An Island In Paradise: Build Your Dream Kitchen Island With These Innovative Features

During a renovation project, 76% of homeowners change the style of their kitchen. It is the heart of the home, and many now feature a kitchen island as the room's focal point. This once-simple kitchen fixture can now be outfitted with smart-technology, clever storage, and even an imitation river.

Make Your Island Smart

Smart technology is being incorporated into every inch of the home and hooked up to smartphones and laptops that allow homeowners to keep an eye on their house when they're away. In kitchen islands, custom home builders can install innovative features such as height control. Similar to standing desks in modern offices, these kitchen islands can be noiselessly raised or lowered with a control button. This means the island can be set high for a cocktail party, lower for more petite cooks, and anywhere in the middle for the perfect breakfast-eating comfort. Many smart islands have charging towers or tablet holders that can descend into the island when not in use. Taken a step further, a portion of your island's countertop could be made of touchscreen technology, giving it a minimalist, almost invisible look and allowing you to read, watch, email and more without juggling handheld devices.

Storage Solutions

In your new home construction, ask your remodeling contractors about innovative ways to incorporate storage into your kitchen island. Some islands function as entertainment centers, with a built-in wine chiller, shelves to store non-refrigerated wines, and places for your guests' wine glasses. When you go big with a kitchen island, you can fit in open shelves on the bottom, pullout baskets, and built-in seating along its side. Various appliances can also be tucked inside, including a microwave oven, warming drawer, icemaker, dishwasher, and more.

Distinctive Designs

You can also vary your kitchen island by asking your remodeling contractors about different shapes that will fit into the kitchen space for an interesting design. With a large space, build an L-shaped island with plenty of seating and built-in appliances. If you have a smaller space, cut corners with an island shaped as a circle or oval. When you create levels on your island by varying the countertop height, you'll also create distinct areas for food prep, dining, and more. To incorporate a unique, green design, ask your building construction consultants about inlaying a path of river rock along the center of the island. This will add variation to a traditional stone countertop and bring paradise into your kitchen.

These innovative techniques can be used in a bathroom remodeling, a bedroom upgrade, or in the creation of a functional outdoor kitchen. Let your imagination run wild and your remodeling contractors will do the rest.