Ways to Extend Your Kitchen Island
It wasn’t too long ago that the kitchen was a hidden room in the house, designed for function rather than entertaining. Modern homes are a different story, though, with open floor plans that allow the chef to interact with family and guests in multi-functional entertaining spaces.
Still, even today’s homeowners appreciate some separation between zones in the home, which is where kitchen peninsulas and islands shine. Massive islands can serve several important functions, from adding counter space for food prep to making room for intimate seating and dining areas.
If your kitchen island isn’t meeting your needs, it may be time to consider expanding it. Here’s how to extend your kitchen island in ways that are both effective and stylish.
How to Extend Your Kitchen Island
Whether your family has grown, you love to cook and entertain for friends, or you simply need more storage, your island could be the key to a more functional kitchen. If you’re wondering how to extend your kitchen island to suit these changing needs, you’ll find there are several options to explore, depending on your preferences and available space.
Different options offer distinctive functional and aesthetic benefits. So how can you make sure your island extension delivers needed function while promoting a cohesive style?
Add a Seating Overhang
If your current countertop covers only the island base, one easy way to extend it and increase seating in the process is by installing a larger counter surface that overhangs on one side. This creates a space where people can sit to eat and socialize, and stools or chairs can slide underneath when not in use.
When adding an overhang, it’s important to account for adequate structural support. This often starts with a countertop underlayment in wood, but you may also want to add island legs if your overhang exceeds 12 inches. Because these supports will be visible, you should match them to existing architecture and decor.
Turned or square legs work well here. For example, a simple square kitchen island leg is ideal for modern, minimalist interiors. Something more decorative, such as a plantation buffet leg, a square mission leg, or an old English country leg, would be better suited to a traditional interior, like a Colonial, arts and crafts, or farmhouse style.
Install a Kitchen Island Extension Table
Not everyone needs a formal dining room. If you have space in your kitchen to extend your island, one great option for casual, daily dining is an island extension table. Often set at a lower height — as in, table versus counter or bar height — this addition can mimic the look of an existing base and counter surface or employ complementary materials to stand out without seeming out of place.
As for how to extend your kitchen island for dining or even as a homework space for your kids, there are a couple of options. You could attach one end of the table to the island base and add a matching leg style at the other end for stability. Alternatively, you might install a table that folds out and then stows away when not in use.
Either way, choosing leg styles and materials that match your island helps to tie the whole look together and make it seem like the table extension was always part of the plan. Whether you choose a husky farm dining table leg or a tapered mission leg, make sure to select a species, like cherry, oak, or maple that aligns with existing woodwork, or a paint-grade wood that can be treated to match.
Create a Multi-Level Island
If you like a bit more separation between spaces and you want to differentiate between functional zones for food prep, eating, and entertaining, consider adding a raised bar area to create a multi-level, multi-functional island.
By adding a taller pony wall to the back of the island, you can attach a raised bar top. This type of counter addition rarely extends beyond 12 inches, which means you can use attractive corbels for support instead of legs for a seamless transition between levels.
Extend the Island With Storage Cabinets
If you already have plenty of seating and what you need is additional space for storage and appliances, your island could provide a solution. Figuring out how to extend your kitchen island into unused square footage could make space for:
Additional cabinetry
Shelving for cookbooks
An appliance garage
A built-in microwave or beverage fridge
A wine rack
When you add the right mouldings or other millwork, you can seamlessly blend this extension with your existing island base to avoid an eyesore. Tambour panels provide an ideal means of hiding seams to create an unbroken surface.
Wrap Around the Corner
In an open floor plan, an L-shaped island can help to delineate the edges of your kitchen while adding plenty of usable counter space, storage, and seating. For example, an I-shaped island might have seating only on one side, but an L-shape can accommodate seating along two outside edges without impacting the function or flow of the kitchen.
Again, matching legs and panels support a unified interior. You can also take advantage of customization options to design legs, corbels, and other elements that suit your personal style and design vision, making your island the focal point of your entertaining space.
Use Decorative End Panels
While determining how to extend your kitchen island starts with function, you cannot ignore the question of form. Once you’ve chosen the best way to increase counter space, storage, and seating, you must ensure a seamless transition between existing elements and additions.
Paneling — such as fluted or tambour options — and matching details like legs and corbels that tie in with cabinetry, shelving, and a hood vent style can all help you maintain a cohesive appearance.
Collaborate With Osborne Wood to Make the Most of Your Kitchen Island
Your options are limitless when it comes to deciding how to extend your kitchen island to work with available space and meet your functional needs. However, it’s also important to consider the aesthetic elements of this upgrade to ensure that the new addition blends in seamlessly.
Osborne Wood has an impressive inventory of island and table legs, corbels, and decorative panels, with a variety of wood species available to meet every need and preference. Explore our collection today or speak with a product specialist to start planning your island extension.