9 Striking Custom Kitchen Islands

Whether you’re building a new home or remodeling the one you have now, a custom kitchen island is as much about style as it is functionality. You want it to look good and express your personality. But as artistic as a kitchen island can be, it’s not just a sculpture to look at. It has to provide storage, counter space, and food prep areas.

Here are 9 of our favorite kitchen island ideas we’ve come across. Under each example, we’ll point out what we like and offer tips for designing your own.

1. Live edge wood island

We’re jumping in the deep end with this kitchen island. Our first example is an island that uses a slab of English wych elm for part of the countertop. This piece of wood is highly figured and it stands out as the centerpiece of the room. Two of its edges have only been lightly sanded and finished?nothing more than the bark has been removed. You can see live edge designs like this used in tables and other pieces of furniture, as well. If you do it right, this type of woodworking can work well in both ultra-modern and traditional spaces.

This particular custom kitchen island has a true live edge, as opposed to a faux live edge. A manufacturer creates a faux live edge by forming a straight countertop edge into a wavy or organic pattern.  Faux live edges are cheaper than genuine ones since you don’t need to use a particular cut of the tree, but they can still look great.

2. Modern white curves

Here’s something from the complete opposite end of the spectrum. This curved kitchen island almost gives you the sensation that it came out of the TV show The Jetsons. The island is fairly narrow and it allows people to cook on both sides, which is nice since only one person can really fit in the inner curve. You can also see that it has a glass breakfast bar to complete the futuristic look.

3. Futuristic curves with butcher block

In this example, the main countertop is made from Corian, an eco-friendly durable material created by DuPont. The Corian countertop is flanked with butcher block in an S-shaped design. As you can see here, butcher block is another type of wood countertop that can work well in modern and traditional kitchens. Finally, this whole space is tied together with the curved flat-white cabinets.

4. Stately marble custom kitchen island

Tones of white and black make this marble custom kitchen island stand out from its warm wood surroundings. Anytime you use marble, you automatically bring some sophistication space.  That effect gets amplified when the marble countertop continues down on the sides of the island. That way, people can enjoy the natural texture of the stone whether they are sitting at the island or looking at it from farther away.

5. Black marble in dark modern kitchen

The inky black marble of this custom kitchen island emanates a feeling of luxury. Instead of having a bar top with seating, the island has open storage under the countertop. Seating is definitely something to think about when you are designing a kitchen island. The open shelving here works great for entertaining if there are other places for people to mingle and sit. On the other hand, maybe you would rather have barstools along your island to accommodate family and friends.

6. Natural wood in modern kitchen

There’s something peaceful and serene about this kitchen. Even though all the edges are straight, the light wood brings an organic feeling to the room. It’s also interesting that this island is a little shorter than it could be. The designer could have extended it all the way to the oven, but that would have made the kitchen feel a lot different.

7. Custom kitchen island with LED underglow

No, this isn’t a souped-up car from the Fast and Furious, it’s a custom kitchen island. If you count the lighting, there are at least six different textures that make up this island. The lighting provides some continuity in the space since there is so much going on. Looking at the functionality, you have a cooktop and sink on the island, some storage space, and a breakfast bar on one end.

If you just want to enjoy the look of under cabinet lighting, you can find various LED tape strips or bar lights online which are pretty easy to install. Take the time to hardwire the lights unless you want to look at dangling cords.

8. A bit of the river in the kitchen

We had to throw this one in here because it’s so wild. You probably won’t use an aquarium for your kitchen island, but it’s nice to know that it’s possible. Don’t worry, the aquarium glass doesn’t have to support the whole weight of that countertop. Dutch designer Robert Kolenik created this special aquarium in the shape of an L around cabinets that sit on the other side. The backs of the cabinets have mirrors to make the aquarium feel larger than it is. The bright blue aquarium certainly pops in this kitchen.

9. Island of backlit marble

Finishing out our list is an example of an ultra-modern and luxurious custom kitchen island. The quartz countertop, gray cabinets, and stainless steel appliances get out of the way so the backlit marble island can shine?literally. This kitchen uses natural marble slabs, but you can also get a similar effect with man-made crystalline materials. If you’re considering a backlit stone project, the biggest cost will usually the stone itself. Actually lighting the stone can range from $40 to $100 per square foot depending on who you work with and the type of lighting you want.