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Use kitchen island ideas to better under stand how to create a more functional and comfortable kitchen, which means having the most appropriate island for your home and kitchen area based on your kitchen space and your needs.

Kitchen island ideas take us back to the farm house kitchen, even back to medieval times when a large work table was used to do most of the preparation work. Besides meal preparation, the kitchen can become a gathering area for family and friends if there is enough space. Since so much happens in the kitchen on a regular basis, getting the layout right is important.

The kitchen island can serve as an additional eating area and food preparation can easily be done there. In a large kitchen, the kitchen island can shorten the distances within the working triangle of the sink, refrigerator, and range while making it more efficient. Kitchen islands work best in larger L, U, or G shape kitchens. If the kitchen is too small, then the kitchen island will become an obstruction and hinder easy movement. The best custom kitchen islands for small to mid size kitchens are a portable butcher block or kitchen cart for food prep or extra storage.

Include a ventilation hood over head to eliminate smoke, steam, and cooking odors if your kitchen island is going to have a cook top. The range hood should extend beyond the cooking area by three inches or more on the sides for proper ventilation. Using the correct fan size will ensure that removal happens as intended. Have a fan capacity of about fifty cubic feet per minute for each square foot of cook top area.

A second kitchen sink can be included on the kitchen island. Use a sink that is deep enough for washing large pots and pans, and consider equipping the kitchen island with a trash compactor, garbage disposal, recycle bin, and even a dish washer. Clean up will be much easier when these appliances are close by the sink.

Allow adequate counter top space on both sides of the kitchen island if a sink or cook top will be used. Include at least fifteen inches of counter top space on each side, and if your kitchen is large enough, then allow even more space. You can never have too much counter top space in a kitchen. Also, rounded counter top corners help protect everyone from bad bruises, and this is true about all kitchen counter top corners.

Additional kitchen island ideas are to consider using shelf space on the sides of your kitchen island for cook books, collectibles, or storage. A built in television works here, especially if it faces the family room, or a microwave may work well for heating up after school snacks and cooking foods quickly. Counter top material for the island does not have to match the rest of your kitchen counter tops as long as it is harmonious with the room’s overall design.

For instance, you may want to splurge on solid surfacing here and use laminate on the other counter tops. A butcher block counter top is ideal for chopping, while granite or marble works well for baking purposes and for rolling pastry dough. Maximize natural light by having windows and sky lights, and keep kitchen wall surfaces light in color to reflect daylight.

Custom kitchen islands work great by using pendant or recessed fixtures to direct light onto the kitchen island and other work areas. Electrical codes will likely require that electrical outlets be located on the sides of fixed kitchen islands, not on the top, to prevent electrical shock.

Use custom kitchen islands ideas to help you know how to create an attractive area that will perform a variety of useful functions. Designed correctly, kitchen islands will make your work area more functional and efficient and will be enjoyed by every one for many years.