to use a table with a folding table top. When necessary, raise the countertop - and fold it when you need more space.
A folding table top is a great idea when you have absolutely no room for a full island in your kitchen. Such a table top can be attached to a kitchen cupboard or even to a wall. It can be used as a dining table or an additional working surface, which can easily be removed when it is not needed.
Floating shelf
Find a place where a simple soaring shelf of sufficient width and thickness could serve as a kitchen island. If there is no way to install such a shelf, make a partition in a minimalist style, which could be used as an island. Take as an example these two cuisines:
Retractable Kitchen Island
Is there a niche in your kitchen where you could put an island? Make an island that would ideally fit the dimensions of the niche. Even better, if you are in the process of decorating the kitchen, be sure to include in the kitchen furniture a locker that can be moved around the kitchen and used as a kitchen island.
Islet on wheels
No matter which island you use, if you want it to be mobile, you can easily equip it with solid wheels. Choose wheels of dense polyurethane, equipped with a stopper (so that the island does not move when you do not need it).
