Explore kitchen island ideas
The kitchen island has undoubtedly become a prominent trend in modern kitchen design. To help you make informed decisions and create the perfect kitchen with a kitchen island, we offer expert interior design tips tailored to your specific needs and preferences.
Elegant trend with practical features
The kitchen island has become a popular design feature in Danish kitchens for several reasons. It creates an open and inviting atmosphere, serving as a gathering point for the family. Additionally, it offers ample storage space for kitchen essentials in a stylish and elegant manner.
Inspiration
Choosing the right function for your kitchen island
A kitchen island can serve various functions depending on your specific needs and preferences. Understanding the intended function of the island can guide you in designing and decorating it appropriately.
The Kitchen Island: Connecting Spaces
The kitchen island has gained immense popularity in Scandinavian kitchens for good reason. It serves as a central element that brings the entire kitchen together, elevating it beyond a mere cooking area.
By adding a few bar stools, the kitchen island can transform into a favourite gathering spot where you can relax, unwind, and share moments with your loved ones. It provides a cosy setting to enjoy a glass of wine, engage in conversations, and create lasting memories.
In Scandinavian homes, the kitchen island often acts as a multifunctional space, serving as a dining area, workspace, and social hub. Its versatility allows it to adapt to different activities and accommodate various needs, making it an indispensable feature in modern kitchen design.
Embrace the beauty and versatility of the kitchen island, and let it become the heart of your Scandinavian-inspired kitchen, where culinary delights and cherished moments intertwine.
Gathering spot and workstation
A kitchen island can be the perfect solution to fulfil your need for additional workspace in the kitchen, while also offering much more. A popular trend is to transform the kitchen island into a versatile workstation that combines functionality with a cosy oasis.
You can design the kitchen island in a way that dedicates one half to essential kitchen tasks like housing the sink, dishwasher, or hob, while leaving the other half free for creating a space dedicated to relaxation and enjoyment.
To achieve a streamlined and sleek look, consider opting for a hob with a built-in hood. This not only provides efficient ventilation but also helps maintain a clean and uncluttered aesthetic in your kitchen.
Enhance your kitchen ventilation
Make a visual statement
The kitchen island presents an excellent opportunity to play with colors and materials, allowing you to create a visually striking and personalized statement in your kitchen. By using different shades for the kitchen island fronts compared to the rest of the kitchen, you can achieve a captivating and unique aesthetic.
To further enhance the versatility of your kitchen island, you can incorporate a dining area within it. One way to visually divide the kitchen island into distinct spaces is by selecting a different worktop material. This separation creates a clear distinction between the dining space and the workstation, while still maintaining a cohesive overall design.
KITCHEN
Is there space for a kitchen island?
To maximize the functionality and aesthetic appeal of your kitchen island, it's crucial to have adequate space in your kitchen. Typically, kitchen islands range from 90 to 120 cm in width and 150 to 300 cm in length. For optimal movement and usability, we recommend a minimum of 110 centimeters of free space around the entire island.
This generous clearance allows you to work comfortably and freely in your kitchen without feeling cramped. However, if your kitchen doesn't have sufficient space for a traditional kitchen island, don't worry. You can still achieve a similar effect by opting for a peninsula, which requires less space while providing additional countertop and storage options.
The size of your kitchen island should be determined based on the proportions of the room and the specific workstations you want to incorporate.
Guided by the shape: Let your kitchen inspire you
U-shaped, L-shaped, and single-sided kitchens are well-suited for incorporating a kitchen island. However, it's important to ensure that the U-shaped kitchen is spacious enough to accommodate the island without obstructing the kitchen flow.
When considering a kitchen island, you should also decide whether you prefer a stationary or movable version. A movable kitchen island with wheels provides flexibility, allowing you to easily reposition it for various needs, serving as both a table and additional storage space.
Kitchen island shapes
Two-sided kitchen island
Get plenty of storage space in a two-sided kitchen island – for example, you can store kitchen utensils on one side and dishes on the other side of the kitchen island.
Kitchen island with dining area
Extend the kitchen island into a dining table where homework and meals can be enjoyed. Alternatively, you can extend the countertop over the kitchen island and add a couple of bar stools.
Half wall kitchen island
If you don't have endless space in your kitchen, a "half wall" kitchen island is an excellent solution. It offers the same benefits as a freestanding kitchen island but takes up less space.
Moveable kitchen island
A kitchen island on wheels is a flexible solution. This way, you get plenty of countertop and storage space, but you can also turn your kitchen into a dance floor on the weekends.
inspiration
Enhance your space with a kitchen island
To find the perfect solution for your kitchen, determining the function of your island is key.
If you envision your island being a central hub for social gatherings, where children can do their homework or guests can enjoy a glass of wine while you cook, designing it as a cooking island with a hob and sink is optimal.
Having a sink in your kitchen island allows for convenient meal preparation and easy access to water. Placing the dishwasher nearby ensures seamless handling of dishes in one motion. Additionally, remember to allocate ample worktop space on the island for placing hot pots and pans, as well as for rinsing vegetables.
Explore our kitchen inspiration
Design options for kitchen islands
When it comes to designing your kitchen island, you have the flexibility to choose whether it should match the rest of the kitchen or stand out as a focal point. Here are three design options to consider:
Fronts
Should the entire kitchen have matching fronts, or should the kitchen island stand out with a different design? For example, you can combine a discreet design like the Base model with an eye-catching look on the kitchen island.
Countertop
The countertop can either create cohesion between the cooking island and the rest of the kitchen or, conversely, be what sets it apart. Choose materials such as granite, marble, or ceramic as the countertop material for the kitchen island.
With or without handles?
Should the kitchen island have handles or be handle-free? Choose your handles from a wide range of shapes, colors, materials, or achieve the handle-free and uninterrupted look with HTH's popular VH-7 handle tracks for handle-free kitchens.
Get expert advice
Are you captivated by the allure of a kitchen island? At HTH, our kitchen experts are here to provide you with valuable advice and guidance to help you bring your kitchen island dream to life.
Find your nearest HTH storeExplore our customers' kitchens for inspiration
Complete kitchen concept
Take a look at @Salmonstreet's creative culinary workshop with a large kitchen island featuring a sink and a cooktop.
Flexible kitchen islands
Ditte Julie's baking studio is furnished with movable kitchen islands, providing great flexibility.
Colourful and open kitchen
Bring life to the kitchen with different colours for the kitchen island and the other kitchen cabinets.
Gather friends and family
A kitchen in calm colours with a sink island and barstools that invite social gatherings in the heart of the home.
Find store
Discover & Consult
Explore the materials at your nearest HTH store, immerse yourself in the inspiration for interior design, and engage with our skilled experts to create your dream kitchen or bathroom.
Find store