Install a kitchen island for a classy kitchen

The kitchen evolution can be used as a yardstick to measure how far we have come in home design. 

From a hearth, to a kitchen house with firewood and onto cookers inside the house, kitchens have transformed into a work of art. 

They are now viewed beyond their traditional role of cooking, and are seen as the heart of a home. 

Right in the middle of this evolution is the classy, dainty kitchen island, which many have taken to in a bid to modernise their kitchens. 

A kitchen island is aptly named so because it looks like a breakaway piece from the rest of the kitchen tops, much like an island and the mainland. 

It is usually in the centre of a kitchen, but can also be on the sides too. 

According to Shamia Nanyonjo, a sales manager of a furniture factory in Namanve, Kyambogo, kitchen islands come in many types, designs and shapes.

Types and design

Nanyonjo says the two-step kitchen island is a type of kitchen island that has two levels, with one lower than the other. 

While the higher side (one metre) has the provision of leg-room, which turns that part of the kitchen island into a breakfast bar or buffet table, the lower part (0.85 metres) has cabinets for storage. 

“It is wooden and 2.5 metres long with a granite worktop and MDF (medium-density fireboard) board,” she says, adding that it tastefully separates the island into two: the cabinet area and breakfast bar. 

Nanyonjo also says this type costs about sh2.3m.

The second type is the kitchen island that looks like a dining table with a granite and wood finish. This one has a provision for a highlight cooker and a worktop as well. 

“It also has a wine rack provision with shutters and drawers,” Nanyonjo says, adding that it costs sh7,421,369 because of its design. 

The simple design kitchen island is the third type, which has a granite top, MDF board, a provision for a highlight cooker, shutters and seats four. It is a basic kitchen island with a subtle appeal.

“The full design costs sh4,274, 034,” Nanyonjo says. 

The fourth type is the kitchen island with circular tops at either end. 

Nanyonjo says clients find it charming and it comes with a wine rack, shutters, and open shelves. 

It also has legroom for the breakfast bar and costs about sh7.4m. The simple oval island kitchen comes with open shelves, drawers and a wine rack, complete with a granite worktop and MDF board. 

Nanyonjo says it costs sh6.8m.

Time

She explains that wooden kitchen islands are more expensive than the MDF ones and take longer to make. 

“Usually, kitchen islands come with the kitchen and it is rarely bought separately. It takes two months to make a wooden island because of the process of carving it from raw wood. They are made here in Kyambogo and it takes two months to make,” Nanyonjo says. 

On the other hand, she says islands made with MDF boards are easier to make and take two weeks only because the boards are already made.

Why you could consider one

Kitchen islands work as a dining area for breakfast or lunch, especially for a few people. Instead of setting a table for two, the kitchen island’s breakfast bar can suffice.

“It increases space for the working area in the kitchen,” she says, adding that a kitchen has more worktop surface than a kitchen without an island. 

Since some kitchen islands come with storage areas such as: wine racks, cabinets, drawers and open shelves, Nanyonjo says they make the kitchen an easier place to manoeuvre around. 

“When you are cooking, everything is within reach; it is accessible so you don’t have to move around the kitchen looking for ingredients or utensils,” she says. 

Some islands are complete with a cooker and a sink, therefore, working in the kitchen becomes much less cumbersome because the island becomes a one-stop centre.