Kitchen island ideas to shake up your space

Innovative kitchen island designs

John Lewis of Hungerford

Want to make an island the focal point of your kitchen? With additional seating, extra worktops and innovative storage solutions, it's no wonder the central stand-alone unit has become a must-have in most modern kitchens. Whether it's to zone a large open-plan layout or add a space-saving feature to a snug culinary space, check out these clever kitchen island ideas to transform the heart of your home.

Mix up materials

Harvey Jones

Add interest to a larger kitchen island by opting for contrasting surfaces. Here, the breakfast bar, made from sleek solid wood, defines the dining area, while the worktop features hardworking quartz to withstand food preparation. Marry the two materials together with pendant lighting and seating in similar tones.

Call on concrete

Wren Kitchens

Concrete worktops have been a big deal in kitchens for a while now, so why not take it one step further with a concrete island? Combined with plush pink seating and pretty lighting, this cool concrete kitchen island blurs the boundaries between industrial and luxury.

Incorporate architecture

Rational

In an open-plan living area, a kitchen island is an ideal way to zone off areas, however, support columns can create obstacles, especially in period homes. Turn a hindrance into a highlight and incorporate it into your scheme for a characterful touch. Here, a coordinating warm wooden breakfast bar complements the support, balancing out the steel-blue cabinetry.

Slim it down

English Blinds Company

You don't need an enormous space to accommodate an island. A galley kitchen might benefit from a narrow sideboard or skinny fitted island that will elongate the room. This unit doubles up as a stylish breakfast bar, while the thin base and overhanging counter free up floor space and allow the stools to tuck snugly underneath.

Indulge in iridescence

Lagoon

Feeling bold? Opt for a gold island with iridescent metallic panels – the reflective surface maximises the available light, which is especially important in this dark and dramatic kitchen. Combined with black worktops and stylish pendant lighting, this scheme isn't short of vintage glamour.

Make it minimalist

Davenport

Choose a table-style kitchen island for a clean, streamlined look. Clever under-counter cabinets mean storage is uncompromised, while the slim legs and neutral colour palette ensure the design is pared-back and minimalist.

Dazzle with a DIY design

Instagram / @kasie_barton

Crafted by DIY queen Kasie Barton, this quirky upcycled kitchen island has been created from old bricks, wooden crates and surplus tiles. Not only is this charming design a major talking point, but it's also budget-friendly and good for the planet too.

Wow with a wine cellar

Brayer Design

Give your kitchen island an alternative purpose by adding a clever wine store under the counter. Set beneath the breakfast bar, it's a great use of space and will add a unique and interesting feature. Built with light oak, these narrow shelves pop against the grey matte surround, while offering plenty of room for bottles.

Get up close and personal

Brayer Design

If you enjoy showing off your culinary skills, a chef's table-style kitchen island could be for you. This sociable right-angled breakfast bar faces the hob, allowing you to put on a culinary show for guests.

Play with lighting

Harvey Jones

When it comes to planning your kitchen lighting, allow your island to take centre stage by framing it with statement illumination. Architectural pendant lights are the perfect accompaniment, plus they offer practical task lighting too. Opt for a complementary hue – this eggshell blue lifts the rich dark navy of the cabinetry.

Maintain the magic triangle

Magnet Kitchens

Integrate the magic triangle into your kitchen plan by installing the sink or hob within the kitchen island. A fail-safe way to create a practical layout, this design creates an easy-to-access rotation between the stove, sink and fridge. Incorporating the island into the triangle means it won't obstruct the flow of your workspace.

Branch out

Magnet Kitchens

Create the ultimate kitchen-dining island with a dedicated breakfast bar that juts out at a right angle from the main kitchen island. This innovative extension ensures there is plenty of space to socialise with family and friends while you cook.

Curve the way

Magnet Kitchens

Soft edges create a harmonious flow and make a nice change from the standard hard lines of kitchen cabinetry. The curved finish on this island softens the space, offering a charming twist on tradition – plus there are less sharp corners to be wary of if you have a young family.

Add another level

Homebase

Create a high-end look for less with this clever design idea. The island in this pale blue kitchen has been extended with the addition of a cool, contemporary kitchen table. The two furnishings are separate but look as though they are one luxurious kitchen island across different levels.

Customise with country charm

John Lewis of Hungerford

Add to the warmth and character of a traditional farmhouse kitchen with a central island to match. Set against a stone-flagged floor, country-style wood panelling will look just the part. Pair with rustic wood stools and choose a durable work surface that will withstand all those warm pots of hearty home cooking.

Accommodate the oven

Mereway

Modern kitchens feature so many appliances, so integrating some of them into the kitchen island is a sensible and stylish space-saving idea. As long as there is enough space around the appliances, you can run electrics to the island and install an extractor fan above for ventilation.

Experiment with LED lighting

John Cullen Lighting

Make your kitchen island the focal point of your scheme with ambient lighting positioned around the base. LED strip lights added to plinths provide an additional layer of gentle lighting that's perfect when you only want a soft atmospheric glow.

Get savvy with storage

Sustainable Kitchens

Storage is often a top priority in the kitchen, so opting for an island that makes every inch of space count is a smart move. This innovative island includes cabinets, drawers and even bookshelves – the ideal space to store cookery books within easy reach.

Bring in brick

Fritz Fryer

Add a touch of industrial-inspired texture with a brick-built kitchen island. This small but rustic design adds a tactile feel to this soft grey kitchen – to make it sustainable, you could even use reclaimed bricks. If bricks aren't your thing, upcycled sleepers would add a similarly characterful look.

Pair with plush seating

Danetti

If your island incorporates a breakfast bar, one way to inject personality is through your seating. Why not be experimental with colour and introduce a bold shade that makes a statement? These rust-orange bar stools pop against the glorious teal blue cabinetry. In the future, you can easily swap out the design when you feel like a change of scenery.

Create a contrast

DeVoL Kitchens

Give a traditional culinary space a twist by choosing bold two-tone cabinetry. Combine light grey units with a contrasting navy island for an on-trend kitchen scheme. The mix of light and dark paint is bold and dramatic, lifting the neutral scheme into something more daring.

Dare to go dark

Kitchen Makers

If your cabinetry and walls are decked out in the same dark, rich hue, don't be afraid to colour-match your island too. In this adventurous scheme, glints of brass across the fixtures and lighting balance out the deep blue-grey palette.

Make it moveable

DeVoL

A useful kitchen island needn't be static. A table or butcher's block is easy to maneuver, as well as making a great budget-friendly option. Here, the compact unit is a helpful extension to the worktop, yet it can be easily relocated or pushed to the side if you need extra floor space.

Find a new angle

HUB Kitchens

Elevate a minimalist kitchen with a practical right-angled island design. The main unit contains the sink, while the lower section, which features a contrasting dark worktop, houses open shelves. Accessible from the outside, it's the perfect spot to store crockery for the adjacent dining table.

Downsize your design

IKEA

Just because you have a small kitchen doesn't mean you have to forgo an island altogether. Opt for a petite unit and avoid a cluttered look with a simple and streamlined scheme. This one has even squeezed in an additional single sink!

Play with pops of colour

Wren Kitchens

To breathe life into an all-white kitchen, add a vibrant pop of colour across your island. This refreshing lemon-coloured unit is highlighted by floor tiles in soft pastel shades for an uplifting look that doesn't overwhelm the senses.

Add drama with geometric lines

Wren Kitchens

For a real statement in your kitchen, don't be afraid to experiment with architectural lines. Offering no end of wow-factor, this geometric island is striking and angular. Resembling an icy glacier, it's framed by a constellation of pendant lights for the final dramatic flourish.

Make it multipurpose

Wren Kitchens

Featuring flashes of contrasting copper, this sleek and sophisticated kitchen island also serves a multitude of purposes. With its sink, wine fridge and dining area, form and function are beautifully blended.

Allude to luxury

Bushboard

Want to give your kitchen a luxury look without breaking the bank? On closer inspection, this sleek marble-effect island is actually a laminate replica with a much smaller price tag. However, we'd be hard-pressed to tell it apart from the real thing!

Bridge the gap

Caple Kitchens

Paired with a light wood floor, this graphite gloss island makes a striking contrast in this open-plan kitchen-diner. The thin wooden countertop keeps the room light and airy, as well as providing a clever way to squeeze in an eating space.

Create an illusion

Harford Manor

If you've got the space and budget, why not do something a little out of the ordinary? In this top-of-the-range kitchen, the long island seemingly floats above the polished floor. Stabilised by a small base underneath, lighting further enhances the illusion and adds a designer flourish.

Set a benchmark

John Lewis of Hungerford

Here, an island and bench combine to make a practical and attractive seating area. It's a useful space-saving solution for small kitchens, especially if there is storage beneath the cushions. Tongue-and-groove panelling and soft blue cushions finish off the relaxed coastal feel.

Frame the focal point

Loch Anna Kitchens

Turn your kitchen island into the focal point of a large kitchen by painting it a vibrant shade and framing it with feature floor tiles to complement your colour scheme. For the final touch, add task lighting by mounting three pendant shades above the workspace.

Marry wood with monochrome

Neptune Kitchens

Breath life into a classic oak kitchen with sleek monochrome details. This sturdy chalk-white island sits in harmony with existing wood units thanks to the black granite worktops. Additional black bar stools and industrial-style pendant lights embrace the stylish, pared-back palette.

Combine style and substance

John Lewis

A smart kitchen island with an integrated pop-up cooker hood is the perfect mix of sultry good looks and fabulous function. The black and walnut finishes make a confident design statement for a contemporary urban home.

Stretch your preparation space

Loch Anna Kitchens

A kitchen can never have enough workspace. Here, the traditional island has been extended with a freestanding butcher's block to offer more preparation space. Durable and hardwearing, a butcher's block will take plenty of wear before you need to replace it, plus it can be moved and reused elsewhere if needed.

Grow an indoor garden

Rotpunkt

Designers are always looking for ways to inject innovation into kitchens and this living herb garden set into an island is our favourite feature yet. Built to encourage garden-to-plate cooking, it adds a pop of colour to this monochrome scheme, as well as keeping fresh herbs close to hand for cooking.

Double up on drawers

IKEA

Is there such a thing as too many drawers? A great solution for your storage needs, this stylish IKEA kitchen features an island that reminds us of an apothecary with its plethora of drawers.

Zone in style

Daval

Break down a large open-plan living space by zoning the kitchen area with a sleek and stylish island. This simple design features four large drawers within a glossy unit, with a breakfast bar and seating tucked under the extended work surface. We particularly love the contrasting raised black cupboards, which define the space and co-ordinate with the bar stools.

Set out for socialising

HUB Kitchens

As the heart of the home, a modern kitchen is a social space as much as a practical area for preparing food. This long island offers a big work surface, clever storage space and a neat breakfast bar. The sink faces into the centre of the room, which is great for interacting with friends and family while you're washing up.

Bring in a booth

John Lewis of Hungerford

Save on space by incorporating a banquette table into your kitchen island. Inset into the unit, which also contains the sink, the smart circular design offers a sociable seating option that's perfect for even the snuggest of culinary spaces.