Best Kitchen Island with Seating

[Russell Hudson]

A client wanted us to build the best kitchen island with seating we could create …to place in the center of their existing kitchen. Their cabinets were a medium brown stain with over-lay doors… nice but ‘nothing special’. In this case we weren’t looking to match the other cabs but to have an island made to stand out by contrast. We decided we’d paint this new island a very dark brown (almost black). 

If it was to be somewhat bolder than the other cabinets, I needed to make them with a heavy face frame (3” wide  stiles) that surrounded the doors and door fronts and to mount them inside the openings (known as ‘inset’)  instead of the doors over-lapping like the rest of the kitchen.  Additionally, we went with deeply paneled side walls and a strong detail molding for panels and the base molding’s cap. This would give the piece more weight and substance. Make it older and richer looking.

After a a few sketches about the layout, here is my final rendering of the island’s floor plan with a elevation view of it’s face.

Another detail to help make the island bold, is to use larger legs.  Here are some choices in 6” diameter that I showed them.

And here is how it turned out…..

They wanted the best kitchen island with seating that would fit in the space they had. I think they got it.

[giradman]

WOW!  Beautifully done - congrats!  Dave

[stav]

I think you're right about them getting the best island for the space they have.

[rick4212]

Beautifully done island!

[EdL]

Danm Russel, you knocked another one out of the park.

Ed

[fishhh4]

I am about to start on a island for my daughter . I might have to incorperate that cabinet design . Briliant way to increase seating without adding width . Real nice Russell .

[Redman]

As always, beautifully done.

[DieselDennis]

Did you make the cabinet at your shop and then just deliver it? Pop the top & legs on and done?

What holds those legs in place?

The 30" cabinet on the end. Does it go all the way through to the other side, or did you put a back in it halfway through?

What do you do (if anything) to protect the wiring when you install an outlet in a cabinet like that? Was it a dedicated run from a circuit? Or was the outlet in the floor already and you just plugged in to it?

[MichaelS]

That is sharp! compliments, but stands out. Well done!

michael

[Arlin Eastman]

Russell

That is a beautiful piece of work done.  Well done!!