To Add Or Not to Add: Knowing Whether an Island Is Right for Your Kitchen

When you're refacing your kitchen cabinets is a good time to consider whether there is anything else you're interested in doing to your kitchen. After all, if everything is going to become a construction zone for one to three days, you might as well take advantage of the chaos to make other changes you've been thinking about. If you want to increase your home's value or just your kitchen's countertop space, you might consider adding an island. An island can set the kitchen apart visually while still keeping it open to the rest of the house and it's a great addition to complete while you are refacing your kitchen cabinets. But is an island right for your kitchen? Read the following tips to find out.

Whether or Not to Add that Kitchen Island

Adding a kitchen island might be right for you if...

1. Your kitchen has enough room for it. More kitchen cabinets or countertop space might be nice, but let's face it, if your kitchen already seems overcrowded with just you in it, you probably don't really have space to add a kitchen island. Most designers recommend that your kitchen be at least twelve or fourteen feet wide if you want to add an island, and islands tend to work best in L-shaped kitchens. If your kitchen is a square or narrow U-shape, the island would probably just be in the way.
2. You need additional countertop space. If your your kitchen design has the sink, stove, and appliances dividing your countertop into small surfaces, a kitchen island can be a great way to increase your countertop space. Because many homeowners tend to leave appliances on counters next to the kitchen's walls, additional countertops allow you to keep your appliances out and use the island as your workspace.
3. Your kitchen is often a center of social activity. If you have an extremely large kitchen, a table-shaped island with chairs or low stools can be a great way to invite eating in the kitchen, plus provide you with additional counter space. If you don't have quite that much room, but find your kitchen is a place for homework or good conversations, installing an island with a bar about six inches above the rest of the island countertop can offer a small eating or working space for someone sitting on a stool.

Regardless of its purpose, there is a reason the kitchen island continues to be so popular among homeowners. Consider taking advantage of the time spent refacing your cabinets to add an island to your kitchen.