Custom Kitchen Islands: Build or Remodel Your Custom Kitchen Island

You don’t have to settle for a boring standard kitchen island, even if you’re using stock cabinets in your kitchen – custom kitchen islands are for everyone! There are dozens of ways to customize and personalize your new island so that it really stands out and becomes a focal point.

Custom kitchen islands vary from the totally custom-made and custom-finished island to match your custom cabinets, to a much cheaper island made out of standard size countertops and cabinets put together in unusual ways to give a custom look.

If you’re planning an island in your kitchen, don’t assume that it has to match the perimeter cabinets in cabinet finish, countertop material, or height: you can use the island to give your kitchen a distinctive custom look.

Read on to learn about the many ways you can create a custom kitchen island which fits you, your kitchen, and your lifestyle as well as all of the pros and cons of kitchen islands.

Materials for Creating Your Custom Island

Use wall and/or base cabinets to create a base for your kitchen island. Then you can customize it in some of these ways:

Materials

Customize the sides and ends of the base: add panels or doors to match your cabinets, cover them with wallpaper or fabric (varnished for protection), panel them with decorative materials like beadboard or tile or even use a translucent material and light it from the inside.

Use several counter-top materials: possibly a butcher-block prep area with a soapstone slab for pastry.

Change cabinet colors on the base to contrast with your perimeter cabinets: antique-look vs modern, painted vs stained, dark vs light.

Use a two-tone color scheme on the island cabinets: light and dark wood panels, distressed or antiqued paint finishes.

Keep the same style for island and perimeter cabinets, but use a different color or finish to distinguish them.

Details to Decorate your Custom Island

Add legs to the ends, or to support an eating counter. Look at old tables for proportions and sizes: some island legs I’ve seen in magazines are way oversized and clunky-looking to me.

Light your island with several decorative pendant lights: mini-chandeliers, industrial lighting, art glass shades, whatever you enjoy. For most flexibility, make them dimmable.

Include appliance drawers: freezer, dishwasher, fridge, even a warming drawer for plates and finished dishes.

Use small gaps between your base cabinets for bottle storage, narrow pullout racks for spices, display niches, cutting board or baking sheet storage, pull-out towel storage, cookbook shelves etc.

Tuck a small movable island in or under a larger fixed island for flexibility

Install an unusual sink which would not be practical as your main sink: perhaps an odd shape like a trough or less-used material like copper.

A unique or showy faucet can be a great island feature too.

Unusual Shapes for Custom Islands

Modify levels on different sections of the island, up to bar level or down to table level

Make the island a unique shape. Why should everything be rectangular? Try angles and curves: prototype the shape with boxes to get the feel of how it looks and how it works.

Kitchen Island Designs

Even pirates would love to bury their treasure under some of the cool kitchen island designs online! Kitchen islands are really taking on a designer, custom look. They are an invaluable asset to have in the kitchen. So why not go further and look at some kitchen design plans to start thinking of building a kitchen island into your kitchen?

Different Kitchen Islands Available

Notice how cleverly placed kitchen island designs online create a “wall” in the kitchen without being an actual wall. Homeowners love how kitchen islands create a separation between the kitchen and the adjacent room but don’t obstruct the view. You can easily continue conversations over two sides of an island. Islands are ways to increase work space without breaking the open feel of a kitchen.

A kitchen island design is easy to fit into an L-shaped kitchen. However, do not limit yourself to just that layout. Kitchen island designs online show how you can build an island extension in a kitchen by removing wall cabinets or building in counter seating. Or build an island inside a “U-shaped” kitchen; kitchen island designs online show how to do so without closing off the kitchen opening.

Look at the many kitchen island designs online. You can have a mini bar, a dining area, or even a fully functional work station with appliances to wash, cook and prepare foods.

Or consider one of the following ideas:

A Baking Center

If baking is your passion, consider a kitchen island design that has your baking needs in mind. A marble top is ideal for rolling dough; some long pull out drawers can hold rolling pins. Built in shelves in the sides can hold mixing bowls or cook books. Lastly, a sink can help wash sticky dough from hands.

Indoor Grill

Can’t live without Korean BBQ? Want to throw some kebobs together on a grill even if it’s raining outdoors? If you’re also trying to fit a dining table into your kitchen, about a kitchen island design with seating (the counter can be used for food prep if not dining) around a center-table grill? Or locate the grill to the side.

Wine Bar

This was mentioned previously, but to expand on the idea, how about a kitchen island design with a wine rack, wine cooler and fridge? This is a convenient place to store your nice wine glasses or other drink glasses if your kitchen floor plan allows it. Add a water filtration system and you have the best bar in town. Check out watersoftener-review.com for some cool water softener ideas.

Workstation Island

Kitchens are not just food preparation centers; they’re also places where people multitask. For the telecommuter, the kitchen island design can feature a place to get connected. Check out multi-levels on kitchen island designs online so you can have a place to cook and a place for laptop usage, and electrical outlets. Just keep the wires away from water.

Custom kitchen designs online are acquiring designer looks as well! Consider a kitchen island design that delivers a spot of color or extra style to you existing kitchen. Just remember that pretty much any of the kitchen island designs online can be custom built to fit your specifications and sizing.

There is an island that can be designed to fit every budget. Whether you decide on a pre-fabricated portable cart, or you come up with your own kitchen island design, find the island that will suit your needs and satisfy your fashion flare. Discover how your island can be the treasure in your kitchen!