There are many reasons why adding a kitchen island to your space is a great idea. An island adds functionality and storage, and it creates a natural divider between the different areas of an open-plan room.
Large kitchens are made for an island, turning them into a great social space, though not every kitchen has the room for one.
We have designed many islands across our handmade kitchens, from mobile units to solid fixed seating areas.
Kitchen Islands at a Glance
A kitchen island earns its place by doing several jobs at once: adding worktop and storage, housing a hob or sink, providing seating, and zoning an open-plan room. The right one depends on the space. A long, slim island suits a run parallel to the main work area; a compact or round island suits a smaller room; two islands can separate cooking from prepping in a large space; and a mobile island can be rolled away when it isn’t needed. At Handmade Kitchen Company we design and hand-build islands to any shape and size.
What an island gives you
- Somewhere to entertain guests, serve drinks, or let them watch you prepare food and start a conversation.
- Space to prepare food. You can build hobs and sinks into the design, and the extra worktop lets you work comfortably with utensils within easy reach.
- A divider, providing a boundary between the cooking zone and the living or dining area.
- A place for children to do homework or help prepare dinner, keeping them part of the action and in easy view.
- Extra seating for the family at mealtimes.
Many of us dream of a statement island, whether long and slim running parallel to the work area, or neat and round to fit a smaller space.
At Handmade Kitchen Company, we can design and build any shape and size of island to suit your space and requirements. Take a look below at the many different ones we have designed for our clients.
Handleless Traditional Shaker, London
When speaking with our client and going through the design process, there was no compromise on where the table would be situated. With a careful design that would not interrupt the fluidity of the outdoor views, we created an island with banquette seating that flowed from the show-stopping table by Timothy Oulton.
Classic In-Frame Shaker, Little Canfield
The kitchen’s main feature is the large L-shaped island, hand-painted in Farrow & Ball’s Down Pipe, creating an effective piece of furniture that looks impressive in this space. It is met with a Bianco Eclipsia quartz worktop and simple pendants suspended above to illuminate the area. The island acts as the main piece of furniture in this hub of the home: a seating area, a cooking area, a wine chilling area and a storage area.
Classic Shaker, Brentwood
A beauty of a kitchen filled with luxurious features, and an island that is as multi-functional as they come.
Modern Shaker, Standon
This was a first for us, and we are sure it will not be our last. For this impressive home in Hertfordshire we designed and built two islands, each with a different purpose.
Island one, closest to the outdoors, is the cooking area. A Miele induction hob in a sleek black finish with onset controls and four PowerFlex cooking zones sits on top, with storage drawers and cupboards below.
Island two, closest to the front of the house, was designed for prepping. Chunky legs, wooden slats beneath and storage drawers on either side make this the island for putting a meal together. You can read more in our post on designing with two islands.
Classic Shaker, Stock, Essex
The island in this kitchen seats six guests. Rattan-style bar stools flow elegantly around the overhang, where nibbles can be shared and drinks sipped on an evening with friends and family. Such an impressively sized space to work with meant we could design in a generous island.
Traditional Shaker, Saltby
A beautiful transformation for this home, with a bespoke handmade kitchen and a large central island offering a seating area, additional storage and a generous worksurface. The corner seating makes it more sociable, so guests can talk to whoever is cooking.
Classic Shaker, Hutton
The island in this kitchen is truly unique. It features our popular classic shaker style and a sawn oak breakfast bar and dining table with hidden storage below. It has also been the perfect place to house the Wolf induction hob and downdraft extractor, working as one of the points of the kitchen triangle.
Classic Shaker, Potters Bar
The kitchen in this property was designed with Ginger and Mylo, an interior designer. We had a large blank canvas to work with, and the island was a great way to divide the open-plan space. It includes plenty of storage, a sink area, a bespoke pedestal table and a place for the hob.
Classic Shaker, Golders Green, Barnet
A high attention to detail and a luxurious look flow beautifully through to the living space. The island provides extra storage, worktop space and an additional sink area completed with Perrin & Rowe taps.
Traditional Shaker, Winchmore Hill
The island was designed as a statement piece in this hub of the home. It is hand-painted in a darker colour to draw the design together, and it provides space for the sink, a seating area and plenty of worktop and storage. It also features our bespoke chopping boards, made to fit.
Traditional Shaker, Cuffley
A single galley kitchen sits in this property, with an island adding an extra run. A gas hob sits centrally, with bar stools on the other side giving the room extra seating. It is the perfect place for guests to strike up a conversation.
Traditional Shaker, Potters Bar
This room was the perfect size for an elegant island in the middle with a chandelier suspended above. Our client opted for a two-tone colour scheme, so the island makes a bold statement. The sink was added to the island, with enough space for preparing food and a comfortable seating area.
Modern Shaker, Chigwell
This moveable island, designed for our client in Chigwell, offers extra floor space and a section of kitchen to prepare on. Once finished with, it rolls back underneath the cabinets and out of the way, so the surface can be positioned wherever it is needed.
Modern Shaker, Peterborough
A large island sits in the middle of this open-plan space, finished with a solid wood top and our modern shaker furniture. Its main purpose was to add functionality with more storage and worktop, and to make a striking statement. There was even enough room for a prep sink.
Modern Shaker, London SW12
This large extension provides a multi-functional room for all the family, taking in the kitchen, dining room, garden room, playroom and office. The grand island sits centrally, dividing the space and providing a home for the sink and an area to entertain. It is hand-painted in a darker hue to catch the eye of everyone who enters.
Kitchen Island FAQs
How much space do you need for a kitchen island?
The island itself matters less than the gangways around it. You need enough clearance to open drawers, dishwashers and ovens fully and still pass behind comfortably, and more again if the island has seating. In a narrower room a peninsula or a moveable island is often the better answer.
Can you put a hob or sink in a kitchen island?
Yes, and both are common. A hob in the island makes it one point of the working triangle and lets you face into the room while cooking, though it needs extraction planned in. A sink or prep sink in the island works well in larger kitchens where the main sink sits elsewhere.
What can you use a kitchen island for besides storage?
Seating and dining, food preparation, zoning an open-plan room, housing a wine cooler or a second sink, and providing somewhere for children to do homework while you cook. The best islands do several of these at once.
Can you have a kitchen island in a small kitchen?
Sometimes, but not always as a fixed unit. A compact or round island can work, and a moveable island that rolls under the cabinetry when not in use, as we designed for our Chigwell client, gives you the surface without permanently losing the floor space.
Where does Handmade Kitchen Company build kitchen islands?
We design, hand-build and hand-paint bespoke kitchen islands from our workshop in Essex, for clients across Essex, Hertfordshire and North London.
For more, see our posts on dream bespoke kitchen islands, portable islands and adding a peninsula.
