How to design a kitchen island

An island can be used for food preparation, as a dining area, and as a place for general storage. The island you choose should reflect which of these is most important for you, as this will dictate what special features the unit must have.

If food preparation is the main use of your future kitchen island, consider how the unit can help to enhance the cooking process.

The best kitchen designs make cooking feel easy – the space and layout of the kitchen should make it effortless for you to move between the fridge, cooker, sink, and food preparation area, creating a seamless cooking experience.

A kitchen island can really help to enhance the cooking experience by providing a central space to operate within the room.

The island should feature plenty of space upon which to keep food and appliances, for preparation such as chopping, mixing and blending. A sink can also be a helpful addition to your island, as it will create a smooth process between washing food and preparing it for the dish.

There are plenty of gadgets that can be installed into the island to further improve your cooking experience. Knife blocks integrated into drawers make the utensils easy to access, whilst keeping the worktop free. An integrated chopping board is also a handy accessory that makes the cooking process much easier.

Installing a wine rack or cooler into the unit can help to promote the social element; having wine easily to hand whilst entertaining will keep the party together seamlessly – as well as being an aesthetically appealing form of storage.

Seating is also an important point to consider. Choose stools that are comfortable, as well as easy to fit under the unit when not in use, to help keep the kitchen clean and tidy.

The amount of storage a kitchen island provides can be one of the main factors in choosing this type of unit, even if you have relatively small floor space.

Here at Wren Kitchens, our storage solutions cover every need you can think of. Mini-larders can be installed into the kitchen island, to give a practical solution to food storage. Drawers can also be designed to fit in with your lifestyle, including integrated knife blocks and spice racks.

Integrated bins can help to keep the kitchen looking clear, as well as providing a sanitary solution to garbage disposal. If fresh fruit and vegetables are a staple of your diet, then Wren Kitchens' range of breathable and sanitary drawers will help to keep your ingredients fresh and tasty, whilst adding to the overall aesthetic of the island.

Did you know: Many of the bins at Wren Kitchens include compartments for all different types of litter, including recycling and general food waste, making disposal practical and simple.

Once you've decided on the central purpose of the island, and how to balance the unit's functions against one another, it's time to consider its style, and how it will fit with the overall kitchen design.

The overall aesthetic of your kitchen should be consistent, and the island should fit with the general design.

If you have a very modern kitchen, aim to keep the design of the island modern. Likewise, if the rest of your kitchen is traditional, so should be the island.

Try to keep the materials used for the island similar to those across the rest of the kitchen: if you have wooden units, stick to a wooden kitchen island; if you have granite worktops, install the same on the island.

This will help to keep the room feeling consistent, as a completely contrasting design will appear jarring and disjointed, spoiling the overall atmosphere.

This doesn't mean that the kitchen island should be in a uniform style to the rest of the kitchen. In fact, different yet complementing colour schemes can transform the overall aesthetic of the room from bland to beautiful.

Certain colour schemes work particularly well together. Oak units on the island can look beautiful against cream or white wall cupboards and drawers. Sage also flatters cream, whilst periwinkle goes perfectly with white. For something more dramatic, aubergine against a pebble backdrop is striking and eye-catching, especially in a large kitchen with lots of natural light.

You'll also need to consider lighting solutions. Low-hanging lighting is a trend at the moment, with two or three low hanging lights above the island to create a spotlight. For something more subtle, integrated lighting can also be applied to the island to create a soft glow.

Whether you design your kitchen island as a place to socialise or as an area to make cooking easy and enjoyable, there's a Wren Kitchens solution to suit your needs.

Browse our full range of kitchens  or book a free kitchen design consultation with one of our design experts to create the perfect kitchen island for your kitchen.