At their most basic, houses provide shelter for those who live under their roofs, however, it’s no secret that to those who reside within their walls for extended periods of time, houses quickly become homes complete with emotional attachments. A home is a space people not only live, but love, grow and socialize with those they care about. A home is a place where memories are made and moments are born. For all of these reason and many more, our homes are places worth investing our time, commitment and energy. When it comes down to setting up a home that caters to the people-factor in life, the kitchen often finds itself at the heart of the conversation.
Kitchens are most obviously set up for cooking, but over time, they’ve also found their way into the role of social environment, conversational centerpiece and many times, a comfort zone. When all of these emotional and social links are taken into consideration, it’s not surprising that homeowners place a large amount of importance on how a kitchen is set up both functionally and aesthetically. Great care is taken to make sure that granite countertops accent sleek, perfectly placed cupboards. Sleep may be lost over whether or not the fridge matches the backsplash, or the table takes away from the trim. While all of these questions could potentially come to mind when a kitchen’s future is at stake, there may be no topic more important than the kitchen island. These days it seems everyone wants one and for good reason. A kitchen island provides a number of possibilities when it comes to structuring space and social events. The flexibility and options it provides offers some explanation as to why it’s such a hot topic when a kitchen renovation is in the works.
Bring on the extra space
A kitchen island doesn’t take up much room in and of itself, and that’s where the paradox arises. While it might be small in stature, it has the potential to offer up a lot of additional and usually much needed, extra counter space! For those that love to cook, any and all extra counter space is an invaluable gift that lends itself to more intricate culinary adventures with less logistic stress. For those who simply love to entertain, a kitchen island is a quick and convenient way to providing extra space to socialize. A kitchen island easily becomes the landmark for leaning on to discuss a hot topic, or the stabilizing social object around which a group of friends can laugh while food is being prepared. Whatever the reason, adding an island to the kitchen opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to social and culinary space.
Did somebody say storage?
Putting an island in the kitchen is very much about gaining counter space, but it also implies a gain in storage space overall for your home. Many homeowners decide to customize their kitchen islands and in doing so, earn a few or potentially many extra cupboards below where they can store extra kitchen supplies or the pesky household items that just need to be put away and unseen for a while. In this way, the kitchen island is both a discreet and clever way to contain some household overflow.
Say good-bye to the homework struggle
While a kitchen island lends itself to being a social gathering area, it can also work wonders when it comes to providing a motivating space for your family members. Many parents face the constant struggle of trying to get their children to complete homework before or after dinner. The kitchen island can become a solution if its offered up as an alternative to a child’s room for homework duties. Some kids work most productively in a space they know they are held accountable for completing certain tasks. A kitchen island allows a quiet, yet monitored space for kids to complete their homework and parents to simultaneously keep up with kitchen cleaning duties. Together parent and child can work on their individual projects, yet be in the same vicinity should a question arise or assistance keeping on task be needed. Making homework with your child a kitchen island activity could be the key to consistent focus after a long day at school and work.
Try adding a personal touch
Perhaps the cherry on the kitchen island cake is that any number of personal stylizations or touches can be easily added to this home feature. For example, adding glass doors to your island cupboards allows for a variety of objects or decorations to be displayed in the kitchen without having to worry that they’ll be knocked over. Furthermore, adding a unique surface, such as granite countertops to your kitchen island, can give the kitchen centerpiece a sleek and colorful feel that will keep guests admiring and coming back time after time.
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