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Q: What’s involved in adding a center work island to an existing, moderately sized kitchen?

A: Kitchen islands serve multiple purposes in homes. They not only function as work stations, but they also function as a place for friends and family members to congregate. We all know everyone always ends up in the kitchen. This is the social hub of the home. It only seems logical that there is a landing spot for everyone, and in many homes this inevitably ends up being the kitchen island.

While many people enjoy company when they are doing food preparation, they also want to be able to move freely and keep guests out of the way. An island with an area for seating can be the answer. With this type of island, there is a functional working side and a sitting social side. The first step is to determine whether your kitchen will accommodate an island.  

There is no magic number for what size a kitchen must be to support an island, but there are some measurements that will help you decide if a work island makes sense, or if it will merely clutter up your space. There are many variables that need to be considered, and layout is one of them.

The best layout for an island is to have perimeter cabinets in an “L- shape.” You need to make sure there is enough room to walk around the island and there is enough room for your appliances to function properly. The minimum amount of space between cabinets is 36 inches, but 42 inches is ideal, and you will need even more space if you are planning a social side to your center island. If your space isn’t large enough to accommodate a larger, permanent cabinetry island, you can still consider a smaller mobile island that can be moved out of the way when not in use. 

The next factor to be considered before adding an island to your kitchen is your flooring material. Unless your floors are damaged, or you are looking to replace your flooring, the island can be added on top of the existing floor. Generally, the cabinetry is set on top of the flooring and finished off with moldings that match the cabinetry. 

Since the kitchen island is a workspace, task lighting is a must. Your selection can be as simple as can lights or pendants, but you might want to consider adding something more decorative, like lanterns or a chandelier. Generally, it is not a problem to add lighting over an island. An electrician can tell you what can be added to your existing lighting. While you have the electrician at your home, you should also ask if electrical outlets can be added to the island. If your home is on a crawlspace or basement, adding outlets should be easy enough and the outlets will be useful for your work island. 

Once you have the technical aspects of adding an island worked out, you need to think about the decorative side of things. How old are your cabinets? Are they natural wood? Adding a few cabinets may seem simple, but that isn’t always the case. If your cabinets are cherry and have been in your home for a while, the wood has aged and darkened. You will never be able to match the wood on the existing cabinets with new cherry cabinets. Likewise, natural materials that have been in place for years, like granite, will more than likely never be matched with a new stone. This problem can be overcome by mixing in completely different materials. If your existing cabinets are stained and you have granite countertops, you could paint the island cabinetry and add a butcher block top. 

Adding an island to your existing kitchen may seem fairly straightforward, but that’s not always the case. There are many aspects to consider before purchasing cabinets and placing them in your kitchen. If a center island is something that you want, but can’t decide how to tackle, consult the pros to help you work through details that you might not have even considered. If done properly, adding a kitchen island can add valuable workspace and family space that you will enjoy for years to come.

Jessica Dauray is owner of EOS Interiors. Have questions for a Design Wise column? Contact Dauray at jess@elementsofstyleinc.com.