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You are here: Home / Kitchens / Kitchen & Cabinet Features / Kitchen Island Variations

Kitchen Island Variations

January 28, 2013 by Jane F 8 Comments

Kitchen by Bill Litchfield designs with oval table-shaped kitchen island variation - via atticmag One way to avoid a generic look is to be creative with kitchen island variations.

There’s nothing wrong with the default rectangle or square islands we’re accustomed to seeing in kitchens. But creating kitchen variations can raise any kitchen to a unique and memorable status. One of the most distinctive kitchen island shapes is designer Bill Litchfield’s long oval carousel [top and below]. At first, I though the entire thing was on casters and imagined it might revolve! Then I realized it looked that way because the legs of the table sit on a footed platform instead of directly on the floor.

Oval shaped table and kitchen island variation on a platform with low stools - Bill Litchfield via atticmagClearly, someone wanted space to stow the low stools, which this arrangement provides. Yet the presence of the plinth makes me wonder how comfortable it is to try to sit on a while actually using the table and whether it’s necessary, when seated, to lean forward?

kitchen with antique table in the round used as an island - lonny via atticmagThis is the first I’ve seen of a small, circular open island in an antique style. While that seems a bit too divorced from the look of the perimeter cabinets, the shape offers maximum mobility and provides a good deal of storage – all within view. The eating bar to the left is clearly the spot to sit down. But this island-in-the-round is a clever solution for a working space or stand-up gathering space, as well as a surprisingly practical one.

small kitchen island variation with open bottom that contains a single enclosed unit with a pull out board above - desdemyventana via atticmagInterior storage floating in the grid is a great idea on this island. Had I designed it, I would have included a pot shelf around the bottom instead of open posts so at least tall items could be placed below. The pull-out looks to be a garbage bin with a cutting board just above. Since it’s not on the working side of the kitchen, the likely use is prep station or landing spot clearing plates. Other special features here include the dutch door, handsome range niche with a gracefully arced vent hood cover, and the hint of a second island.

white kitchen with industrial steel wagon kitchen island variation - desire to inspire via atticmag An industrial steel wagon turned into the base of an island is just our cup of tea here at Atticmag.  This kitchen island variation is similar in concept to the steel buoy work table Allison found last fall. What I like about this one is the raised top that might permit the inside of the wagon to be used somehow. Matching it up with an industrial pendant light helps give an edge to a white kitchen that otherwise  could be looking a little dated.

country style kitchen with yellow aga and salvaged cast iron table used as a kitchen island variation - coastal living via atticmagIn a tiny country-style kitchen with a mustard-colored Aga that manages to match the color of the reclaimed pumpkin pine wide-plank floor,  vintage industrial wood and cast iron table salvaged on a roadside adds considerable personality in addition to working well either as an island or as a table.

kitchen with green-painted vintage French butcher block kitchen island variation with crenolated apron - southern living via atticmagAntique butcher’s block with crenolated aprons always make me drool, especially in distressed green paint. This island reminds me of the French pastry table kitchen, too.

informal dark gray-painted kitchen with rough hewn kitchen island variation on wheels - thewhitehousedaylesford via atticmagA rough-hewn island/work table on wheels also can double as a serving cart. What makes this one unique is the way it is integrated into the dark and dramatic look of this kitchen which has a certain slickness but upon close examination a real DIY quality as well.

kitchen island variation table made from repurposed dining room table bases - house and home via atticmagFor this kitchen island in the home of Canadian designer Ingrid Oomen, a pair of dining room table bases were repurposed. In a video, Ms. Oomen explains how the curvy lines of the bases helped keep the space looking open and the room looking larger than it is. The video also gives additional views of several unique aspects of a kitchen with a superabundance of charm.

(Sources: litchfielddesigns, lonny, desdemyventana, desiretoinspire, coastalliving, southernliving , thewhitehousedaylesford, house&home)

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Filed Under: Kitchen & Cabinet Features Tagged With: antique French butcherblock kitchen island, Atticmag, Bill Litchfield, dining room table style kitchen island, industrial rolling cart island, Ingrid Oomen, kitchen island variations, kitchen islands that double as tables, unusual kitchen islands

Comments

  1. Liz @ Quirky Vistas says

    January 28, 2013 at 7:20 am

    How fun to see the variety of creative ideas. Why be boring when there is every opportunity to have something unique. Some of these are just fabulous. Thanks for sharing them with us.
    Liz

    Reply
  2. Cindy says

    January 28, 2013 at 10:35 am

    Great ideas! I would love to incorporate a creative island alternative when we redo our kitchen. I don’t have near enough storage space so I’m not sure…will have to get my thinking cap on!
    Happy Monday!

    Reply
  3. Tricia Rose says

    January 28, 2013 at 11:43 am

    If only I had the room! – the black rough-hewn island had me twitching for my chop-saw.

    Reply
  4. Jane F says

    January 28, 2013 at 11:59 am

    Steady hand with a SawzAll and some old 2 x 4s plus 4 wheels from Home Depot looks like all that’s needed for that island. Leftover black paint. Nice for a change that it wouldn’t cost the earth.

    Reply
  5. RHome410 says

    February 1, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    Some I love (the round one!), and some, not so much. But I like the idea of an interesting island vs the average. I’m trying to think of something different in an island for the kitchen space in our above-garage bonus area that the newlyweds will use for awhile.

    Reply
  6. Sonyalazanya says

    December 28, 2015 at 7:02 am

    That round island has me positively drooling!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Best of Atticmag 2013 says:
    September 15, 2014 at 5:52 pm

    […] Kitchen Island Variations […]

    Reply
  2. Open Kitchen Shelves - Atticmag says:
    March 31, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    […] deal of planking and other features we’ve noted in Allison’s Dine in Kitchens post and mine on Kitchen Island Variations. On this end of a sink wall, charming white-painted shelves supported by ogee brackets are used for […]

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