Kitchen Island Trends: Design Ideas for Kitchens with Island

The kitchen is where food and memories are made. Having extra counter space is always a plus, which is why so many kitchens feature an island. If you’ve been dreaming of escalating the look and practicality of your kitchen with an island, you don’t want to miss out on these trending kitchen island ideas.

How Will You Use Your Kitchen Island

When designing your new kitchen island, you’ll want to consider how it will be used. Prime real estate that handles a variety of activities—from meal prep to storage to a place to sit and eat or catch up on some office work–your kitchen island must be more than an eye-catching centerpiece; it must also be functional and practical.

The style of your island will also depend on your unique space. The bigger the area, the more impressive your island can be. In homes with an open concept, it can also serve as a distinct division between the kitchen and family room.

Kitchen Island Trends: Ideas to Consider

When creating a kitchen island, you’ll want to start with inspiration. Here are some ideas based on what we’re seeing in kitchen islands today.

Waterfall Islands

A hot trend in kitchen islands right now is extending the surface to the floor to create a “waterfall” effect. Waterfall islands are sophisticated and elegant, working well in both contemporary and traditional kitchens. We recommend our 5151 Empira White 5151 or 6131 Biano Drift to capture this look.

Family-Friendly Islands

For a family-friendly island, think big. With a larger island, you’ll have plenty of seating on one side for quick breakfasts before school or finishing homework in the evening. You’ll also want to add assorted cubbies and cabinets to accommodate the storage needs of your family. And to ensure family-friendliness, quartz countertops are a superior option, featuring both incredible durability and nonporosity. And best of all—they’re easy to clean.

Double Sink Kitchen Islands

An island featuring a sink makes meal prep easier while freeing up counter space on your perimeter cabinets. Very popular in current design, the Farmhouse sink features two basins, offering double the functionality.

Glamorous Kitchen Islands

Add some drama to your kitchen island with a stunning countertop surface. If the kitchen is where you gather, then turn up the glam factor with a bold countertop that exudes luxury. Go dark with Caesarstone’s 3100 Jet Black or 5100 Vanilla Noir.

Colorful Kitchen Islands

Think of your island as an accent piece, complementing the room. Make it pop by choosing a bright color for the cabinetry beneath that juxtaposes against existing cabinet colors. However, with colorful cabinetry, go neutral on the countertop surface with options like our 1141 Pure White or 6141 Ocean Foam.

Functional Kitchen Islands

The kitchen island is for more than dicing up vegetables or sauteéing on the cooktop. If your kitchen needs additional storage, add some extra drawers to the seating area. While you may have to eliminate a chair or two, more receptacles to accommodate items adds to your kitchen’s existing stowage capacity.

Oversize Islands

If you have the room, an oversized kitchen island will offer multifunctional space. With an oversized island, you’ll never need to worry about counter space, and there will be ample room for eat-in kitchen seating, too. If you decide to go big, choose a classic, timeless countertop surface like Caesarstone’s 5000 London Grey or 5141 Frosty Carrina.

Long Island Kitchens

Don’t let the dimensions of your kitchen be an obstacle. For kitchens that lack width, a long, rather than wide, island can still make an impact. With length, you can have one section dedicated to usable counter space with the other end designated for seating. Even a narrow island can accommodate a sink above and a dishwasher below.

Tiered Kitchen Islands

A tiered island is another idea that makes use of smaller spaces. A bar that tiers up from the main counter space provides an elevated area for dining and eating separate from the food prep area. It’s a clever approach to ensure the island meets both your aesthetic and functional needs.

Choosing the Best Surface for Your Kitchen Island

When choosing the surface for your kitchen island, you’ll need to know how much weight the base can bear. Granite, for example, is much heavier than quartz; thus, a base that isn’t built to accommodate granite may not tolerate the added weight. Further, with functionality a driving factor of the kitchen island, you’ll want to ensure the surface can withstand use and abuse. Designed for life, high-quality quartz surfaces from Caesarstone boast remarkable style and endurance, requiring very minimal care and maintenance.

At Caesarstone, we offer premium quartz surfaces that dramatically change the look and feel of any space. Combining beauty with performance, our quartz countertops are ready to meet the demands of your busy kitchen.

Find your perfect countertop by browsing all our collections.