5 Tips to Pick the Best Island for Your Home

Choosing the best island for your kitchen is a difficult task. Actually, it’s like anything to do with choosing pieces for our home. Cooking islands are an element that in our country have become very fashionable. In the United States, a kitchen without an island is almost unthinkable.

An island is functional and offers multiple options such as integrating a sink or adding a cooking area. It creates much more space to work.

Of course, if you have a small kitchen the best option for you is to probably not incorporate an island at all. In the first place, you just won’t have the space for it. Secondly, you would make your kitchen even smaller by limiting walking space.

We should also note that there are two types of kitchen islands: fixed and independent. 

Fixed ones are the islands that come with the rest of the kitchen furniture and are totally secured to the floor. The independent island can be a trolley, side table, or work table. They don’t have to be anchored to the ground. They can easily move around the kitchen at our convenience.

This type of island is perfect if we want one but don’t have enough space. They can also create a visual separation between the kitchen and another room.

Tip 1

To choose the best island for cooking, the first thing you should do is be clear about the functions that you want your island to have. As we’ve said before, islands are very functional elements that offer several uses.

For example:

• Islands for cooking: Keep in mind that when you have a cooking area you must include a hood over a heat source.
• To eat: the main thing if you want an extra place to eat in the kitchen is for it to be comfortable for diners. It’s important that you consider the size and dimensions of the stools and their legs.
• To organize and work: Keep in mind that an island can provide extra drawers and shelves for you to store all your kitchen utensils.

If you have enough space you can combine some or all of these functions described above in a single island without having to choose one function.

Tip 2

The second piece of advice that we have for you when thinking about correctly choosing a kitchen island is to think about how much space you have. Remember that there are other options to the fixed island, such as independent ones.

Beyond that, remember that for a cooking island to be really functional and comfortable it must have 90 cm around it in medium sized kitchens. In larger kitchens the measurement is extended to 150 cm.

Tip 3

Lighting is essential when choosing the best island for your kitchen. Remember that the kitchen island works like a work zone.

Therefore you should be able to have a good view of what you’re cooking or making. For this, it’s best to place direct lighting on the island with spotlights or hanging lamps.

Tip 4

The material for a kitchen island is also important. You must take this into account as your island is something that you’ll use a lot.

Therefore it’s best for the material to be high quality so that it lasts many years. Cooking islands basically consist of two parts.

One of these parts is the counter top. This can be made of granite, marble, quartz, wood, or even glass. On the other hand, there’s the base or structure. These are usually made of wood or steel.

Steel counter tops give a more industrial and modern look to the kitchen. Wooden ones provide a great deal of warmth. Of course, you can always mix different materials.

A combination that we love is the steel base with a wooden counter top. This results in a wonderfully rustic style.

Tip 5

Our last piece of advice for you to have the best island for cooking is to choose one that’s in harmony with the rest of the kitchen. There are so many styles and colors to choose from. You should aim to follow the same style as the rest of the elements in your kitchen so that the room looks balanced.

We hope that these five simple tips have helped you decide on the best island to incorporate into your kitchen.