What is an Island?

An island is a freestanding piece of cabinetry that is placed in a kitchen to supplement the countertop space. There are an incredible amount of diverse opportunities for personal expression in the creation and inclusion of an island to a kitchen. Referring to this kitchen feature as an island does not infer permanence. It is common for owners to purchase a freestanding mobile island to increase a kitchen’s preparation area. An island is also not of limited or specific dimension, which means it can be sized appropriate to the kitchen space available.

It is a common practice to build an island by purchasing additional base cabinets from a manufacturer to ensure that all the kitchen features are exact matches. In modern styled kitchens, designers are beginning to place more focus on the development of intricate kitchen islands by adding sinks and cooking surfaces to them. It is equally common to feature elevated stools along the non-cooking-preparation side of the island as a supplemental dining area. Though an island is an excellent opportunity to include more storage in the kitchen, there are some island designs that have no internal storage. Some have also liberally described a large permanently placed table as an island, though a true island should stand at a countertop height that is uniform to the entire kitchen.