Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas

By Southern Living

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

Photo: 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

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

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

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Seamless Island

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

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

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

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

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Moveable Island

Photo: Erik Johnson

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

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Two-Level Island

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

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.

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Sleek Island

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.

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Double-Duty Island

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.

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Hardworking Island

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.

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Symmetrical Island

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.

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Extra-Large Island

Photo: Helen Norman, Styling: Rebecca Omweg

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

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Utilitarian Island

Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

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

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Beautiful Convenient Island

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

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.

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Island for Entertaining

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.

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Large Butcher-Block Island

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.

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Shining Kitchen Island

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.

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Handsome Island

Photo: Erica George Dines

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

 

 

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Island Views

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.

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Practical Kitchen Island Ideas

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

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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