Today’s housing market is chock full of buyers who are focusing their efforts on finding homes with functional, spacious kitchens. Not only do kitchens have to be visually pleasing in order to be deemed worthy of buyer appeal, they also have to provide ample space as far as cabinets and countertops are concerned. If your current kitchen seems to be lacking counterspace and storage but is relatively large on a whole, then you might want to consider having a center island installed.
According to Mario Rappa, the owner of A-Z Nassau Construction Corp., numerous benefits are inherent in kitchen islands. For starters, an island is a great way to add instant countertop space to any given kitchen. As long as the island is equipped with a sink or cooktop, it can make it easier to cook and prepare food. Additionally, since many islands do come with built-in storage underneath, the addition of an island can help compensate for a shortage of cabinet space.
Another good reason to add a kitchen island is that it can allow two people to cook at the same time without getting in each other’s way. Since islands are designed to be accessible from all sides, the idea of sharing the kitchen tends to become much simpler to grasp once an island is installed. A kitchen island is also a sure way to increase the value of one’s home. Since buyers tend to emphasize kitchen upgrades, the presence of an island in your kitchen is likely to make it more marketable – a fact that can also translate into high profits should you eventually choose to sell. Lastly, by adding an island, you’ll finally have an excuse to get rid of that table that just doesn’t seem to blend in well with the rest of the kitchen. Instead of relying on a clunky table as a place to eat, you can simply add an island with an overhang, get some stools, and use it as your built-in dining area.
While islands certainly do come with a world of benefits, Rappa does warn that they are not actually suitable for every kitchen. Although there are no hard and fast rules with respect to sizing and layout, as a general guideline, an island should only be installed if it physically makes sense in the grand scheme of the rest of the kitchen. If your kitchen happens to be long and narrow, then it might not be a good candidate for an island. Similarly, if your kitchen happens to be designed as such where the addition of an island would make it difficult to access certain appliances or heavily-used cabinets, then you’re probably better off passing on this particular upgrade. Remember, the purpose of installing an island should be to improve your kitchen. Therefore, if the addition of an island is likely to make the kitchen less efficient, then you’ll only end up wasting your money by pursuing the option.
When advising customers as to whether or not their kitchens are suitable for islands, Rappa likes to make sure that the addition of an island will not inhibit movement within the kitchen. Additionally, Rappa always likes to advise people to install islands that are clearly functional in one way or another. For some folks, an island might substitute as a kitchen table. For others, it might be used as a food preparation area. Regardless of what your specific intention might be, it’s important to make certain that you don’t simply install an island for the sole purpose of having it there to look at. Instead, you want your island to be functional so that you can actually get real use out of it. So whether your plan is to add some stools, include a sink, or incorporate a cooktop, just make sure that your island doesn’t turn into a worthless piece of permanent furniture that ends up getting in the way.
Finally, if your sole objective in adding an island is to increase the amount of storage space available in your kitchen, then Rappa suggests foregoing this option in favor of cabinet additions or replacements. If your current cabinets don’t extend all the way towards your kitchen ceiling, then it makes far more sense to build upwards than to stick an island in the middle of the room – especially if your kitchen isn’t that big to begin with. Remember, a kitchen island can be a great addition to a home, but only under the proper circumstances; and while there are many benefits to installing an island, there’s also something to be said about keeping your kitchen open.
