Decorating Tips For Island Kitchens - Part 2

Using the Island

[b]Gas Cooktop[/b]

A simple island can supply requisite extra working space, or you can opt for something more account for fitted with a sink or a cooktop. The top of the island can be made from laminate, solid granite, artificial stone, solid wood, or tiles. If you plan to use the outside for food preparation, select real or artificial stone with a solid wood butcher block inset. It's easy to damage a laminate top by forgetting to use a chopping board and although tiles are captivating they can be impractical as a work surface. Using real or artificial stone is sensible if you want to include a cooktop. Where electricity is being run to an island, it's a good idea to make the most of it by installing a concentrate of outlets, whether mounted in the top or on the side, so that you can use small appliances. Top-mounted sockets must be protected from spills and liquid by a flap cover.

Using the Top

The top can include a sink or a cooktop but existing floor coverings may have to be lifted so that gas and water pipes and electric wiring can be brought to the island.

It's sensible to site the island opposite the existing sink position to minimize piping. Connections can be run over a concrete floor before the final topping is laid, or run beneath floorboards.

Secondary sink: The island sink is ordinarily secondary to the main sink and can be used for washing vegetables or for making ready drinks. It isn't de facto a good idea to make the island the site for the main sink - there's unlikely to be sufficient room for anyone more than a single bowl.

Cooking center: You could use the island as a cooking town by installing a cooktop into the surface. An island is the excellent site for an further cooking unit such as a deep fat fryer or an indoor barbecue. These small units take up less space than a normal 23 in (600mm) wide cooktop, which does not allow sufficient work space on each side.

These small specialized cooktops can be used alone or in combination. A typical unit includes an indoor barbecue, griddle, deep fat fryer, two zone gas, electric or halogen burners, and a two zone gas cooktop with a wok burner.

If you want to install a cooktop, you need a ceiling-mounted range hood above the island. A dramatic stainless steel chimney range hood, or an integrated range hood hidden in a handsome wooden canopy, helps to turn the island into an captivating focal point. A ducted range hood that carries cooking smells, steam, and smoke is more effective than a recirculating model - in an island installation, the ducting can be hidden in the ceiling cavity.

Even high-priced range hoods can be noisy so if you intend to use the room for living and eating in increasing to cooking, consider a remote motor model.

Decorating Tips For Island Kitchens - Part 2