So you’re deciding to build a kitchen island that meets all your needs instead of buying a prebuilt island. Aside from the actual blueprint that you’ll need to sketch out, you want to be inspired with plenty of ideas.

Here are some things you want to consider while you’re adding special touches to your island design.

Design your island to be a social hub

The usefulness of your island needs to focus on who is coming to your kitchen. It has a key feature that should allow you to prepare food in many ways. But to do this correctly, you need to put your needs in front of you.

Make cabinets and drawers accessible so you can reach for all of your kitchen utensils and cookware right away. The same should apply to built-in cooking surfaces, sinks, and everything that helps you prepare and cook food.

It’s also going to be a mixture of other features that combine comfortable seating arrangements. Seating is going to be a separate issue here aside from the design and comfort. But it does need to play a vital part in any kitchen island you create.

Add just the right storage and functionality

Cabinets and drawers need to have room for everything that you cook with daily. Each drawer needs to be able to roll out easily so choosing the right kind of runners that let them slide in and out easily. The same will apply for adding hinges that are spring-loaded so they stay firmly closed but swing open just as easily. But it doesn’t end there since you want to add handles and knobs that give you the ease of opening and closing without slipping.

You may want to add shelving in selected parts of your island to store decorations or kitchen appliances. This adds visual appeal to your island that also gives it plenty of function. You can also design spots that are specialized for certain appliances such as food processors or food grinders.

Don’t forget to add electrical outlets

If you’re using any electrical appliances such as mixers, food processors, and plug-in appliances you’ll want to add built-in outlets on your island. Ideally, you could have outlets built into your countertop, but this is a safety hazard. This is why having one mounted just below the countertop is much safer. Depending on how many appliances you like to use, you can add more outlets on either side of your island.

When you have anything electrical added to your island, this needs to be routed under your kitchen floor so you don’t have any wires showing. This is also part of your planning stage so at some point you’ll need to figure out where your electrical source is coming from.

Add purpose to your island

Getting lots of ideas from the internet is fine but it’s better to start with a wish list of what you want. Make simple sketches on napkins or pieces of paper of how you imagine the drawers will look. Knowing what you want to put inside your drawers is also important since each pot or pan should be easily accessible. This also a major aspect when you add drawers that are meant for big pots or electrical appliances.

Find the function that makes your island an ideal setup for cooking, so think about where everything needs to go and why it fits there. If your island is designed, it will help you cook faster and easier with an ergonomic feel. It also should feel like furniture for aesthetic value.

Organize the right amount of seating

Finding the right kind of seating for your island also plays a big part in your kitchen design. It needs to fit into your kitchen without overpowering the appearance of your island. So for this reason, you want your chairs to reflect the colors used for your island but blend in totally. There’s a certain amount of style that you’ll want your guests or family to enjoy since you want to make every meal feel special.

Choose a countertop that fits your kitchen theme

The most important part of any kitchen island is the countertop that shows off how fancy your island is. Countertops are also better when you have natural materials such as wood or stone. These factors add weight to the entire structure, so you do need to build a frame that will support the weight of the countertop. When it comes to stone or marble, this will be very heavy unless you’re using a thin veneer or thinly sliced slabs that are bonded together.