At one time, the heart of every home was the kitchen, but with today’s busy schedules and catch-as-catch-can relationships, your kitchen, like so many others, may have become the most ignored room in the house.
It’s a shame, since so many of our cherished childhood memories revolve around the busyness of cooking and gathering in the kitchen for holiday fun; complete with the warmth of Christmas cookies and the aroma of that stuffed till bulging slow roasting turkey in the oven.
It’s hard not to associate the idleness of a kitchen with the separation of loved ones and the death of tradition.
So, putting sentiment aside, what can a home owner do to bring back interest in the kitchen? How can a family be coaxed out of the TV room back into the room that was once the gathering place for warmth and refreshment.
The answer is simple; introduce an island. This is an easy to install kitchen furniture piece that instantly creates additional work space, an attractive serving station, more storage or expanded entertaining accommodations .
Think about it. A kitchen island is a perpetual invitation to “come and sit” and do home-work, read the newspaper, or enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee. It’s a pit-stop for visitors. A casual dining area. A functional focal point dividing the kitchen from the rest of a large, melded great room.
Unfortunately, every kitchen is not suited for an island. They perform best in kitchens designed in the shape of an L, U or even a G with a minimum of 121/2 to 13 feet wall to wall or cabinet to cabinet. A smaller space will not provide enough room and will only create cramped frustration.
Prepare yourself before shopping for a kitchen island by identifying the features or functions the island must provide. For example, if you are wanting to use the extra space for testing recipes and meal preparation then a butcher block top with no seating is the best choice. On the other hand, if the kids are underfoot and home-work needs to be supervised; consider a duel purpose laminate or recycled surface with, with kid-friendly seating.
For more formal use, when children do not need to be factored in, and entertaining is the priority, go glamorous with marble, cement, or moulding embellishments with corbels and posts of elegant hard woods such as Cherry and Oak.
Don’t overlook the benefit of additional storage. What kind of storage is needed? Cook books, cookie sheets and pans requires a totally different design than an island for entertaining where you might need a wine rack, or table linen drawers. Consider the traffic pattern your new kitchen island will create. Does it block the refrigerator door from opening all the way? Will it bump into your butt every time you pull a yummy out of the oven? In other words, identify the specific characteristics needed before you buy, for a perfect kitchen island experience.
One last thought, if it’s not too much of a hassle, consider adding additional track or custom hung accent lighting above the new island. This will definitely add to the “wow” factor of your new and oh so wonderfully inviting, kitchen addition!
Sue Krippner - After studying art history at Thomas Edison State College with advance studio studies at the University of the Arts in Pennsylvania, I ...
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