Does an island have a starring role in the kitchen of your dreams? From the addition of a simple roll-about cabinet with a work counter to a more elaborate multi-purpose permanent structure in anchoring your entire kitchen floor plan, an island is one of the most often desired components in design for a new kitchen.

Take a few critical measurements, use these guidelines to help determine if an island might be an option in your new kitchen. Create a rough sketch using your measurements. (Does not need to be 'to scale'.)

Step 1 Measure the entire width and length of your kitchen, from wall to wall. Draw the walls. Now draw a line, as shown in the example, to represent walls where base cabinets will be installed. This line is 25" from the wall, indicating 24" cabinet depth and 1"countertop overhang.

Step 2 Measure across the open floor space to the facing (opposing) wall. If cabinets will also be installed on that wall, draw the cabinet line.

Step 3 What is the dimension between the opposing walls?

Step 4 Deduct 25" for each wall with cabinets from that dimension. This is your 'total available dimension'

Follow the same steps for the other walls in the room.

You will need a bare minimum of 39" between the countertop edge of your island and the opposing counter or cabinet. Deduct 39", adjusting the total available dimension. If you have an opposing wall, deduct 39" from the adjusted total available dimension a second time.

The resulting Total Available Dimension is the amount of floor space in which you can install an island.

The smallest islands are usually a minimum of 26" in one dimension, allowing for a standard base cabinet 24" deep with a 1" countertop overhang on each side, so you will need a Total Available Dimension of 26" to accommodate an island. The width of your island is determined in the same way.

Island Shapes

Kitchen islands may be as varied in shape as...well, real islands! Besides available space, you island's shape may be determined by these factors:

Function. Will your island serve cooking, baking, eating, or clean- up tasks? Will it serve as a room divider? Is it's main purpose to save steps?

The functions you plan will help determine the cabinets and heights selected to best serve those functions.
Example: An eating bar and cooking equipment should not be on the same level on small islands to avoid the danger of reaching over hot surfaces or upsetting cooking pans.

Visual Appeal. Will the island be the central visual feature of the kitchen ?
Example: An island with several levels of countertop heights may serve function well, but would it obstruct or compete with the view of an open display cabinet featured on a wall behind it ?

Style. Your island's shape should be influenced by the overall style of your kitchen. A wildly geometrical shape may be out of place in a very traditional setting, but may enhance the visual appeal of an otherwise contemporary design.

Keep these things in mind as you plan your private island!

Avoid placing an appliance in the island directly across from another appliance unless there is enough clearance to open both at the same time.

Placing a cook top or range in an island means you must have passage to ventilate your exhaust equipment (an pipe in gas, for gas appliances). Is your kitchen over a basement, you have easy access for down-draft equipment. If your home is on a slab or has a crawlspace, is there access from an attic above for venting upwards ? (Not if your home is a two story plan!) If you can vent through the attic, will you need extra support for the weight of the exhaust hood ? Who will install the venting equipment ? Will there be a vent on the exterior of your home ? Where ?

The width of an island should not be more than twice the reach length of the principal user.

Plan to radius corners on island countertops in high-traffic areas.

An eating counter should be at least 15" deep and allow a minimum of for 24" of width for each person seated there.

Allow 30" of width per person working at an island. Using 36" per person is even better!

Kitchen & Bath
Design Center

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