New Homes Raleigh NC
Kitchen Island Styles
New Home Trends and Ideas for the Kitchen
A kitchen island can be an integral part of your new home kitchen design. When designed correctly, a kitchen island can work well in an extra large or extra small kitchen.
Islands can be accessed from all sides, which makes them ideal for both workspaces and storage.
A kitchen island can feature display shelves, drawers, and cabinetry.
Kitchen islands can be a beautiful feature in luxury homes or affordable custom homes.
The style, size, and design depend on both taste and budget.
Looking to keep your kitchen costs down? Consider an island with one bank of full cabinets, with a great seating area.
Add some pendant lighting to emphasize this focal point of the kitchen.
In some kitchens, the island can provide the majority of the counter space.
Guests and family can be seated around the kitchen island while meals are prepared.
Homework routines can even revolve around the kitchen island - it's easy to answer those math questions while chopping vegetables!
Thinking of moving the kitchen sink to your kitchen island?
Here's some thoughts to consider:
- Is there enough room for the dishwasher next to the sink (both depth and width)?
- Can the dishwasher open comfortably, with room to walk around?
- Is there room to include a pull out garbage bin/recycle center?
- Can the silverware be stored near the dishwasher?
- Is it possible to use dual height counters to better hide those dirty dishes?
Want to use the kitchen island mainly for food prep?
Keep these thoughts in mind:
- Are there outlets for small appliances?
- Is the refrigerator and cooktop conveniently close?
- Do you want a prep sink?
- Should you consider a butcher block counter?
Looking to cook at the kitchen island?
You'll want to talk to your builder about:
- Countertop materials: should it be heat resistant for ease of cooking with hot pans?
- Is there at least 18 inches of counterspace on either side of the range or cooktop?
- Can an overdraft hood be added, or is a downdraft cooktop required? What is the additional cost versus a typical range or cooktop?
- Should a raised eating area be included?
Will you dine frequently at the kitchen island?
Discuss your options for informal dining at the kitchen island.
- How many can you seat comfortably at the island?
- Should stools be tucked away when not in use?
- How much will seating limit your storage options?
- What height should the island be? Do you want two heights?
Your new kitchen island design should reflect your taste, be fully functional, and be ready for multiple uses and plenty of storage.
Talk to your builder about your ideas for your kitchen island design. Bring pictures of what you have in mind. Your builder will help you decide what's right for you, based on budget, size of kitchen, traffic flow, and much more!
More new home design ideas:
Top Trends in New Homes | Smaller, Cozier, and More Cost Effective!
Top 10 Master Bathroom Trends - Ideas You're Going to Love!
Top 9 New Home Features in '09 - What To Look For! Raleigh NC Home Builders Top Tips
"Green" Countertop Options | Green Kitchen Countertops in Your New Home
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Article copyright Stanton Homes 2010. Provided for informational purposes only, no claims are made by Stanton Homes regarding the validity of any statements. Please note: all listing information per MLS, and current as of posting date. Information subject to change. Stanton Homes does not make claims to ownership of above lot listings, but can work with homebuyers to purchase lots and build. Home plans to be approved on an individual basis, subject to neighborhood restrictive covenants and lot restrictions. Ask for further information regarding any community, lot or floor plan. Photos represent typical homes and details of each neighborhood, to help highlight different options available in the Raleigh/Triangle area. No claim of ownership is made to homes or land pictured.
Fabulous. I love islands in kitchens. I use mine daily. It's a work station, stores pots and pans and sits folks at the counter.
Great photos and descriptions.
Nice, you just gave me a few ideas for a rehabber we are doing soon. . thanks,
Great pictures and ideas. Thanks for sharing
Have a great day
Tony
love your post - my dream kitchen definitely includes an island!
Here is a picture of my kitchen when I first bought my house, the kitchen was a small boxed in room. Notice ALL the agents cards on the Kitchen counter who had shown it previously and didn't have the insight into what it could look like :-)
Here it the finished kitchen, we took down the wall, made it open concept and added the island. We added a corner cabinet in the island facing out to maximize the storage space in the island
I love to look at kitchens, guilty passtime.
I have an island with a cook-top Jenn Aire. my mom's had a sink.
Not sure what I will do when I remodel but I love my island and use it more than any other part of the kitchen.
Excellent post Penny! As you mentioned, it's really important for buyers and builders to communicate as to where exactly the island is going, and the space between the island and the other counters and appliances. How much room will there be when you open the dishwasher, oven, etc.
I have an island in my kitchen....LOVE it and can't imagine now having one now!
Hi Penny,
We live in the granite & slate city of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Granite countertops have been in for a few decades here due to the local resources within the community.
We currently have a small island in the middle of our 1970's kitchen w/formica countertop (yeah, I know, the "Grass looks greener on the other side" that has a sink and small area for dishes or cutting. The rest of the kitchen are surrounding the island. We also have "Z-bricks" that were originally brick & black colors. that we painted yellow and has an Italian archway that leads into the washer & dryer room. When we bought this home 5 years ago, we thought "what were these people smoking?" when they divided both rooms. So we plan on dimolishing the "Z-brick" wall and extending our kitchen out into the small table section that leads into living room, since our formal dining area is on the internal balcony upstairs.
Our ceilings are 28 feet high with a large 52" square diameter skylight with 4 steel posts holding the roof up and an internal balcony overlooking our 2nd floor. So we already have an open concept, but our kitchen is in dire need of updating with the rest of the house. Again, "what were these people thinking or smoking" when they built this kitchen???
Thanks for the reinforcement and the push to modernize my kitchen this year...
;>))
Great post. Islands are awesome, especially when entertaining. They always seem to be the center of the party, where the food is, where the drinks are, and where the people are having fun. Love islands!!
An Island in the kitchen is a great selling point. I have a lot of buyers request this. You did an excellent job on this post. Thanks for sharing.
Lenn - forgot to add, a pot rack over the island can be a nice touch too!
Fernando - So many ideas, so little time....
Tony - glad you enjoyed the article.
Very good post. I won't have another kitchen without a large functional island. People gather in the kitchen no matter what you're doing. The island pull it all together. Great for cooking. Nice place to put a laptop while you work and cool. Well written and nice pictures.
Jeanne - My husband and I are starting construction on OUR new home in about 30 days. We've designed to include a very functional dual height island with room to seat six. I'm excited!
Al - I love the before and after pics! Great design for a somewhat smaller kitchen. Bright and open with tons of storage.
I wish my island had two tiers like my last house, so part can be used for decoration and part used for actual kitchen stuff... but my new house is a single level island and it's always messy no matter how many times I clean it off.
Penny,
Thanks for this post and for the nice photos and ideas.
I love kitchen islands and really like how they are becoming more than just islands!!
Your post makes me want to knock down the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room, and add one of those gorgeous islands!
Missy - I think the island cooktop is one of the most popular requests! It depends on the size of the island....
Dawn - One way to truly visualize the kitchen is to finalize the layout at framing stage. The builder can mark the locations of the countertops, appliances, and island on the floor. You can then actually walk through "the kitchen" before the cabinets are ordered, and make any final changes to the layout. Works great!
Penny, Neat. An island is an awesome kitchen feature, no matter what you are cooking up:-) We had a fun huge island in a Sapphire Valley mountain house with a 14' island. This came in very handy for the girl scout overnights. Fun place to gather in the home! All the best, Michelle
Lenn's Kitchen
Hi Penny -- Wow, tons of things to consider for an island. I see on occasion where the island is way too big for the space and one can barely get around things, let alone get by if some appliance is open. I've always liked seating in kitchens, comfy seating, so Lenn's kitchen looks very cool. You can really converse with the cook and still be there right and relaxed at the same time.
I love kitchen islands if they are functional. I saw a listing a few weeks ago that said their was an island in the kitchen. When I showed the house we found that the island was in the middle of the dining room. HAHA. What are you supposed to do with that? LOL
Kitchens are so personal! It is for many the most important room in the house! Kitchen's if remodeled are custom to their owner. I love islands...and I know they come in many shapes and sizes. :-)
Ann-Marie - sounds like a very contemporary home! Hard to find 28' ceilings... Best of luck with the remodel.
Joyce - at my house, we're always in the kitchen! Islands are a great place for serving food too.
Diane - "an island" is our number one request for the kitchen. But in some cases a very well planned wrap around eating bar can be just as functional, while offering a little more "privacy" for a kitchen that needs a little clean up.
Hello,
I am really enjoying your posts! This one is excellent! Great photos and ideas. Thank you for sharing.
Chris