MARC LABOSSIERE / FREE PRESS
A lift-and-lock shelf eases the use and storage of a heavy stand mixer.
MARC LABOSSIERE / FREE PRESS
A 12-inch countertop overhang provides the perfect seating area.
MARC LABOSSIERE / FREE PRESS
The design provides open shelves on the kitchen side of the island.
While working at a job site for weeks at a time, it has been my experience that conversations with homeowners eventually lead to the prospect of other impending projects.
In this case, fortunately, this led to early preparations for a secondary revamp, hastening the installation process. While prepping a feature-wall fireplace location with the necessary electrical circuits, a new kitchen circuit was also introduced for an upcoming island upgrade. Once the cabinets arrived weeks later, the new circuit was ready to be implemented.
A kitchen island is nothing more than a layout of specified lower cabinets, with decorative panels to conceal the reverse sides of functioning cupboards. As such, the general depth of an island can range anywhere from 26 inches to considerably deeper, provided the kitchen offers the required space.
At a recent kitchen island upgrade, the space boasted more than enough usable area for a larger island. The existing island set-up seemed puny in comparison to the proposed design, which entails a longer island by the standard depth of cabinets with a countertop overhang of an additional 12 inches, rendering the rectangular top at 74-by-39 inches.
The lower island cupboards consist of two cabinets that face the main lower cabinets on the fridge and stove wall of the kitchen; the far cupboard consists of a door-hinged space with inner pullout drawer at the bottom and a locking lift-shelf for a heavy mixer, while a middle and wider cabinet showcases an upper, middle and lower drawer.
The kitchen-facing side reveals open shelves for displaying cookbooks and knick-knacks, a decision that provided a cavity on the reverse side to house a small bar fridge facing into the dining room.
A decorative plant-on panel was fastened to the edge of the corner shelf unit creating the outer wall of the cavity, whereby a shorter plant-on was then fastened to the outer face backside of the middle cabinet. These two panels were strengthened using 90-degree brackets along the back and creating a rigid inset cavity within which the fridge could be recessed. Finally, an outlet utilizing one of the two island circuits is strategically placed at the back of the cavity to power the fridge.
Adjacent to the fridge, and along the back side of the two main cabinets, another plant-on spanning the remaining length of the island was fastened to the cupboards, and an electrical box was mounted near the top of the far end of the panel to supply split-outlet power for appliances or phone charging.
The final plant-on was then fastened to the far end of the island set-up, completing the all-encompassing decorative sheathing of the island’s vertical perimeter. Three hooks were added along the top edge of the far panel for dish towels and aprons. The three drawers and lone cabinet door then received their decorative pulls.
A short while after completion of the cabinet installation, the pre-cut rectangular quartz countertop was delivered and installed. The quartz is placed atop the cupboards structure, providing roughly a one-inch overlap along the drawer side and both short sides of the island, and a 12-inch overhang along the backside of the main cabinets where two stools were placed for kitchen seating. The plant-on panels for the fridge are also slightly recessed below the countertop to reveal the stainless-steel edges of the new bar-fridge door.
It turned out to be a vast improvement, as the old island was really just a flimsily built array of covered shelving, less than half the size of the new island.
Not only does the behemoth stand mixer fit conveniently below the island counter, but the ample storage space provided by the three main drawers and roll-out drawer beneath the lift-shelf increase considerably the overall storage capacity of the entire kitchen.
Moreover, the two comfortable stools allow for intimate discussions in close proximity to the main kitchen area. And now that a bar fridge is so near, there’s no need to get up to grab another drink — it’s just a short reach away.
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