I don’t know about you but I’ve got a fair bit of empty floor space in my kitchen, yet I’m always looking for somewhere to store all the stuff I have! For that reason, I’ve decided to consider installing a kitchen island – after all, more counter space and storage is never a bad thing. That’s why I’ve spent a little time researching all the kitchen island options and I thought I’d share my findings with you, just in case you’re thinking about installing a kitchen island yourself.  Anything to make the choice easier, right?!

Check Out the Storage

One of the main reasons why I went looking for kitchen islands was for the extra storage they provide so it’s always good to look at what storage a particular design affords to you.  Storage comes in the form of cabinetry, open shelving, drawers and even wine racks.  Look for an island that has one of those, or a combination if you’re after added flexibility.

What Features Does It Have?

Something else I was also interested in looking at was the features that come in different kitchen islands.  Islands can be as simple as an extra countertop with a few cupboards if you like but they’ve gotten much more sophisticated as well.  Now, islands can come with stovetops and/or ovens, rangehoods to vent the cooking fumes, sinks, and even dishwashers.  Some features are best utilised when you are first building your kitchen but if you’re adding an island to an existing kitchen, that might be the best time to install that dishwasher you always wanted.

Choosing the Benchtop

Apart from storage, the benchtop is the number one thing that you want to look at when you are choosing a kitchen island. Many people choose to coordinate with their existing benchtops but you definitely don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.  You can install a thick wooden butcher block if you’re a serious cook, allowing you to do food prep directly on the surface or you can opt for a statement granite or marble benchtop if you prefer.  Really the only rule to remember when choosing the benchtop is to make sure that it fits with the rest of the kitchen.

How Big Is It?

One thing that I had to remember to not get carried away with was the size of the island.  It’s tempting to go “the bigger the better” but this is definitely not true!  You want an island that is big enough to be usable but that will not inhibit your movement around the kitchen – after all, you don’t want to be ducking and dodging around the corners or worse, not being able to open doors and drawers comfortably.  If you have a smaller kitchen but still want the flexibility and extra space of a kitchen island, a portable one that you can stash in the corner when it is not needed would be the best option.