If you hanker after a sociable kitchen-diner, take inspiration from Louise and Charlie’s home
GATHER ROUND
A kitchen island can zone a room, splitting open-plan spaces into clearly defined areas. Jo Behari explains how to make one work
The beauty of installing an island is its flexibility – you can have one to suit your space and needs exactly. There are a few rules to bear in mind though…
Install plumbing If you want a sink on the island, make sure you’re able to plumb it in. That means running water pipes to the island and also drainage. This is easy if you’re refurbishing the whole kitchen, but more complicated if you’re just doing a small-scale update.
Making it live Electrics are another factor. If you’d like your oven or hob located in the island, it must be wired in by a qualified electrician. You can also wire plug sockets into your island so that using kitchen gadgets is easy. Sockets can be located on the sides of the island, or you can invest in pop-up ones that sit flush to the worktop and get pulled up when needed.
Extract the best Consider the extractor fan. This will normally have to hang from the ceiling to house the motor, so if you want an uninterrupted ceiling, you could opt for one of the new extractors that fit into the hob itself or pull up from the worktop. These are quite pricey, but more and more companies are selling them so shop around to find good deals. Remember, though, that the air still needs to be extracted and vented out of the house, so you’ll need to route this under the floor.
On the move If you’re desperate for an island but don’t quite have sufficient space to build one in, think about a movable option. A number of furniture stores have units with castors that can be pushed against a wall when you need more floor space. With these, you can’t have electrical or plumbing items fitted though.
Get the height right Standard worktops are a little low for a breakfast bar and unless you have a recess for knees, it involves sitting awkwardly at an angle. You could invest in lower stools or even elevate a section of the island to create a breakfast bar, as the Morgans have.