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The island has an oil-based stain that enhances the wood grain. Black metal swivel stools help make the island a gathering spot. The countertops are marble-look quartz. The island slab creates a continuous, expansive prep space. “I feel quartz is an economical and durable choice for families,” Reesey says.
A backsplash featuring matte white scallop-shaped ceramic tiles brightens the room and adds visual movement. An upgraded 30-inch induction range sits below a hood with wood trim that coordinates with the other wood details in the room. A stainless steel 36-inch counter-depth 4-door smart refrigerator (partially visible) is to the left of the sink.
A pair of modern pendant lights over the island coordinate with other black and brass finishes used in the room. (The kitchen also has recessed LED ceiling lights, which were digitally removed by the photographer to highlight other design details.)
Backsplash: Prado in Andalucia, Mirazur collection, Sonoma Tilemakers; pendant lights: Blaine 16-inch, Rejuvenation; paint colors: Wind’s Breath (walls) and Super White (trim), Benjamin Moore
Shop for your kitchen
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After: Maney stripped the kitchen and started from scratch. “We knocked it down to the studs and added new windows,” she says. “New drywall, flooring, everything.”
Maney placed a new paneled refrigerator on the wall on the right, allowing her to put the new cooktop and statement walnut vent hood on the back wall. That allowed her to create a new walnut island with an uninterrupted soapstone countertop that offers plenty of prep space and encourages gathering. The perimeter countertops are also soapstone, offering a touch of contrast and drama to the white cabinets.
Maney extended the cabinets to the ceiling with crown molding to maximize storage and give the space a loftier appearance. New engineered white oak flooring in wide planks anchors the room in warmth.
Cabinetry: Crystal Cabinets; floor: Expressions in color Sonnet, Shaw Floors; wall paint: Accessible Beige, Sherwin-Williams; trim paint: Super White, Benjamin Moore
Find kitchen remodelers near you
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8. Light It Right
Lighting can make or break the mood in your kitchen, so it’s worth taking the time to get it right. A layered lighting scheme that includes a mix of task, ambient and accent lights will create a warm and inviting environment that’s perfect for socializing, whether you’re hosting a large-scale festive get-together or an intimate meal.
Think about adding undercabinet LEDs to brighten your work surfaces, a pendant light on a dimmer over the kitchen island so it can transition smoothly from prep zone to meals area, and wall sconces or directional downlights to highlight special features such as art.
How to Properly Light Your Kitchen Counters
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3. Removable Inset Cutting Board
Owners of beautiful edge-grain wooden island countertops might think twice about using them as cutting surfaces. New Orleans-based NOLA Boards, which made this T-shaped one from century-old cypress logs pulled from the bottom of a river, addressed that reluctance by insetting a designated cutting board. It’s made from the same sinker cypress wood but in end-grain block construction, which shows knife marks less readily and is easier on blades than edge-grain. The best part? The board is removable, making cleanup, maintenance and serving a breeze.
Design note: The long end of this T-shaped island is supported by hand-turned legs, making it look more like a farmhouse table than cabinetry.
50 Wonderful Wood-Topped Kitchen Islands
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Photos by Alyssa Lee Photography
Kitchen at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple
Location: Woodland, Minnesota
Size: 348 square feet (32 square meters)
Designer: Colleen Slack of Fox Interiors
Before: The forest setting in Woodland, Minnesota, was a big influence on the design. “Even though it’s located just outside the Twin Cities, it feels like you are way out in the deep woods somewhere,” Slack says. “This area is heavily wooded and trees are sacred here.”
The house had lots of large windows that brought the woodsy feeling indoors. “We all loved the up-in-the-trees feel,” Slack says. “But a large vent hood over the island was a headbanger and it blocked all the sightlines across the kitchen.” The left side of this photo offers a glimpse of this 90-by-36-inch vent hood, which hung over the entire kitchen island. The kitchen also felt enclosed and cut off from adjacent rooms, Slack says.
Most of the finishes in the room dated back to 1978, so they showed the wear and tear of almost half a century of use. “The floor tiles had humps to them, which made it so uncomfortable to walk around or stand in here,” Slack says. “They had so many grout lines. No matter how much my clients tried to get the grout looking clean, it was a huge job and it was impossible.”
The designer used Houzz photos to communicate ideas to her clients. “I create an ideabook for all my clients to fill up with ideas,” Slack says. “Or if they already have an ideabook, I ask them to add us to it. I find this helps them think about the details, and I love to use them for sharing specific storage ideas. Some things I show clients they have never seen before.” For example, she showed these clients a Houzz photo of corner-shaped drawers that are a good alternative to a lazy Susan. They wound up installing them in a corner of their kitchen.
Find a local kitchen designer on Houzz
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This empty-nest couple disliked a lot about their kitchen. A peninsula divided it from the family room. An eat-in area with a desk wasted square footage. And boring finishes in similar tones ran together — honey maple cabinets, mottled, hand-scraped wood flooring and brown granite for the countertops and backsplash.
The couple hired designer Lori Ramsay to help them sort out the issues, maximize storage and add fresh style. Ramsay removed the peninsula and expanded the kitchen into the former eat-in area. A new large island improves workflow and includes seating. Ample cabinets add tons of storage. A dashing two-tone cabinet approach combines dark blue with light-stained maple. Patterned backsplash tile nods to the home’s Mediterranean style.
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Appliance garages conceal countertop appliances such as blenders, coffee makers and toasters while keeping them easily accessible and organized. While they’ve been around for decades, they’re enjoying a resurgence in popularity as homeowners incorporate more gadgets into their kitchens — and as pros design better-looking and harder-working options.
We scoured recent uploads to the Houzz photo feed for examples of smart and attractive appliance garages in a variety of kitchen styles and sizes. Keep scrolling to get some ideas and tips for integrating one into your own kitchen design.
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While expecting their first child, these two busy physicians found a house exactly where they wanted to live in Ripon, California. The house had the right amount of space for their growing family, but they needed professional help to make it suit their needs and style. They searched Houzz for interior designers, contacted three local professionals whose work they admired and ultimately chose Wendy Glaister.
“Their work is very stressful and they were having their first baby. The goal here was zen,” Glaister says. This meant an uncluttered, clean-lined look, an organic feel and warm contemporary style. It also meant laying out the house for the way they lived. The importance of the kitchen to the couple was the biggest influence on the way Glaister reconfigured the first floor. It would truly serve as the heart of their new home.
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6. Place Your Dishwasher for Easy Access to Storage
In most kitchens, the dishwasher is conveniently located next to the sink to simplify loading. When laying out your space, also think about the ease of unloading clean dishes and flatware. Consider where you’ll be standing when the dishwasher door is open and how easily you’ll be able to access drawers and storage.
Since emptying the dishwasher is a frequent task, convenient access to storage should be a priority. I have seen several kitchens where an open dishwasher door blocks access to storage for dinnerware and flatware. Other kitchen layouts require walking across the room to put away dishes. Also make sure there’s plenty of space to stand at the sink when loading the dishwasher.
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Who it works for: You want super easy access to the mixer with minimal physical effort. You’d rather give up lower cabinet space than countertop space, or you want to use your mixer on an island in the middle of the room.
Open the cabinet door and — voilà — you can pull the mixer up and out with ease, do your mixing right on the shelf it sits on, then stash it away when you’re done. Installing an electrical outlet within the mixer’s cabinet makes things even easier. Also, think about where you’ll be doing your baking tasks when you install this. For example, being able to do plugged-in mixing at an island is a relatively new option that might not have been available the last time you remodeled your kitchen.
Your cabinetmaker should be able to source the hardware for you, but if you’re shopping for it yourself, Hafele and Rev-A-Shelf are good sources.