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show pics of the best part of your island

Peke
10 years ago

What is your favorite part of your island?

What would you change?

Did you do all drawers?

I am also interested in islands with an overhang. I want to slide a kitchen table under the overhang for seating. Then I can pull it out when we need more seating.

Thanks, Peke

Comments (35)

  • breezygirl
    10 years ago

    This is my favorite prt of my island. Black walnut.

    I plan to inset a banquette in the left side of the island.

    Edited to add the working side of the island. All drawers except the sink cab and trash pullout, which is really a drawer if you think about it.

    I love everything about my island, especially the prep sink. I would not like my island nearly as much without the prep sink. I've never had an island (or a prep sink) before and can see the great benefit to one IF your kitchen has the appropriate amount space for one with proper aisle clearances; however, an island is not the be-all-end-all of modern kitchen design IMHO.

    This post was edited by breezygirl on Sat, Apr 27, 13 at 12:54

  • finestra
    10 years ago

    My island cabinetry is 40' or so deep. One side has 24' base cabinets with a microwave drawer, two 9' inch sheet tray cabinets, a garbage drawer and a 33' 3 drawer base for pots. It faces my range.

    The other side has a 15' or so overhang above 16' deep cabinets that hold serving pieces and rarely used appliances like the gelato machine, pasta machine etc. It is great hidden storage.

    The sides of the island have paned that make it look like the cabinetry is even.

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Breezygirl every time I see your kitchen it makes me drool. I love that range hood you found.

    Finestra,,wow, those dark floors make that white really stand out. Doors, windows, and cabinets look wonderful.

  • lalalisa123
    10 years ago

    Breezy girl, do you mind telling me about your cabinet hardware? I love it!
    Thanks!

  • breezygirl
    10 years ago

    Hi Lalalisa. It's the Aubrey pull from Restoration Hardware. Mine are polished nickel, but they come in other finishes as well. I used the 4", 6", and 8" sizes. They make me smile still, even after about 18 months.

    Peke--Thanks!

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    Ours isn't installed yet and will be a smaller island - the two end units will hold the garbage roll out (we're planning on putting a servo-drive in there...I think that's going to be my favorite...hardly touching the garbage to open/close it), the other end will hold my KA. And the middle will have three drawers. Truth be told, I'm pretty excited about the whole thing.

    The thing I think I will *least* enjoy about our island is that our aisles will be tight by necessity - we can't widen the kitchen and we would have benefited from an additional foot to the width.

  • fouramblues
    10 years ago

    The best part of my island is the prep sink. I only wish I had made it larger! Its interior width is 11.5", and a pot with a long handle won't fit.

    I have all drawers, except for the sink cabinet and what will one day be a cutting board pullout (right now it's just a gaping hole).

    The seating at our island is terrific. I'm by choice the "chief cook and bottle washer" (except for parties, when DH is the latter), but now DH keeps me company while I work. And we've had some amazing discussions with our teen/twenty-something kids around the island. This didn't happen so much when we had a less inviting space. It's really interesting how a physical space can facilitate certain behaviors.

  • lalalisa123
    10 years ago

    Thanks Breezy!!

    Fouramblues - your kitchen is so warm and beautiful!

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I am trying to design my island. I know I want to go with all drawers and an overhang, but I am not sure how I want it or even what I am putting in the island drawers.

    So please keep the pictures coming!

    Fouramblues, love your window and granite.

  • cookncarpenter
    10 years ago

    I don't have an island, but I love my Mesquite bar counter, and every time I see that close up of breezygirls', I want to hit "like"

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    10 years ago

    I love the size, the sink and the bookmatched granite and the built-in cutting board on my island. I also love my ice cream and drinks fridge and freezer on the end by the table!

  • leela4
    10 years ago

    Well, I don't know if this helps at all, but here is my island. I think the whole island is one of my favorite things in the kitchen- it is so functional with the cutting board, the pull out trash and compost bin, and the cookbooks at the end. No overhang with seating, though.

  • buildinva
    10 years ago

    Beagles--what is the size of your island? It's gorgeous!

    I love seeing all these islands. Makes me so excited about my future island!!

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    10 years ago

    buildinva it is 13 feet long.

  • go_figure01
    10 years ago

    dang beags... that's a continent! GORGEOUS!!!!! WOW.

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ctycdm, your mesquite bar is gorgeous! I love the wood, but I am a little afraid of wood for a counter. I tend to scratch things. I would cry if I scratched the wood.

    Beagles, beautiful granite with those white cabinets. Love the drinks fridge. What is the granite called?

    Leela4, that is a great island too. Very functional. That is what I want too, but with the overhang. What is your granite?

    I will use the island as a main work area. I seldom use the counters under the upper cabinets. I only have three under cabinet areas and they are under 40" wide. I just don't use them that much.

    My plan is to have a 15" overhang with steel bars for support on the underside of the quartzite. The island will be 4' by 8'. I want to be able to slide a table under the overhang on the 8' side. Then if we need more seating we can pull it out, put two extensions in, and also still have the island overhang for even more seating. So the island would be a rectangle, but with the table it would be in the shape of a T perpendicular to the island.

    Now I just need to figure out what to put in the island. I know I want all drawers, but I don't know what I will put in the drawers.

    So keep the ideas or pics coming! Thanks, peek

    Beagles, what is book matched granite?

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    Peke - have you started to do your "contents map"? This post will help you a ton. Scroll down about part way and you'll see a kitchen map done by Buehl.

    Even though she doesn't know it, Buehl is my absolute hero (and probably to many others on here as well)...my content map isn't nearly as pretty as hers, but it has been excellent in helping me determine where things will actually live.

    Even though my kitchen isn't in place yet, I can pretty much tell you where it's going to live...and I get irritated when I remember "where it should be" and isn't because I'm still working in my old, disfunctional kitchen! Almost everything was able to have a home where it best belonged according to it's use. Some drawer stacks were changed from what I thought I originally wanted (and actually, I'm reworking it a little more right at this moment...well, not this *exact* moment since I'm typing here, but you know what I mean)

    Anyway, sit down and start putting together what you have, what you'll be keeping, what you'll donate to others who have need for your un-needed items...and then start placing things where you'll need them to reside for the best function of your kitchen.

    When I did mine, I discovered that I hadn't considered where our junk drawer would be and I decided to put in a broom/cleaning closet that I hadn't considered before.

    I'm also trying to keep at least a drawer and an upper cabinet open for the things that I'm certain that I forgot need a home.

    Anyway, enjoy this thread:

    Here is a link that might be useful: Stuff in kitchens & kitchen map

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    10 years ago

    Peke the granite is Blue Bahia.

    Book matched means there are two slabs that are mirror images of each other. You can then create a butterfly pattern.

    See if this picture helps show it. The seam is lined up with the center hole and then the granite on either side is a mirror image:

    Here's from further away, the vase is the center so you can see the butterfly pattern:

    Here's another awesome picture of bookmatched granite in pure slab form.

    This post was edited by beaglesdoitbetter on Sat, May 4, 13 at 1:48

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    10 years ago

    Here are some of the pics of the insides of my drawers and cabinets in case this gives you any ideas for what to put in your own drawers :)

    There are more pics on my blog too. We have special organizers in almost every drawer and cabinet.

  • fouramblues
    10 years ago

    I second what andreak100 said about planning the contents. I immediately knew (without having to search or think too hard) where everything was in my new kitchen, because everything was placed where it made sense. Here's a picture of the working side of my island (with gaping hole soon to be pullout):

    On the inside of the sink door is compost; next stack is all my prep/baking tools, plus baking ingredients; next stack is knives, onions/potatoes/bread I use everyday, and towels; next stack is wine paraphernalia and cutting boards.

    So it's my prep/baking zone, and it's wonderful to have everything I need within arm's reach.

    Happy measuring/planning!

  • leela4
    10 years ago

    Peke - My island is also where I do the majority of my prep. There is the pullout garbage and compost bin directly under the cutting board. I have my most frequently used spices in the small top drawer above that. Everyday silverware is in the next top drawer, with small bowls, plates, mugs and glasses in the drawer directly under that. I didn't have a firm idea of what I was going to put in the island until I was unpacking stuff, but I knew generally what was going to go where. Since it's directly across from the dishwasher I knew I wanted at least some of the things I used routinely placed there. A contents map is a great idea; I sort of did that in my head, but having it written down probably would have saved me some anxiety.

    Here's a photo of one of my drawers:

    The counters are soapstone.

    Beagles-your stone is so gorgeous. I'm such a blue person that I have to say I always love to see your kitchen.

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Leila, your soapstone looks light blue. Wow.

    Beagles, that blue is so pretty. Were all your drawer inserts custom made?

    I looked at the kitchen map. I had already listed where things would go on the main cabinets. I just forgot to put things in an island. Everything has a place already. So I don't know how to design the island since I don't have anything to put there. I have checked my list. I don't see anything missing.

  • andreak100
    10 years ago

    Peke - that's GREAT that you don't have anything that you need to put there...it means that the few things you might have forgotten about will be able to easily find a home, right? Or...maybe it's time for a shopping trip for some nice new things for the kitchen! I actually have a few cabinets that have some open space and I'm thrilled about it because it means that I won't need to scramble to find some place for something.

    Let me ask you this - what do you plan on *using* your island for? Mine will be a main prep area. I plan on having mixing bowls, measuring cups, measuring spoons, etc in the drawers of the island. You may find that you have benefit of having certain items in more than one location. For example, I plan on having oven mitts over in the drawer by the oven along with some trivets. But, I also need hot pads/mitts and trivets for what I cook on my cooktop, so there will be two locations for those since they are far enough apart that it makes sense to have them right at the point of use.

    Looks like some of Beagles inserts are ones that are made by Hafele with others being custom.

  • ArlingtonVAremodel
    10 years ago

    Since we don't have a kitchen table, the thing I like most is that my island is all one height with no prep sink, cooktop, or any other interruptions in it. I think it makes it feel more like a kitchen table. Relatedly, I also really like the three-sided seating, so we can look at each other. And it's all drawers (the side you can't see in the photo is pot and pan drawers facing the range).

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Wow, Arlington! Love that wood top. That is almost how mine will be except my island will be separate from my table. My table will slide under the overhang and have 3 sided seating too.

    Andrea, shopping???? Yes, please! So since I don't know what goes in there, I don't know how deep to make the drawers. Shoot I just remembered that I now have a cutting board and colander on my main sink for prep work. Going to have to think some more. Thanks, peke

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I forgot about the food processors, tablecloths, picnic items, pizzelle iron and Panini press.

    I guess I will do all drawers. Has anyone put in a drawer that has a removable insert like a dishpan but deeper? I am thinking of putting potatoes there. Then I can remove it when I need to.

    I plan on putting a plug mold on the side of the countertop hidden by the granite.

    Anyone have an idea that I just can't live without? peke

  • taggie
    10 years ago

    The best part of our island is the niches that our cabinet maker put in the back side legs, so we can store our laptop cords there.

    DH & I often sit at the island with our laptops and a coffee. Love the niches that allow us to store our cords out of sight ... I know that if we didn't have the niches, the cords would always just be left dangling on the island top when we weren't using them.

    This pic was to show the faucet, but will give an idea of how we use our laptops .. therefore the value of the power cord niches on the seating side:

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    The best advice I got for my island was not putting the prep sink on the end, but leaving work surface on both sides to make it more useful. So on the end, we put a bookcase with an outlet inside to use as a charging station. The other thing I did was to sacrifice some space to have an outlet installed on the working side of the island so that I can plug in blenders and such easily.

    Our overhang is in the segmental arch shape which is a theme repeated throughout the house. We use it all the time for sitting at the island.

  • debrak_2008
    10 years ago

    Here's mine. Favorites are that all four of us and sit around it (have stools now). The openness underneath. The fact that the granite is warm (heated).

    The cabinet in the island that faces the sink holds flatware, dishes, casseroles, etc.

  • doonie
    10 years ago

    We love our island. At the larger end, we commonly sit and visit. The cabinetry underneath is shallow and perfect for storing assorted plastic storage, which was such a muddle in my old kitchen. The surface is honed Antique Brown which is a lovely durable surface for cooking. We have a television in the kitchen that can be seen from 3 of the counter seats at the island, which is really great too!

  • doonie
    10 years ago

    And here is the tv that we can view from our island, which is also nice when I am cooking. In addition we have a sound/stereo system with ceiling speakers so we can play music in the kitchen as well.

  • doonie
    10 years ago

    And here is the tv that we can view from our island, which is also nice when I am cooking. In addition we have a sound/stereo system with ceiling speakers so we can play music in the kitchen as well.

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Taggie, I never even thought of that one. I can see how it would be good for cell phone chargers too. Great idea.

    Annie, another good idea for a charging station.

    Debra, I envy all the light you have! And heated granite too.

    Donnie, my plastics are that way too. I can find a lid but not the matching bowl or vice versa. I love those leather barstools. Makes me wish I had a place for them. We put in a speaker system too. Well, wired for it anyway. Speakers have not been bought, but we have the new receiver.

    Keep the ideas coming. They are all wonderful. Peke

  • Peke
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Bump

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