Islands: The Essential Kitchen Addition
 A kitchen island is one of the most popular additions home owners consider when remodeling their kitchen. A recent study showed that 80% of homeowners think an island is desirable or essential to their kitchen space. There are many different reasons homeowners add islands to their kitchen remodels, and different reasons result in different kinds of island. Islands can help define a kitchen style, open up the space for entertaining, and provide extra storage space.
Before deciding the kind of island you would like, you need to first determine if you have enough room for an island. Experts recommend having 36 to 42 inches of space between the side of an island and a stationary cabinet or kitchen appliance. If you plan on doing a lot of preparing and cooking on your island, you might want to consider allowing for a bit of extra space. Although most islands are placed in the center of a kitchen, if the space in your room doesn’t allow for that, a different location or a different
shaped island can be considered.
A kitchen island on wheels is a great way to reap the benefits of an island, even if your kitchen isn’t very large. A moveable island can be tucked away against a wall when it is not be used to keep the kitchen from becoming too crowded. Moveable islands are also less expensive than built-in islands, but cannot include  built in appliances and plumbing. The ability to change the location of the island allows you to create a fresh new look in your kitchen every time you move it.
If you frequently entertain in your home and would like to make your kitchen into more of a gathering place for your guests and family, an island is an optimal addition. Adding barstools to one side of an island gives a place for people to gather while the chef prepares a meal. It also provides an excellent place to lay out a buffet dinner at Thanksgiving or at other larger gatherings.
One of the biggest perks of a kitchen island is the extra storage space that comes with it. If you are using the island predominantly as a place for food preparation, storing pots, pants, serving platters and other large cookware items under the island can create more storage space elsewhere in your cabinets. You might also want to consider building in some of the tools you will frequently need when cooking. Built-in tools range from small and inexpensive, such as can openers and cutting boards, to large and more expensive, such as sinks and range tops. These open up counter space elsewhere in your kitchen. Additional storage units such as a hanging rack for pots and pans above the island, or a built in bookshelf or wine rack, help display your personality and the style of your kitchen, while also creating more usable space.
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