6.10.2010

Island Party!

When we designed our new kitchen as part of our renovation, a kitchen island was an absolute must for me.  I grew up sitting at my mom's kitchen island and wanted the same for our kids.  Happily we were able to make it work in our new kitchen.  The kitchen island is the center for any gathering in our house - whether it's 6 people or 100 people.  (Speaking of entertaining, don't forget to register for this week's giveaway!)

When we were designing our kitchen, I was dead set on an island because I wanted the great flow it provides and no one gets "trapped" as can happen in L or U shaped counter configurations.  We also opted for a standard counter height for the entire top.  Adding larger than normal fixtures, seems to make the whole thing more impressive.

But, this island is not just a pretty face - it's a workhorse.  In our overall kitchen design, I wanted as many drawers in the bottom cabinets as possible.  On the bottom, we have 4 regular cabinets and 9 drawers, plus our trash can and a corner lazy susan.  Drawers in the base cabinets instead of standard cabinets were the best thing we did in our kitchen.  They hold everything from pans to towels without an issue. 

You always have to have room for tall things so we added one cabinet with only one small shelf on the top.  On the bottom, it holds cookie sheets and cutting boards - even our huge cutting board that we only bring out once in a while!

Finally, the end cabinet holds my cookbook collection.  It's so handy to have it right there - easy to grab my favorites whenever I need them.

 
As you prepare for your 4th of July gatherings around your kitchen island, don't forget to register for this week's giveaway from H&A Designs!