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  4. Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas

Stylish Kitchen Island Ideas

Southern Living May 2021 Cover
By Southern Living Editors
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Large White Kitchen Island
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

Large White Kitchen 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

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

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

Decorative Cut-Out Island

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

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Freestanding Island

Light and bright airy kitchen with windows along the left side, over the sink area and in the middle of the kitchen, a long prep table with room for storage underneath. Also a stainless steel gas/oven range is a the far end of the kitchen.

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

Cottage White Kitchen
Credit: Photo by 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

Contemporary White Kitchen

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

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Cottage Casual Island

Cottage Kitchen

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

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Open Island

Open Island
Credit: Photo: Laurey W. Glenn

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

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Moveable Island

Moveable Island
Credit: Photo: Erik Johnson

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

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Two-Level Island

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

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

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

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

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

Farmhouse Restoration Kitchen
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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    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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