An Island Gives Style and Functionality to Kitchens

By Andrea Lacourt

With the holidays approaching quickly, the kitchen is going to be a busy place. Many of our homeowners like to customize their kitchen island to fit their needs, whether that is for style, functionality, a place to socialize or all of the above. Islands have evolved significantly from the basic rectangular cabinet with a counter top piece located in the middle of the kitchen. As trends have progressed it has become a multifunctional integral piece of the kitchen entirely. With Stanley Homes they can be customized in many shapes, sizes and colors. You can even create a multilevel island and throw in a book shelf for all your recipe books.

The kitchen is one of the most valuable assets of your home. When building or remolding, a lot of thought and money is typically invested in the kitchen. While there are several choices for your design and layout, one of Stanley Homes’ most popular must-haves is a kitchen island. While many of the Stanley Home floor plans come standard with a kitchen island there is always the option to add it.

For many who love to entertain, kitchen islands are a work station to prepare food and cook. They give the ability to spread out with plenty of elbow room. They can also give you a few extra outlets you might need for your additional cooking devices. Islands are great for putting in an extra sink you may want when preparing and washing vegetables or fruits. This is why kitchen islands are great because they offer so many different uses.

Maybe you don’t need one to prepare food but rather as a place for your children to sit and do their homework while you keep an eye on them when preparing dinner. Or maybe you like to gather round with your friends and enjoy a nice glass of wine, almost as if it were a more casual dining room table in your home.

One of the many popular upgrades that our homeowners have opted to include in their new home is a wine cooler in their kitchen island. It is a great feature for the avid wine drinker or entertainer that fits nicely into the space.

Another feature homeowners select is ditching the regular kitchen garbage can and hiding them in the kitchen island. Instead of having the typical garbage can that sticks out like a sore thumb or taking up valuable space in the kitchen you can have them tucked away but still functional. There is even my favorite option to create a double garbage can in the island. This is great for bigger families who fill up a single trash can rather quickly. It slides out nicely of the island and is concealed in its own separate area.

As a bonus, your custom functional island is a wonderful focal piece of your kitchen. While there are several choices of what kind of counter top to use our homeowners typically go with granite. Because granite is a natural stone there are no two pieces alike. There are several unique pieces to choose from either at our Design Studio or the granite yard. You can also top this work of art with eclectic pendant lighting or a vintage rack to hang your pots and pans above, and possibly place a nice decorative center piece on the center of the kitchen island.

Whatever your form or need is for your own kitchen, there is an island “style” to suit your fancy.

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