Sometimes, the best way to know if a space is well designed is by noting what works so well you don’t even notice it. Think about it: you absolutely notice when something in your space wasn’t designed well, whether it’s a light switch in a bad spot or a bathroom right off the dining space when something isn’t designed well, you know it.
When something is designed with expertise and craftsmanship, you just use it and don’t think about it. The biggest culprit of poor design in the kitchen? The kitchen island. So many homeowners know they want a kitchen island, but they have no idea where to start when designing a custom kitchen island, and then they end up with a poorly designed island that makes the kitchen hard to use. Don’t worry, we’re here to offer our best tips, tricks, and custom kitchen island ideas to help you on your design journey.
What To Look For In A Custom Kitchen Island
It’s the workhorse of the kitchen, so knowing what to look for in a custom kitchen island matters. Depending on your style, how you’ll use the island, and the space in your kitchen, you could have any unique needs or features in your custom kitchen island.
Purpose and Functionality
Your kitchen island can wear many hats: homework station, meal prep, game night, and dining table, to name a few. So, before any other steps, think about how you want your kitchen island to function by asking yourself some questions.
When you think about how the people in your house (including yourself) will use this space, what do you envision them doing? Cooking? Reading? Sipping coffee? Making a science project for school? Gathering for refreshments before book club starts?
LEARN MORE: Our Custom Home Builder Services
Once you know how you’ll use the space, you can focus on what functionality you need to add to your kitchen island. If you are an avid chef, you probably need storage for appliances and tools and a few extra outlets. If you love to host or have a big family (or both!), you will need plenty of room for seating, storage for extra dishes for guests, and maybe easy access to cleaning supplies.
Design
Once you know how you will use your kitchen island and what features you want, it’s time to decide on the design. Start with the basics: what design styles do you typically gravitate towards? Do you like traditional styles? More minimalist vibes? Or maybe you like a blend of two or three styles. Keep track of what catches your eye. Then, it’s time to decide on colors; to some degree, the design style you choose will inform your chosen colors.
For example, if you like a more modern design, your colors will be monochromatic and neutral, but if you like a mid-century modern vibe, you’ll have a more muted palette with pops of more vibrant colors. Then, start thinking about the other small details of the island- lighting (think cabinet lighting, as well as overhead), countertop type, and other features like sinks, ranges, built-in microwaves, etc.
Professional Guidance
By this point, you have a lot of information about what you want. You’ve chosen a design style (or two), maybe a basic color scheme, features you know you want for your island, and how you want to use the island. That’s a lot of information that, without an experienced hand guiding the design, can be overwhelming at best and completely dysfunctional at worst.
TRENDING: Park City Design And Building Trends
You’ll need an expert to help you design your kitchen to ensure you get everything you want and need from your kitchen island. In fact, getting professional guidance for your kitchen island will help you find benefits you didn’t even know existed (think built-in seating, hidden appliance storage, etc.).
Custom Kitchen Island Ideas For Park City Homes
Effortless Glam With Waterfall Countertops
This custom kitchen island is incredibly functional. Consider the built-in microwave, pull-out garbage and recycling, the in-island sink, and the easy-access outlet. But the real show-stopper of this island is the absolutely breathtaking combination of the lighting and the waterfall countertop. Sure, this island has all the functionality you could possibly need, but it’s also a stunning focal point for the whole space.
Minimalist Modern With A Pop Of Color
This custom kitchen island features a lovely blend of minimalist design with a nod towards mid-century modern. The island has a sink and dishwasher, making family dinners an easy cleanup, as well as plenty of space for meals, projects, games, or chatting. But the combination of the bright white waterfall countertops with the cheerful yellow bar stools is what makes this kitchen island the gathering place of the kitchen.
Natural Minimalism With Cozy Seating
This kitchen is one of our favorites, and maybe the biggest reason is the island. Not only does this kitchen island feature a contrasting countertop to balance the black countertops, but it also has an in-island sink. Our favorite feature is the seating. Where most islands have seating that lines up next to each other, this island’s seating offers a more dining-room-table experience with seats that face each other. We love this for a family with young kids, people who love to host, or anyone who loves a good game night.
Inviting Farmhouse Kitchen Island
When you think of a kitchen island perfect for hosting a large party, preparing family dinners, or eating an after-school snack, this is the island you are looking for. This enormous island features a sink, plenty of seating, extra outlets, and a charming farmhouse-like design. Even the barstools seem to ask for you to sit and stay a while, with high backs and plenty of comfy padding.
Mid-Century-Modern Kitchen Island
Every detail in this kitchen was meticulously chosen, including every feature on the kitchen island. The island features plenty of seating, unique wine-storage options, and a huge sink. The brilliant white of the countertops compliments the rich undertones of the wood cabinetry and flooring, drawing the eye to the kitchen island as a focal point in the space. If you want timeless and functional beauty in your kitchen island, this might be the right design for you.
Cheerful And Open Kitchen Island
In an open-concept home, your kitchen island design matters even more. Ensuring your custom kitchen island blends with other spaces’ designs, like the dining table and chairs, is a fundamental part of the design process. In this charming kitchen, we incorporated cheerful whites, timeless wood, and a bit of personality with the bar stools. This kitchen island works hard with the in-island sink and dishwasher, plenty of seating for little ones and guests, and so much functional storage.
Chef’s Dream Kitchen Island
This is one of the most functional custom kitchen islands we’ve designed. With this island’s front and back storage, there’s room for all the appliances and gadgets you might need. The island’s prep sink makes washing and cutting food easy. The range on the island allows you to wear your chef’s hat and your host hat at the same time- easily chat with your guests while you put the finishing touches on dinner. With timeless wood cabinetry and lovely countertops, this space will stand the test of time both in style and function.
Kitchen Islands For Your Custom Home
The right custom kitchen island will make or break your kitchen, and there are so many ways for this crucial feature to go wrong. Even with inspiration and ideas, designing a custom kitchen island you will love for years to come might be overwhelming. That’s where our team of experienced home builders will come in handy. We’re here to offer our combined decades of experience to create a kitchen island you will love.
Not only have we designed some of the most stunning kitchens in Park City, Utah, but we pride ourselves on truly understanding our client’s vision and needs. Our tight-knit team loves the process of finding the perfect detail for every element of your home, whether it’s the high-capacity dishwasher for your island or extra storage for all your appliances. We’re here to create a truly personalized and tailored home for our customers, especially when it comes to a feature as important as the kitchen island. Contact us today so we can get started on your custom home, we can’t wait to hear from you!
