Front and Center
Creative island and countertop applications help kitchen
designers put the ‘fun’ back in function.
By John Filippelli
While the kitchen is certainly the heart of the home, that doesn’t
mean consumers don’t sometimes want a kitchen that helps them get
away from it all.
So, what better solution than to give them their very own island
to enjoy? After all, with more and more clients foregoing those
true island vacations to invest in their homes, installing an
island with plenty of counter space not only creates a more
manageable work area, but also helps to put the “fun” back in
function.
These are the sentiments of Robert Sanderson, v.p./marketing for
Candlelight Cabinetry in Lockport, NY, who notes: “People want
highly functional kitchens, and this [can be made possible] with
large, well-designed islands, which often become the center of all
the functions whether it be food preparation, clean-up or
buffet-type serving.”
Tad Trolio, manager for Yardley, PA-based Cranmer’s Kitchens by
Design, agrees: “Everybody for both aesthetic and functional
reasons is drawn to an island, so we are constantly challenged to
do two things: Fit an island in sometimes in relatively small
kitchens and then make it something extra special. In that
discussion, you start to see a lot of emerging aesthetic
trends.”
As a result, “we are seeing more multiple layers on countertops
[in the industry],” adds Mikal Shumate, CGR and president of
Complete Design & Remodeling in Vista, CA. “[This offers a good
opportunity for designers and fabricators because] you can design
multi-level islands in any form. It is easy to take and apply the
principles to any theme that you want,” he continues.
To that end, Shumate notes that he has seen some unusual
applications, including shelves with stainless steel poles placed
in the center of granite island countertops.
Kristin Danecker, designer for Warren, NJ-based Superior Custom
Kitchens, points out that she has received some unusual requests as
well, stating, “People have asked for stainless steel on either
side of the range, for instance. They want an insert of 12″ or 15″
on either side of the range because they want a place to put a hot
pot.”
She adds that her firm is “getting requests for unusual stone,
like Petrastone. Concrete is getting popular, as well.”Says Bev
Adams, CMKBD, CEO for Denver, CO-based Interior Intuitions: “The
higher their budget, the more variety you are going to find in
countertop materials.”
She adds: “I think the difference in countertops is definitely a
trend. It is coming from the consumer and not the designer.
Whether the exposure has come from publications or whatever,
when people come in here, they want something different.”
“But clients are also concerned that there be no unsightly
seams,” Danecker further points out.
Adams agrees, adding that, “People are bored to death with the
same surface, and they don’t want a lot of lines going on. They
want something more soothing.”
“I like the harder, more durable surfaces with a more natural
look to it, be it the man-made quartz counters or the granite
countertops. In fact, we have done a number of kitchens with
traditional laminate and then have done the island in quartz or
granite,” says Sanderson.
According to Shumate, seating is also a big issue for clients.
“A lot of times the request is they want people sitting, facing a
certain direction, so they can watch [the client] fix food,” he
points out.
Trolio agrees: “When the space allows, islands are a great
design feature in the kitchen. When you have a countertop directly
behind you, in close proximity, it makes for a nice way to work.
Imagine working at your sink and having that extra countertop
directly behind you. It makes the countertop surface more versatile
and a real pleasure to work in.”
Indeed, “Islands add more counter space and storage
possibilities and enhance the traffic pattern by providing that
central location that everything emanates from, and they are
therefore becoming a more important part of good kitchen design,”
Sanderson concludes.
Learning curve
Danecker notes that a recent
kitchen project she designed reflects a growing trend in island
applications.
“Rooms are no longer square we get pentagons, angled walls and
curved walls. The island has to bend [and] curve to fit the room in
the aisles,” states Danecker.
“People are no longer attracted to the typical one-level
rectangle plopped in the middle of the room,” she adds.
Pointing to the project, she says: “This is a very large kitchen
that has an angled wall, so we had a gigantic amount of floor space
we needed to use up. Therefore, I came up with this
octagonal-shaped island that has three different levels and
features double-thick granite with a double fancy ogee edge.”
Featuring seven 30″ corbels that help create an ornate,
traditional feel, Danecker notes that the 179-1/2″x126-1/2″ island
needed to accommodate the clients’ entertainment needs.
“They have a large family and they needed seating for five on
the island. They also wanted a place for wine, a place to display
items, a bookshelf, a bread drawer and a warming drawer,” she
explains, adding, “I find that people want an island with seating
and a sink with storage. It is no longer just a place to prepare
meals. It needs to accommodate people.”
To that end, Danecker offers: “There is a special cabinet for a
mixer, rows of drawers and a special space for a bread drawer. It
also has three cabinets with pull-out shelves and a cabinet with
trays inside so she can carry vegetables around the island.”
Danecker concludes by offering this advice for designers: “The
kitchen space is changing shape and the island really has to get
away from the rectangle and explore some different
possibilities.”
Changing styles
According to Adams, island
and countertop applications offer designers the opportunity to
combine materials on an ever-changing landscape.
“The fact of not having all one surface featured is really what
I have always done,” she offers, citing one of her recent projects
as a prime example of this type of possibility.
“It was a very large kitchen, and because of that we chose a
loose-fitting look featuring Iroko wood tops [an African hardwood],
limestone and two levels of granite,” Adams explains.
“It gave us the opportunity to change the countertop surface on
the top because you can edge all three edges,” Adams adds. “There
are also separations of cabinetry that make it appear like
furniture. It looks like a table, and you can change the shape of
the edge and treat it like a granite edge. Also, it is a solid wood
top which gives the aesthetic of not being a synthetic
product.”
She further adds that, based on the requests she had, the material
choice was obvious, noting: “With a table type of feel, there is no
other choice. It needs to be a focal point.”
She continues: “You see the island table with legs everywhere
now, because it is becoming in many ways more the kitchen table.
Having it be wood [reflects] the fact that it goes back to where
things started. It gives designers a different opportunity to
change countertop materials.”
However, Adams is quick to note that the countertop materials
also serve functional needs.
“You have a solid wood top that you can sand back, so people
don’t have to worry about food going into the wood. That is always
issue, as people are concerned about protection from salmonella
poisoning, for example. [In the Iroko tops] there is actually mink
oil and different oils that repel those types of things,” she
explains.
Adams concludes: “The wood countertop is becoming more prevalent
and used in combination with other tops, and is becoming more
stylized.”
Out of sight
For Shumate, a main reason why
multi-level island applications are becoming popular is that they
afford designers the opportunity to mask other elements in the
kitchen.
“The clients in our project wanted something interesting. They
requested that a sink be put in the island, but it was something
they wanted obscured. So, when you walk into this room from the
living room area, you are presented with this gorgeous stone that
has a very multi-curved shape to it,” he describes.
The bi-level island, which features granite tops, also has a
main area with seating that wraps around down one side and around
the end to completely obscure anything from view, Shumate
notes.
“The island and countertop are S-shaped and the seating is
actually at bar-stool height, which creates the visual
obstruction,” he describes.
“They also had enough room where we could put a good-sized
island in and still accommodate the U-shaped perimeter of the
kitchen with cabinets for storage,” he explains.
Shumate further notes that hanging pendant lights spotlight the
island and help enhance the overall design.
Describing his affinity for multi-tiered island applications,
Shumate notes: “There seems to be more layers to island countertops
that are meant to make it interesting and screen things on the
counter so it doesn’t have to be perfect all the time.”
He concludes: “I think that the general idea of providing a
function that also has an aesthetic appeal is something we are
after for our customers. Our premise is to design what each
specific homeowner wants for their particular project, but not
everyone is the same. We find out what they want and then we figure
out a way to do it for them.”
Buffet Style
Sanderson believes that a recent
island project his company completed offers a true example of
meeting the aesthetic and functional needs of the client.
“It is a rather large island and the homeowner wanted to be able
to use it for preparing meals and serving buffet-style while
entertaining. She also wanted storage for built-in wastebaskets and
storage for pots and pans, as well as for mixing bowls,” he
explains.
Sanderson continues: “They also wanted an antique or ‘reclaimed’
look, almost as if someone went to an old general store, found an
old cabinet that had been painted several times, bought it and
refurbished it.”
But Sanderson notes that the island is unique for other reasons,
as well.
“It has bun feet on it, moldings around the bottom and what we
call an invisible toe kick. The toe kick is recessed in so far that
it doesn’t have the traditional look of a kitchen cabinet. Rather,
it looks like the bun feet are holding it up like a piece of
furniture,” Sanderson explains.
The island has inset doors, which fit into the framework of the
cupboard.
“It is made out of cherry but it has a glazed, weathered look to
the finish,” he offers. “The island counter is fabricated out of
DuPont Zodiaq, which was selected to create an old-fashioned or
older look to the pattern. There is also an ogee route on the edge
of it. It is very durable, as if it were stone for rolling out
dough or setting hot things on it.”
In addition, the island offers a large amount of storage. “When
you open these doors and drawers, there are built-in, concealed
wastebaskets, pots and pans storage, storage for mixing bowls and
tray storage. It is totally functional,” he says.
“Over the top of the island is cabinetry [where] they wanted to
store everyday glassware and dishes. [To accommodate that], we used
an opaque glass called Rain Glass. It is just enough to distort, so
they can keep everyday dishes in there and still have fancy dishes
over that island there,” Sanderson adds.
“Now, they can take dishes from the dishwasher and put them in
there. The doors on the back of the island can be opened so they
can load the clean dishes into the kitchen side of the island
cabinets and set the table from the dining room or breakfast area
side of these island cabinets,” he adds.
To the left of the kitchen grotto, there is also a large
peninsula that features Dupont Zodiaq counter surfaces and an
undermount, stainless steel sink.
“There are oil-rubbed bronze faucets on that sink, and on the
island there is what we call a veggie sink, which also has
oil-rubbed bronze faucets,” Sanderson describes.
“The fact that the island is different in wood, door style and
finish from the rest of the kitchen helps to set it apart and add
to that reclaimed look,” he says, noting that the kitchen proper
features painted maple cabinetry with mitered doors and antique
crème brûlée finish.
“It coordinates beautifully with it,” Sanderson concludes.
Three in one
It may be true that two heads
are better than one, but Korkut Colakoglu used a recent kitchen
island project to prove that three styles are better than one.
You see, when Colakoglu, president of Milwaukee, WI-based House
of Stone, Inc. was asked to create a futuristic-looking complement
to a client’s kitchen, he knew that the island needed to stand out
aesthetically, but not intrude functionally. A rather daunting
proposition, Colakoglu notes.
“The designer wanted something that stood out and was functional
at the same time. When they built the stainless steel cylinder
[base], they wanted to have a second piece so that they could wrap
three or four chairs to entertain while they are cooking,” he
explains. As a result, he designed a uniquely shaped solution for
the clients with three different types of granite, and a mixture of
circular and rectangular shapes.
“The half circle part needed to act as a snack bar, but space
was limited. We couldn’t extend the overhang more to create a
bigger island, but we still had to make it visually interesting and
functional,” Colakoglu says.
But, while the island features an eye-catching combination of
Absolute Black granite, Impala black granite and Blue Ice, the most
unique aspect of the island is not even visible, he notes.
“We constructed the center island without any brackets,” he
notes. “There is no support underneath, so we cut it with a water
jet and glued the pieces together. We then reinforced them with a
steel bar and polished the surface. It is one solid piece with two
different colors.”
Colakoglu also points out that the island features a garbage
compactor and storage area inside it for added function.
According to him, the perimeter countertops, which also feature
Blue Ice, offered its own set of challenges.
“The customer didn’t want to see a seam on either side of the
sink because of the light coming in from the corner window,” he
describes. “Therefore, we had to make sure that the entire section
came out of one slab and was able to be installed without any
problems. The seams are actually right at the cooktop, so it gives
[the perception] that it is one long countertop without any
interruption.”
Also of note, Colakoglu says, is that the stainless steel
cylinder aesthetic was carried into the corner dining room with a
table that features an Impala granite circle on it, as well.
“We filled the cylinder with sand because the top weighs quite a
bit and there is no other support. The customers did not want to
have their knees hit anything when they sat there. Again, we did a
steel rod, which is connected to the steel base. You cannot tip it
over.”
Colakoglu concludes: “This project is very contemporary and
futuristic, yet practical. We were very pleased with the outcome.”
KBDN