Remodeling Your Kitchen? These are Key Guidelines for Kitchen Island Design

Kitchen remodeling can be a bit of a nerve-wracking puzzle, especially when considering all the possibilities you can add—even just to a kitchen island. There’s so many ideas, how do you begin to choose? We’re a team of interior designers in Chicago with plenty of experience under our belts. You may have read our article on how to choose a kitchen island design based on seating, and if you keep reading here, you’ll learn some important guidelines when considering walkway spaces, overall flow, and placing appliances.

Choosing a Size for Work Aisles

Work aisle simply refers to the space between countertops and your island. The National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) Kitchen Planning: Guidelines, Codes, Standards gives the guideline that there needs to be a minimum of 42” between countertops if there is one cook, or 48” if there is multiple cooks in the kitchen at once. The example above is from our portfolio is retro, Mid-Century Modern kitchen remodel with a peninsula layout and plenty of aisle space.

How to Place Appliances

After the shape of the perimeter work isle and island layout is decided, the next step is to think about the placement of appliances. When you are placing appliances in a kitchen island, you have to ensure they do not conflict with appliances that are on the perimeter, especially when the doors are opened. That would be a traffic jam! It’s always preferable that you can pass by an appliance if the door is open.

Consider the Work Triangle

When we start finalizing appliance and sink placements we need to also take the ‘work triangle’ into consideration. If you’ve spent time in different kitchen, you may have noticed that it’s much easier to work in some more than others. This is because of the work triangle. Simply put, the sink, cook range, and refrigerator should create a triangle shape in your kitchen. Ideally, there should be easy flow between the three items without obstructions in the way. In this  kitchen remodel, you can see this pretty clearly laid out.

Planning Seating

If seating is a main priority for you, there are many ways to incorporate this into an island design. We dedicated a whole article to this topic. Click here to read our top favorite island seating designs >>

Conclusion

These general guidelines are just the tip of iceberg when it comes to planning a kitchen remodeling with an island. Keep reading our blog—you might find the articles below helpful as well!

• Find out the pros and cons of these top 5 kitchen layouts
• 6 kitchen updates that will add maximum value to your home
• Should you choose open shelving in a kitchen design? We think so.

If you’re in Chicago, feel free to contact us for a design consultation. We’re here to guide you through your renovation and help you envision the perfect design for you! Contact us for a design consultation >>