Islands – Why are they so Popular?
By Jess Whitehead
Kitchen Islands – Why are they so Popular in the home?
At the top of the majority of our customer’s wish lists is their desire for an island. There are many reasons for this, including the obvious being that it utilises the middle space within the kitchen, with those lucky enough to have a kitchen big enough, an island offers many more possibilities, functionally and design wise, acting as the heart of the kitchen for friends and family to gather. The majority of islands we supply usually contain one or all of the following: A sink & tap, hob or breakfast bar seating creating functional workspace and usability to compliment the rest of the kitchen layout. For Island inspiration, please check out the Studio 35 website.
Next125 Cook-Table Island
Traditionally sinks are usually placed on a wall run in front of a window to historically allow you to look out as your washing the dishes, however as we spend less time at the sink due to most kitchens incorporating a dishwasher, we are starting to see the sink more frequently placed within islands so they are central within the kitchen.
Island with Sink
Equally the island is also becoming a popular home for the hob, this is becoming even more popular due to the invention of venting hobs as they have a built-in extractor that extracts the cooking vapours downwards, allowing them to fit seamlessly within your worktop, thus avoiding an intrusive extractor above that gets in the way of your view and obstructs the open plan feel of the room.
Bora Pro Gas Hob with Inbuilt Extractor on an Island
A big reason for the hob on the island this is down to open plan living and growing families, as our clients usually choose this to allow them to keep an eye on small children, therefore they can be cooking on the hob, facing into the room instead of a blank wall.
Family Island
Design features within the island include ‘breakfast bar seating’ which can be very informal for a social chat or take a more formal route for a larger family meal area.
Family Time at the Island
Contrasting the island with a complimentary colour different to the main kitchen furniture is also a very popular option, bringing in a deeper or bolder colour tone into the kitchen layout, without overwhelming the room.
Walnut Kitchen with Mocha Brown Island
Alternatively, you can bring in extra textures, for example wooden breakfast bars that are built into the island furniture, creating a striking feature. Spekva for example are a company that specialises in natural wood finishes that create beautiful tones and textures to compliment any island configuration.
Spekva Solid Timber Island Seating
And finally, there is the added storage that can be created within the island. Ideally suited to drawer units, which are extremely popular for their ease of access and storage capacities most designs incorporate some form of drawer units within the island. There is also the ability to change the frontal finish so that in an open plan environment the island furniture facing the living area can be less kitchen styled and appear more like living room furniture with flush fronted doors and display open shelving to blend with additional non-kitchen furniture within the room… quite simply the options are endless, which is why we find kitchen islands to be so popular.
Norway Maple Open-Plan Island
What would be included in your dream island?
Next125 Sahara Beige Island
For further information contact Studio 35
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01904 635 937
Address: 35 Blossom Street,
York,
YO24 1AQ