31 Best Kitchen Island Ideas for Your Home

Inside of The Lodge, the main island is part butcher block, part concrete. “I’ve always, always been in love with the look of plain concrete,” Ree says. “I’m not sure why… it’s so industrial, yet so elemental at the same time.” It’s also practical—rock solid and, if sealed and maintained properly, will last you a lifetime.

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When Ree and her sister Betsy Smith created Sister House, they coordinated the wood of the kitchen island to the arched cabinets to help them stand out. And for the countertops, they went with quartzite. “It’s less temperamental than marble,” Betsy says.

Ree’s top request when her and Ladd built their new home was (unsurprisingly) a large kitchen. Her kitchen island extends nearly the length of the room, making it perfect for lots of cooking and large family meals.

If you want to make your island stand out, try shiplap! You can do this project easily by using pre-grooved wood panels and Command Strips to adhere them.

See more at The Homes I Have Made.

Add a little bit of floral flair with a custom design etched into the sides. This otherwise very modern Scandinavian design takes on a vintage touch for the perfect balance of new and old.

See more at The House That Lars Built.

SHOP KITCHEN ISLANDS

A white kitchen get a bold pop with an island painted black on the bottom. It ties the aesthetic together by coordinating with both the cabinets and the appliances.

See more at Blooming Homestead.

If you have an existing island that you need to spruce up a bit, try some Shaker-style trim. It adds just the right amount of interest to your space and only need a few easy-to-find supplies to complete the project.

See more at Average But Inspired.

How much do you love this island, created with a simple antique table? Best of all, it only cost a total of $75: $65 for the table, and $10 for the casters, which the blogger added to make the table more versatile.

See more at Holland Avenue Home.

If you have the space, why not install a long island with loads of seating? This one has room for six bar chairs and beautifully delineates the galley-style kitchen, acting as a half-wall. We love the black sink sunk into that white top, too.

See more at Vintage Revivals.

Sometimes, you can get inventive with the seating and not use chairs or stools at all. This cute DIY bench looks great pulled under the simple-but-snazzy island and, as the blogger says, “I love not having to chase down the stools that my kids drag all around the kitchen.”

See more at The Craft Patch.

SHOP KITCHEN BENCHES

This island brings both warmth and texture to the kitchen beyond it thanks to the addition of wood slat sides. If you (or your sweetie) is handy with a saw and a nail gun, it’s a project you can tackle yourself, too. Gotta love that!

See more at The Merrythought.

This island started out life as a two-tiered coffee bar that no one used, but after a renovation morphed into this nifty island. The beadboard complements the rest of the modern farmhouse-styled kitchen nicely.

See more at Snazzy Home.

Installing a large island wasn’t possible in this smaller-sized kitchen, so the designer used a wooden table with turned legs. It perfectly offsets the nearly all-white look of the space.

See more at Inspired by Charm.

When planning your ideal island don’t neglect the accessories that can bring the whole look together, in this case gorgeous, bright brushed gold pendant lamps. The material is echoed in the chair frames and cabinet handles, creating eye-pleasing cohesion.

See more at Homemade by Carmona.

Even if your kitchen is tiny, chances are there will still be room for a fun-sized cart like this cute little number. It provides added work surfaces for chefs (or bartenders) and storage space for neatly arranged items as well.

See more at Room for Tuesday.

SHOP KITCHEN CARTS

This island not only features open shelves to tuck away cookbooks, cutting boards, glass canisters and other goodies, but it has pull-out trash storage so you can keep your garbage can out of sight.

See more at Shades of Blue Interiors.

No only seriously smart-looking, with that blond wood and brushed gold hardware, this oh-so modern island is also the answer to your storage prayers. It doesn’t sacrifice seating, either, for that storage; on the other side of the island two bar chairs are tucked away under the countertop overhang.

See more at Sugar & Cloth.

Sometimes color is everything, as this eye-catching island proves. Its base was originally white, but after careful consideration, the blogger decided to paint it a flat, dark gray color. The daring hue ended up changing the whole vibe of the kitchen, adding new dimension to the beloved farmhouse style.

See more at Rooms for Rent.

This farmhouse island boasts all kinds of pretty features, like the furniture-style feet, barn doors and distressed white finish. There are screened cabinets on both sides you can use to tuck away even more kitchen items.

See more at Fox Hollow Cottage.

If you don’t want to go with an ultra-dramatic color for your island, you might want to try something a little more muted. (Bonus points if it changes with the light!) This pretty shade of gray can also look blue or green, depending on the time of day, giving the kitchen a slightly different look.

See more at Jenna Kate at Home.

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