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  1. Southern Living
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  4. Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas

Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas

November 17, 2010
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Credit: Hector Sanchez
A kitchen island is a great way to add work surface, storage, and dining space. Take a look at a few of our favorite kitchen island ideas.
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Gathering Island

Credit: Hector Sanchez

This large island boasts extra dishwasher drawers and comfy stools, which make it an inviting hangout area.

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Kitchen Island Architectural Details

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

A kitchen island is a good place to add architectural details like decorative brackets.

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Seamless Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn & Leigh Anne Montgomery

You can be creative and custom when selecting materials for your island. Wrapped in three slabs of limestone, this island has very clean, modern lines.

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Decorative Cut-Out Island

A decorative countertop edge adds style and softens the corners of an island.

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Freestanding Island

Not ready to commit to a built-in? Use a freestanding furniture piece as an island. This allows you more flexibility, and the open base has a lighter look than an enclosed model.

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Contrasting Color Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Don’t feel obligated to use the same finishes on the island as you use on the cabinets. Here, a bright blue paint and copper countertop highlights the island.

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Contemporary Island

Use modern materials like stainless steel to accent an island with a contemporary edge.

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Cottage Casual Island

Vintage-inspired materials like beaded board give a new kitchen a sense of history.

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Open Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

An open island gives quick visual access to pots and pans.

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Moveable Island

Credit: Photo: Erik Johnson

For a more versatile workspace, put your island on locking casters.

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Two-Level Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

You can separate your prep area and eating space by terracing your island. When you have help in the kitchen, pull the chairs away for a workspace of a more kid-friendly height.

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Makeshift Island

Credit: Photo: Helen Norman

An antique butcher-block provides additional workspace in the kitchen, which is not large enough for a traditional island. A simple tripod with casters elevates it to standard counter height and enables it to be moved around easily.

  • See more of this Cottage Style Home

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Sleek Island

Credit: Photo: Hector Sanchez

This industrial island is a sleek addition to the colorful kitchen. Brass knobs on the legs of the island compliment the hardware throughout the kitchen.

  • See more of this Before and After: Redo with Color!

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Double-Duty Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Open shelves keep cookbooks handy at one end of the island, while the microwave is housed at the other. The room's size didn't allow for a freestanding dining table. A lower, custom-built extension of the island in a dark natural wood provides the ideal solution.

  • See more of this Updated Traditional Kitchen

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Hardworking Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Furniture detailing gives the hardworking 5- x 7 1/2-foot island the look of a decorative buffet piece. The designers walled in an exterior door and shifted the eating area to the island to allow an impressive 285 cubic feet of cabinetry along the two walls.

  • Tour this Modern Family Kitchen

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Symmetrical Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The main working part of the kitchen lines up front to back with twin cabinets capping both island ends and flanking the range. The large island is framed with a pair of overscale hanging pendants to maintain a sight line between rooms.

  • See more of this Farmhouse Restoration

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Extra-Large Island

Credit: Photo: Helen Norman, Styling: Rebecca Omweg

Topped with poured concrete, the extra-large island has ample bench seating.

  • See more of this Natural Georgia Lake House

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Utilitarian Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The industrial island offers a utilitarian twist to contrast with the room's old-world style.

  • See more of this Cottage Revival

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Beautiful Convenient Island

Credit: Photo: Helen Norman, Styling: Rebecca Omweg

This beautiful marble-topped island perfectly complements the kitchen while still being convenient and functional.

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Vintage Style Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

A small but efficient island holds refrigerator drawers and a bookcase for cookbooks. Painted deep gray to contrast with the lighter color of the cabinets and topped with marble, it feels vintage and perhaps even original to the house.

  • See more of this Cape Cod-Style Cottage Makeover

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Island for Entertaining

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn, Styling: Buffy Hargett

The homeowner kept her family’s frequent entertaining in mind when she designed the kitchen’s footprint, centering the room around an oversize 10-foot island, which serves as a natural gathering spot and buffet and provides extra seating.

  • See more of this Texas Urban Country Kitchen

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Large Butcher-Block Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

The thick butcher-block top and earth-toned base lend the central island the worn look of an old farm table, distinguishing it from surrounding off-white cabinetry topped in waxed limestone.

  • Learn more about this Dream Kitchen

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Shining Kitchen Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Because the island is the hub of the kitchen, it needs to shine. For a sleek look, the marble countertop was designed with a waterfall edge—the counter material spills over and goes all the way to the floor. The white-on-white look is finished with burnished brass hardware and fixtures that, like gold jewelry, add a warm glow.

  • See more of this Family-Friendly Remodel

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Handsome Island

Credit: Photo: Erica George Dines

This handsome kitchen island features dining-table legs creating a casual and warm place for family and friends to gather.

  • See more of the Lighten Up Kitchen Update

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Island Views

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

Stools gathered around this large island provide a direct sight line to the lake. The views are mimicked by the color palette in this nature-inspired kitchen.

  • See more of architect Bill Ingram's Lake House

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Practical Kitchen Island Ideas

Credit: Photo: Van Chaplin, Charles Walton IV; Styling: Buffy Hargett

Here are a few more things that you might want to consider including in your island design:

  • Avoid draping cords across walkways by installing electrical outlets in your island.
  • A built-in wine chiller is a convenient feature for entertaining.
  • Install a microwave underneath the island surface.
  • See more Kitchen Island Ideas

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Natural Marble-Topped Island

Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

A weathered pine table is topped with marble and functions as an island to give the kitchen a strong center point that both visually grounds the all-white room while also standing up to the wear-and-tear of a busy household.

See more of this Calm & Current Natural Kitchen

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Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

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1 of 27 Gathering Island
2 of 27 Kitchen Island Architectural Details
3 of 27 Seamless Island
4 of 27 Decorative Cut-Out Island
5 of 27 Freestanding Island
6 of 27 Contrasting Color Island
7 of 27 Contemporary Island
8 of 27 Cottage Casual Island
9 of 27 Open Island
10 of 27 Moveable Island
11 of 27 Two-Level Island
12 of 27 Makeshift Island
13 of 27 Sleek Island
14 of 27 Double-Duty Island
15 of 27 Hardworking Island
16 of 27 Symmetrical Island
17 of 27 Extra-Large Island
18 of 27 Utilitarian Island
19 of 27 Beautiful Convenient Island
20 of 27 Vintage Style Island
21 of 27 Island for Entertaining
22 of 27 Large Butcher-Block Island
23 of 27 Shining Kitchen Island
24 of 27 Handsome Island
25 of 27 Island Views
26 of 27 Practical Kitchen Island Ideas
27 of 27 Natural Marble-Topped Island

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Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas
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