Your kitchen island does not have to match. Although matching an island to surrounding cabinets and countertops creates symmetry within a kitchen, using different cabinet colors or different countertops can turn an island into a beautiful focal point that complements the rest of your kitchen.
1. A PAINTED ISLAND CAN CREATE A FOCAL POINT & A FOUNDATION FOR A ROOM. Painting your island a different colour from the main cabinets can be a great way to ground your space and create a striking focal point, especially if you have light coloured tile/vinyl and white cabinets.
According to the Houzz 2021 Kitchen Trends Survey, 41% of renovating homeowners are opting for a kitchen island paint color that contrasts their cabinet color. Of those, the majority go for classic colors that never go out of style; 27% go for blue and 20% choose gray, 10% went with white and another 10% picked black.
Contrasting Kitchen Islands
A totally different kitchen island is a nice idea for making a bold statement – with style, with materials, with colors, with all of them together. It can be also used to add a touch of a different style to your kitchen decor.
Enhance the look of any island by adding stylish brackets, or corbels, to support the countertop. Choose weathered wood corbels for a casual rustic touch, or accentuate a traditional kitchen with ornate brackets. Metal supports create an industrial look.
Contrasting Kitchen Island Combinations
Generally, most homeowners use the same color of the cabinets for the kitchen island, but they either tone it down to a lighter shade or intensify it to a darker shade.
Perhaps you're choosing light gray cabinets, an antique white look, or a soft wood stain on oak for your cabinets. Your kitchen island need not be so subtle! You can go for broke with a bright color on your cabinets, or simply a color or stain that contrasts with your cabinets and therefore makes your island stand out.
Cost to Paint Kitchen Island
The average cost to paint an island is between $3 and $6 per sq. ft.
Painting your kitchen island a new color is a great way to give your kitchen a fresh look without renovating the entire space. All you need are some basic tools, Extreme Bond Primer, and a coat or two of Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel.
The easiest way to match or find replacement parts for existing cabinetry is to first identify the brand. Cabinet manufacturers use different methods for branding their cabinets. Some manufacturers will brand the inside, or outside of the drawer boxes with their logo as seen below.
Yes! You can use base cabinets for a kitchen island. Base cabinets come in several different heights and many types and styles so you can create a custom island at a fraction of the price.
Some quartz makers sell exclusively through big-box stores; other slabs are available only through independent kitchen and bath showrooms.
The cost of shiplapping an island will vary depending the type of materials you use and the size of your island. We used plywood and ripped the boards down to size ourselves and it just cost the amount of a sheet of pine plywood, around $40. If you use MDF shiplap you'll pay around $90 for a package of six 6-ft.
If you're undecided between two polar-opposite materials, there's good news: You can use both. It's common to pair both engineered surfaces such as quartz and porcelain with natural surfaces like granite and soapstone. You can even mix two different types of stone (travertine with granite, for instance).
A kitchen island can be handy when you're cooking, but it also takes up floor space the rest of the time. Find a version with wheels—or add them to your existing island—so that you can roll it into a corner or closet and keep the kitchen clear.
Matching two different colors of granite countertops isn't complicated and you don't need a degree in interior design to pull it off. Just consider choosing granites with similar colors, and match bold patterned slabs with low-variation selections.
Among renovating homeowners, a built-in island is the most sought-after kitchen feature after pantry cabinets, according to a 2017 Houzz kitchen-trends survey of 2,707 people. She notes that as houses grew, islands, popular since the 1980s, have grown along with them.
Spacing Your Kitchen Island
They further explain that the National Kitchen and Bath Association recommends 42 inches of space between islands and cabinets or appliances. If you will be sharing cooking duties with a family member or roommate, you might wish to leave 48 inches instead.
For kitchens that connect to another room, it typically makes sense to position the island seating area along the open side. That way, stools or chairs are easily accessible when you walk in the room and face directly into the kitchen.