Have you ever wondered what your kitchen would be like with more countertop space. If so then you probably asked yourself is my kitchen too small for an island? Or can I make this work.
How to fit an island in a small kitchen layouts
What does your kitchen layout look like now, are you familiar with the 5 kitchen shapes that most homes are design with. They are the following kitchen styles as follows:
What are the 5 kitchen layouts
- Single Wall kitchen Layout (Cabinets are only on one side of wall)
- Galley Kitchen Style ( Cabinets on both walls across each other.)
- L-Shaped Kitchen (Cabinets are installed along the 2 corner walls)
- U-Shaped Kitchen (Cabinets are installed along both corners of the kitchen forming a U across the 3 main walls)
- Peninsula Kitchen (Cabinets are similar to the U-shaped kitchen cabinets except there is no wall behind the third set of cabinets leaving access to both sides)
Minimum space around kitchen island
This step is all about making your kitchen more comfortable and accessible with a center kitchen island. We are talking about the space between the base cabinets and kitchen island as well as the space between the walls and kitchen island cabinets.
Most home inspectors will require at least 32 inches for a normal wheel chair to pass straight through. But to make that a more comfortable opening then consider making a minimum of 36 inches in opening. That will give you some wiggle room especially when fitting it large kitchen appliances like your fridge in specific. This space is a minimum but can totally work out for you.
The best kitchen style that will allow you to maximize the functionality of your kitchen island is if you are able to have a clearance of 4 feet in each direction. This will give you the liberty to move along freely and it will not slow down a large party or reunion because you will have a focal point that everyone can gather around.
Add Seating space to your small kitchen island
The most expandable manner in which you can add seating space to a any kitchen island is to implement seating at your kitchen island. Seating around your center piece can even be labeled as a kitchen island bar depending on the occasion. The countertop can over hang anywhere from 12 to 16 inches and anything beyond that will require to add on island legs and support for the extra leverage.
What is the average size of kitchen Island
The most common sized kitchen island is about 3×8 square feet. This average size kitchen island gives you options for example you could easily fit a 36 inch sink cabinet, a dishwasher opening of 24 inches plus a 1.5 inch panel, and of course even include a basic base cabinet of 24 inches wide for easy kitchen island storage and organization. That is the beauty of making these amazing versatile islands because you the opportunities are endless when coming up with creative ways of how to use the space.
How do I fit a kitchen island in my small kitchen?
It all comes down to your home layout and the shape of your kitchen. If you have the cabinets spread across only one wall or two then this would be ideal no matter how small your kitchen may be. A new and exciting way that new homeowners and house remodelers are improving the everyday lifestyle is by opening up traditional home layouts and turning them into open style kitchen layouts.
The Open Kitchen concepts is the idea of having no walls between the living room, dining room, and kitchen. This obsoletes all the barriers that take up unnecessary space and that have become detrimental to interior home designers as they plan to layout bigger captivating patterns and kitchen flow designs across your entire home because after all the style has to fit with the rest of your home.
The pros and cons of opening up your kitchen layout will vary on a case to case to base. The price can be ballparked but overall very hard to give a solid number because nobody knows what your are going to find when you start opening up your walls, this may lead to other unexpected expenditures to fix any unforeseen surprises. The big factor in this wall removal process is that you have to make sure your wall is not load bearing because if it is this means you have to hire a contractor to add additional support for your homes roof and structural integrity.
Is a kitchen island better than a peninsula?
A lot of people may agree and disagree to this answer but the truth is that peninsula are have always been a least popular option and that kitchen island are the best solution for any kitchen. Kitchen islands are better than a peninsula by a long shot check out these stats, for the past 10+ years the kitchen island has been on a uptrend and interest is still rising till today and peninsula have plateaued and have become stagnant.
The reason for the kitchen island popularity is because the design is flawless when executed to perfection. The truth is that an island serves as either a focal point to your kitchen or just simply improves the aesthetics and gives your kitchen more functionality. Walking around the island is a dream come true for several people working in a kitchen at once because it keeps the traffic flowing smoothly as you navigate around the kitchen and reduces those awkward kitchen encounters when your hands are busy prepping a meal or setting up for home entertainment. The reason why peninsulas are frowned upon is because there is only way around the peninsula and most of the time it limits your options. Nobody likes to walk around an entire row of cabinets to simply grab something you left on the counter just a few inches away. Go with an island, trust the data on this one.
Take Away
This was a very exciting article that I enjoyed making while I share my expertise in these fields along with a little bit of research. Sometimes the answer you are looking for can be understood best when explained by somebody else’s perspective, this helps you determine if your ideas are correct or may have room for improvement.
Thank you for stopping by please let us know if we can help with anything and if you want to check out how to install an island come check out our video here. Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Cheers!
