Without a doubt, your kitchen is primarily the place you cook, but as any homeowner knows– it becomes much more than that once family and friends are involved. The kitchen can easily move from culinary center to social space with a simple knock on the door or drop of a backpack. When friends come calling, the kitchen is often the place that is naturally gravitated towards providing both refreshments and a common ground for sharing stories and conversation. When kids come home from school hungry or needed to share information about upcoming activities the kitchen inevitably becomes the place backpacks are placed and words of advice and wisdom are shared. For all of these reasons and many more, the kitchen is vital to the heart of a home and holding this position can mean some strategic design moves may need to be in the works.
A kitchen island is a simple, yet ideal solution when it comes to turning your kitchen in to a social sanctuary that still functions as a place delicious meals are born on a daily basis. While it may be a small element to the room, a kitchen island can be personalized and customized to fit your family’s needs, lifestyle and taste without having to break the budget. When your family’s space is on the line, take some time to design a kitchen island you fall in love with, and then don’t hesitate to make it happen! Here are just a few designs worth investing in and falling for unconditionally.
From Dinner to Display Case
A kitchen island is useful in that it provides extra counter space for creating yummy meals and snacks that leave your family happy, however, there are small extras that can take a kitchen island from dinner to display case in no time. Adding glass fronts to the bottom of your kitchen island opens up a world of personalized possibilities. Sliding glass doors gives you the opportunity to both display and protect items that represent or are important to your family without losing counter space in the process. Combined with a decorative granite countertop, a kitchen island, turned display case is a great way to highlight your children’s art projects that are refrigerator friendly as well while maintaining the sleek-sophistication your kitchen is known for!
A Little Literary goes a Long Way
If you aren’t feeling the display case route, adding some simple shelving to your kitchen island can increase your storage possibilities while giving you room to give your kitchen a rustic, comfortable touch. Try adding some of your favorite books on your kitchen island shelves and watch your kitchen go from culinary sterile to homey in no time. Adding literary accents to your kitchen island also works as great conversation starters when friends and family visit and find themselves circling around your kitchen island.
Find the Courage to get Countertop Creative
Sometimes the best part of design comes with creative texture and material mixing. Just because your kitchen island has beautiful granite countertops doesn’t mean you’re limited to a simple stand or structure to hold it. Give your artsy-self a try at painting your kitchen an island a bold color to draw attention to it as the social center of your kitchen. Teal, Tangerine or Aqua are just a few good starting colors when it comes to centering your kitchen island and bringing out the swirls of color that naturally appear in granite countertops. If you’re really feeling creative, give some extra tiling a go. Brightly colored Talavera tiles can be easily grouted onto the side or top of kitchen islands and add a unique twist to your kitchen’s centerpiece! Adding this touch of color also opens up your interior décor possibilities when it comes to accent pieces that give your kitchen a creative kick.
Lighten up with Levels
There is no rule in the design book that says a kitchen island has to be a single surface. Why not add a few levels and watch your kitchen island take on an entirely new life and purpose? Create extra space for cups, dishes and backpacks to be thrown with the addition of creative textured surfaces and shelves that you add yourself. Not only will this give your kitchen island a personalized edge, but it will create more social space with ease.
Whether your kitchen stands alone as your culinary centerpiece, or is attached to countertops to become part of your streamlined counter space, it’s an important part of your kitchen and deserves a personal touch. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone and get creative by using items you can reuse around the house, or purchasing some colorful new creations to add. When it comes to creating your home’s social experience, your kitchen island can be a great and fun place to start!