Need help deciding on island size and countertop material

6 years ago

We're working on preliminary drawings for a major house renovation. We've got the layout worked to our liking but are just trying to tweak the kitchen now. I've attached an image of our current design. Big questions: should we make the island shorter? More like 10 feet instead of 12? We're thinking this could give a little more breathing room for the dining room and in between the island and fridge. We're probably going to do a built in microwave on the side nearest the fridge.

Second question: Counter top for the island? We are doing a white kitchen with a light quartz or granite around the exterior. I would like to do butcher block for the island as I love the warmth it brings to a white kitchen. I'm just wondering how it is to maintain, since we will use it a lot for eating, serving, prepping, etc. I'd appreciate all your thoughts!

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Sabrina Alfin Interiors

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

Yeah, that island seems excessively big to me, given the dining seating is immediately adjacent to the island. I would shorten it down to accommodate 4-5 chairs across and cut it down from the fridge side, which has the added benefit of giving you more room to maneuver between the fridge/pantries and the island. As for butcher block, depends on what you plan to use for your dining table. Again, because the proximity of the two seating areas are so close, make sure the butcher block won't compete with the look of your dining table. Butcher block as a material is great, as long as you don't mind the look of scratches from cutting, etc. over time.

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Comments (7)

PRO
Filipe Custom Woodwork
6 years ago
Is the island all one level?? If so...then you have to cut back to 10'....most slabs are that size not 12'......with 12' you will have a very visible seam on the island..butcherblock may be different...it can be very expensive..Before you make up your mind on butcherblock I would price it out.....yes you will see scratches etc.....if you do not like that then you have to refinish as it gets worn,......The butcher block is a beautiful idea and as it ages the better it gets along with the scratches etc....the character.......
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I would do stainless and quartzite purely for the reason there is already a lot of wood. I would do the same material in the same run if it were my kitchen. I don't see myself needing to spray down the kitchen. That being said this is your space and do what you like with it. If choose to mix up the run I would stainless on either side of the range to end of uppers/the set of drawers area. Then I would do the quartzite on the rest. Or you could do the back run stainless with quartzite on the island. The other thing you need to consider is the amount of stainless appliances you have in your kitchen. You do have enough warm feel from the wood to pull off a stainless steel counter. Here are some pictures of stainless steel countertops with different mixes. [eclectic kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by san francisco architect Andre Rothblatt Architecture [traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by sydney media and blogs A Beach Cottage [traditional kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2107) by denver kitchen and bath Exquisite Kitchen Design [eclectic kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2104) by atlanta architect Soorikian Architecture [modern kitchen design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2105) by hong kong architect Original Vision Limited
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It really depends on the size of the island and it's prominence in the room. I have gray cabinets and Glacier White Corian countertops on all my perimeter counters. Since my kitchen is small (and enclosed), I don't have room for a "true island" so I have an Ikea island cart. It came with a solid birch top. The cart itself was in natural birch, but I painted it black as I wanted it to sort of "float" in the kitchen. I have oiled the heck out of the top and do it every 6 months or so. It warms up the wood considerably. I also have mid-brown hardwood floors. I'm not a "matchy" girl so I didn't want them to match and actually wanted the island top to be a bit lighter. The kitchen itself is "warmed up" by using polished bass pulls on all the cabinets, the warm brown hardwood floors, and by some display polished copper. That's really all it takes.
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Judy Mishkin
6 years ago
you have an excessive number of eating places. your family room has seating only for 5, your dining room seats 8, and your island 6. where do these people go when they arent eating?
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
I agree. The island looks far too large and creates a big bottleneck for someone walking behind the loveseat toward the kitchen/dining room. The stairway door (basement stairs?) further complicates the spot.

If it were me, I'd take the island down to 8 feet long - actually, probably less. Your dining room table is RIGHT THERE. Does everyone have to have a seat at the island too?

How wide is the island? How much room is there to walk behind the couch and the island with the chairs pushed in? How about if one of the chairs is pulled out with someone sitting there?
Courtney Rowland
Original Author
6 years ago
littlebug-- The island is 3 ft wide, so not excessively wide. We are not as concerned about seating, but we do really want the storage space that the longer island provides. We do want to avoid the bottleneck on both side (between fridge and island and island and dining room).
Courtney Rowland
Original Author
6 years ago
Filipe- the island is all one level, but I don't think that will be as much of an issue with butcher block. I still think we might need to shorten the island just for traffic flow anyway.

ninigret- The seating in the living room is really only a placeholder and could be rearranged/added to. We're working within our current home's footprint so there weren't a lot of options to make a huge family room. That said, if anyone has any other tips for really maximizing the space, we'd be all ears. Nothing is set in stone yet. But we do spend A LOT of time in the kitchen and eating in general. (I'm a food blogger). And we like to host, so the long island is appealing for serving and informal party seating.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
6 years ago
Make the island short enough to get out of one piece of the material you select for the top.

Need help deciding on island size and countertop material

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

Comments (7)

Filipe Custom Woodwork

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Need help deciding on island size and countertop material

Sabrina Alfin Interiors

Comments (7)

Filipe Custom Woodwork

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