Whether you are building a new home, remodeling for a home sale, or upgrading for changes in lifestyle, kitchen island plans can help turn your dream of “something different” into a pleasing and efficient reality.

Talk to people about their kitchens; what they like, and don’t like. Remember other kitchens you’ve had, or been in, and what features you enjoyed or merely endured. This is your kitchen; choose what matters to you.

Kitchen Activities

The first question is one few think of in detail – “Who’s going to be using this kitchen, and what do they do there?” Not everyone is in the kitchen to prepare a meal for the whole family. For some members, it’s a place to make a quick sandwich, microwave a bowl of something, or make a pot of tea or coffee. A counter often serves as an impromptu work center, giving kids or adults a place to spread out papers or create artwork. Meals that involve baking, or other foods that require extra preparation, might be easier with a cart or kitchen island with a specialized surface, such as granite or stainless steel. And, there are always dishes to do.
What doesn’t your kitchen have now, that it needs most? These are the things your kitchen island should provide.

Kitchen Shapes

There are basically four shapes of kitchens, primarily defined by walls and counters. Knowing the names will help you when choosing kitchen plans.

A kitchen where everything is on one wall is called a “straight-line” or “single-wall” kitchen. This is popular for apartments and small houses. Lack of cabinet space is the biggest concern.

Second is the “galley”, which has cabinets, counters and appliances on two parallel walls. This is the most efficient design for a single cook, with the possibility of both less walking as you work, and plenty of cabinet space. Remember that if you’re going to put a kitchen island in this type of kitchen, you’ll need seven feet, plus the depth of the island, of clear space between the parallel walls.

Third is the “L” shape, with two sides at right angles to each other. Usually the stove is on one part of the “L”, and the sink on the other. This shortens your travels between them, but be sure to have counter space between the two. This is one of the most useful shapes for kitchen island or cart usage.

Last is the “U” or “G” shape, which has counters on three sides. Usually, there are only two walls, and the third side is countertop with cabinets underneath. This shape is common in larger kitchens, and allows for a “breakfast bar” or similar seating arrangements. Since eating countertops are often higher (42-48 inches, instead of the US standard 36 inches), this can lead to a loss of prep area, unless a split-level countertop is used.

A kitchen island needs at least three feet clear all the way around, to allow you to walk past it, and 42 inches (three feet six inches) on each side is usually a better recommendation. More space, of course, is better. Also, decide if you’re going to have doors on your kitchen island, and which side they will open on.
The minimum depth on a kitchen island is two feet, for any sort of standard cabinetry.

Things To Measure

Begin by making a drawing of the kitchen, as seen from above. This first drawing doesn’t have to be “to scale” exactly; it does need to include all windows and doorways (with and without doors), and which direction doors open, if there are any. Include all four walls, even if you don’t have anything on them yet. Note where your sink, appliances, etc. are.

Next, a roll of masking tape. Open cabinet doors, refrigerator, dishwasher, anything that projects out into the room. Mark the outer edges of these items with the masking tape. You don’t want your island to interfere with opening anything you already have. Connect all these markers with a continuous line of tape. Now you have a visual image of your “no-go” zone for your kitchen island

Now we’re going to get out the tape measure, and some graph paper. Start in one corner, and measure all the way around the room. Use your masking tape line as you would a wall; this is where your kitchen island can’t be. Remember your planned kitchen island should not be closer than three feet (36 inches) to anything else in your kitchen. Also, a reminder; if you’re going to have doors on your new kitchen island, they shouldn’t be larger than 24 inches.

Things To Remember

• This is a major project, and its overall difficulty is “hard”. If you’re not confident about your measurements, have whoever you’re ordering the island from, do the measurements themselves. If they try to charge you for doing this (unless you live more than forty miles away), find another contractor. If you’re doing this yourself, and you’re not confident of your measurements, you need to contract this job.

• If you’re changing your flooring, tell your cabinet person. This can add (depending on the flooring) up to an inch and a half of floor height, which means your island needs to be correspondingly shorter when built.

• If you’re going for “stone” countertops, tell your cabinet person. They require significantly more support inside the cabinet shells, plus an extra sheet of one-inch plywood on top. Otherwise, in a year the cabinet doors will be staying open, your laminate may be separating from the wood, and other wondrous things that are NOT covered under the warranty.

• Consider talking to a kitchen designer; while you may (or may not) have someone “pretty good” at your local supplier, a qualified kitchen designer can not only give you good ideas you hadn’t considered, but save you more than their fee – with good advice about local ordinances, and knowledge about local contractors.

With the proper set of kitchen island plans, and a good set of measurements, you are well on your way to having a kitchen anyone would envy!