Kitchen islands are something that more and more people are going for when designing their new kitchen, but there is much debate as to whether they are a good or a bad asset for a room. Ultimately, it is up to your personal preferences as well as the amount of room you have in your kitchen, but there are definitely a few clear pros and cons to a kitchen island. Depending on whether you use your kitchen solely for cooking, or whether you also use it as a social space, a kitchen island could be super convenient, or it could be really disruptive. Here are a couple of pros and cons of kitchen islands to help you make your mind up.
More Space For Food Prep
If you are passionate about having lots of work surfaces to do your food preparation on, a kitchen island could be perfect for you. Some people get pretty stressed out if they are having to do all of their chopping, rolling, and preparing on one small surface, especially if you have other items on that surface such as a breadbin, jars, or a butter dish. Whether or not you get a kitchen island could therefore be quite dependent on how much cooking you do and how complex your meals are: if you cook meals that involve a lot of extensive preparation on a daily basis, you will probably be more appreciative of the extra space. Take a look at the kitchen island options offered by nonpareil solutions to see which islands would suit your kitchen style.
More Storage Space
Another thing that kitchen islands can be super useful for is storage space, which is usually in the form of cupboards on each side of the island. They can be great to store things like bowls, plates or Tupperware boxes, which can be easily accessed if they are on the side of the island. If you are someone who has a big family and therefore a lot of different appliances, then this could be really useful for you. Likewise, if you have ‘special’ cutlery and crockery that you like to bring out on special occasions, it can be good to have a bit of extra storage space to put this in.
Less Standing Room
One con of a kitchen island is having less room for standing around. For some people, this might not be an issue at all – for example, if you only really use your kitchen to prepare quick snacks and meals and don’t hang around in there. However, if you are someone that hosts social events, such as parties or drinks in your kitchen, space would probably be really appreciated. Some families tend to stand around in their kitchen to chat too, so a kitchen island could be a bit obtrusive if this is the case. Before making a decision, try and observe your family and their activities so that you can gauge whether an island would be a benefit or a downfall.
Get some advice from a professional on your kitchen island if you are unsure – when in doubt, try and seek expert opinion!