Remodeling Your Kitchen for an Island? Consider the Cabinets
The kitchen is one of the most popular rooms in the house for remodeling. If your kitchen needs a facelift, why not do it with a new island unit? If you choose your cabinets and plan their layout wisely you will have a stylish and practical new workspace.
According to many designers, islands tend to work best in kitchens of at least 10x10 feet, where the existing cabinet plan is in an L-shape. If you are thinking of remodeling your kitchen with an island however, don't be put off if your existing cabinet plan doesn't exactly fit the bill.
You can still consider remodeling your kitchen with an island if you have sufficient space and are careful about where you put your new cabinets and how you plan to use them.
Things to Consider if you are Remodeling your Kitchen with an Island Unit
- Layout: Once you start to research kitchen planning you will come across the phrase "work triangle." This term refers to the area between the three points of an imaginary triangle made by your sink, refrigerator, and cooktop. If you are considering remodeling your kitchen with an island workstation, think about where these three items are already situated and how you can work them into a new cabinet plan. You could, for example, make the sink or cooktop part of the island.
- Space: The island should be within easy reach of the other parts of your work triangle but far enough away from existing cabinets to allow for easy movement around the kitchen. A gap of 42 inches is considered to be sufficient although 48 to 64 inches is better - especially if more than one person will be working in the kitchen.
- Storage: If you are remodeling your kitchen with an island think in advance about the cabinets that will make up the island. Plan what you will use them for.
