Hi everyone. Welcome to another design lesson video. In each video I'm going to
review some key design principles that you should keep in mind when you're
thinking about renovating or decorating your space. So if you have a design
dilemma and need some answers feel free to comment in the section below with
your questions or you can tweet me your questions on Twitter or send me your
questions on instagram @designchickee. Your dilemma could become one of these
design lessons and videos right here . In the meantime let's get to today's topic.
today's topic is all about the much-loved kitchen island when I ask my
clients what would be in their dream kitchen an island is the most popular
response sometimes they're wanted for casual meals sometimes for cooking and
other times it's just for meal prep and everyone wants the island to be
beautiful a showpiece for not just their kitchen but their home so let's review
the most practical do's and don'ts when planning around your kitchen island when
deciding on your kitchen island size overall you must first consider the
space around your island you need circulation space around your island so
the width of the aisle space between your perimeter kitchen and your island
is your first requirement not only do you need to walk comfortably around your
kitchen island and your kitchen you'll need room to open appliance doors always
make sure you have a minimum of 42 inches in front of appliances like your
fridge oven and dishwasher all these appliances have doors that swing into
that aisle space and you need to ensure you have room for those doors to open
clearly 42 inches also allow for two people to pass each other when they're
both cooking in the kitchen and one person to pass when the appliance store
is open in places where there are no appliances you can shorten that aisle
distance to 36 inches once you have your space around the island you can now
focus on the island itself and how you can make the most out of your Island
kitchen countertops are a standard 36 inches in height and the standard depth
of cabinetry is 24 inches deep so that's your starting point many of you will
want to have seating at the island so you'll need to increase the depth of
your countertop from the standard 24 inches to include for this space where
seating will occur you'll need to provide nice space under your countertop
so that guests can sit comfortably at the island 18 inches is a good minimum
but if you don't want your guests to scuff up the cabinetry with their shoes
aim for 24 inches the type of seating will affect the height of your island as
well if you prefer to sit on bar height stools then you'll need to raise your
countertop from 36 inches to 42 that's six inches above the standard height of
your countertop this usually means there is a portion of your island that will be
raised
if you'd prefer to sit on a dining chair then you'll need to lower some portion
of your aisle into 29 to 30 inches above the floor that's the standard height of
a dining table or a desk height this is a great way to incorporate a dining
table setting if you don't have a dedicated dining room in your home but I
prefer having counter height stools this will allow you to maximize the full
surface of your island without any level changes keeping your island at 36 inches
in height one other important dimension to remember about seating is that you
should allow for 24 inches of width for each stool or chair so an island with
four stools should be a minimum of 8 feet long you'll also want to keep in
mind the overall size of countertop slabs as they too will determine if
you'll be able to have one smooth surface or if you'll need two slabs join
together with a seat depending on the layout of your kitchen you may want the
main attraction at the island to be your stovetop the best way to incorporate
this hotspot and minimize overhead exhaust fans and ductwork is to have a
retractable downdraft exhaust built right into your kitchen island when
cooking you can raise the exhaust fan through your countertop without having
to incorporate something from above that hangs from the ceiling and can look
heavy and awkward in your kitchen it's also important to consider the distance
from the stovetop to any seating that you may have in the kitchen island
especially if you have little ones who will be sitting there while you're
cooking kitchen faucets have become a real centerpiece of the kitchen and many
people are tempted to highlight the sink area and their beautiful new faucet by
placing it centered on their kitchen island having room for a dishwasher next
to the sink is a great way to make this area of the kitchen super efficient as
well keep in mind that if you're prone to leaving dirty dishes in the sink
you'll have that as a centerpiece to your island as well I prefer to maximize
a full flat countertop surface for meal prep and hide other important storage in
your kitchen island like a microwave drawer root vegetable storage or books
once you've determined what size your island will be and what activities
you'll be providing at your island you then move on to style and finish in some
cases kitchen islands are the opportunity for a great burst of color
and style so there you have it the success of your kitchen island is more
than just its looks and style consider first and foremost the space around your
Island then its overall size and finally all the functions within your island
that will make your kitchen be the most efficient and effective use of space in
your home an island that is too small or too large or awkward to use can make or
break the functionality of your kitchen so plan ahead and think about all the
ways to improve your kitchens overall plan before you plan the look of your
dream kitchen island thanks for watching my latest design lesson video if you
like this video please hit the like button share it with your friends and
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have any design questions let me know in the comments below and it could become
the topic of our next video again thanks for watching everybody and I'll see you
next time
you