25+ Kitchen Island Ideas for Modern Homes

The kitchen island, with a Raven countertop from Caesarstone’s Classico Collection, is illuminated by a set of April pendant lamps by WAC Lighting.

Opening onto the open-plan living and dining rooms, the aluminum Bulthaup System 20 kitchen with its nine-foot-long stainless steel island and Miele appliances has become a focal point of the house. Pressed in one seamless sheet of steel, the island, Picard says with the obvious pride of a satisfied customer, “is an amazing piece of engineering.”

Carpenter Matti Salminen, a family friend, built the birch cabinets and island for the kitchen of a new home outside of Helsinki. The architect, Tuomas Siitonen, situated a lofted family room on the mezzanine above.

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The Cross Island, the new kitchen design by Ludovica+Roberto Palomba for Elmar is an elegant version of a trestle table, unusual for the kitchen, but the slim and light design creates an airy atmosphere in which to work. “For us the kitchen is always a room to work in,” said the designers. “We have given this island an innovative trestle shape to emphasize the idea of the cook working like an artisan." The Cross Island has a steel top with an integrated hob and sink, and is supported by three sets of steel legs. The casual design invites guests into the kitchen, making this work space a hub for entertaining and blending function and fun.

Get the whole family involved in the kitchen, whether it be teaching young ones a tried-and-true recipe or exploring a new dish together.

Avid cooks, Jinhee and John spend part of every day around their custom-built kitchen island, surrounded by Compasso d’Oro barstools. The island is on castors, so it easily moves around the kitchen as needed. An edamame plant on their patio occasionally provides leaves for Korean dishes.

Bruce and Kirsty loved the idea of a kitchen island rather than traditional work surfaces around the walls. Bruce fancies himself a chef and hates to have his back to everyone when he’s cooking. This island, from the Boffi LT line designed by Piero Lissoni, allows guests to gather around for impromptu sushi rolling or casual breakfasts.

The smooth, raven-hued island in this kitchen is made of oak with a thin stone countertop. A Foscarini Gregg Pendant hangs overhead.

The light comes from a concentration of LEDs in the middle of the unit, which diffuse evenly across the surface below.

The kitchen of this Brooklyn brownstone features a brick backsplash with a metal panel connecting the Bluestar range to the Viking chimney wall hood. The mashup of materials preserves the personality of brick with the ease of cleaning stainless steel. The island and cabinets are fashioned from remilled Douglas fir beams salvaged from Upstate New York.

Soft-toned wood finishes are the perfect touch for white kitchens with black countertops. The ribbon-mahogany seen here was built by Andrew Greene of Potomac Woodwork.

Architect Kevin Alter integrated wood from the original bungalow into the kitchen and covered the island in Carrara marble, with an interior clad in wood. A long table extends from the side of the island, and wine storage is integrated into one end of the island. New appliances include a Wolf range, a Broan hood, and a Miele oven and refrigerator. The Fucsia pendant lights are by Achille Castiglioni for Flos.

Nicolas Gervais designed the pendant lights above the kitchen island, which was designed by Plasse and built by woodworker Stéphane Bilodeau.

O’Sullivan designed the ceiling “to have a knitted or woven quality like that of wool or silk.” It dives down over the kitchen and dining area, eventually reaching a point at the entry that is low enough to touch. Here, resident Jes Wood leans against the onyx kitchen island while her daughter Ruby hangs out. Replica Jean Prouvé chairs surround the dining table; a vase by Bruce and Estelle Martin for Kamaka Pottery sits on top. The Reel table under the television is by Atelier Oï for B&B Italia.

Gray basalt was also used for the kitchen island and backsplash.

“The walnut unit between the kitchen and dining room ties into the fumed oak floor,” Dubbeldam says. “The rest of the materials in the house—glass, marble, stone—were selected to offset the wood.”

The designers handmade the custom table with meticulous attention to detail. After intentionally matching wood grains to ensure a smooth transition between pieces, the table was fitted into the kitchen island to transition the kitchen into the living area. The dining chairs and lounger are Eames for Herman Miller.

the reflectivity of the brass kitchen island makes it seem to dematerialize.