So you’re planning a new kitchen. It can be daunting when your contractor hands you that blank sheet of paper and tells you to complete your kitchen design, especially in a short period of time.
But guess what?
It doesn’t have to be that hard.
This article will teach you how to choose appliances for any kitchen with an island, regardless of size.
Better yet, you’ll also learn what appliances do not belong in a kitchen island and why.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Avoid
Stove Tops
You may look at this photo and think this is a well designed kitchen.
Look at the professional range in the middle. Behind the range is a downdraft that cannot correctly vent a high BTU professional gas range top, and you often see it in kitchen magazines and websites.
Downdrafts provide no capture area for excess smoke, grease and heat, and they also reverse where steam travels and need to be vented too far to be truly effective.
If you cook at all, a downdraft installation is a problem and not easily corrected once installed.
Overhead vents are the only way to vent a cooktop effectively. You can buy good looking vents from several different manufacturers, or you can also design your own hood with a wood or another material by installing the motor inside, then you vent it like any other range hood.
Grills
I’m not talking about putting outside grills inside your house. It’s best to never consider that option because of the amount of heat and grease splattering.
The grills on professional ranges and range tops are now up to 16,000 BTU with an infrared element. For comparison, a Lynx outside Professional Grill has a sear element of 23,000 BTU.
Grills are better against a wall to keep grease from splattering in her kitchen and always use an over head vent.
Wall Ovens
Maybe because I’m now firmly middle age, wall ovens belong on a wall. You can place them in an island, but you’ll be bending quite a bit for your food on the bottom rack.
Consider
Sink
You use a sink more than any other appliance in your kitchen. Placing a sink in the middle is also a brilliant idea, because if you burn food on your cooktop, you want to move quickly to extinguish it. A strategically placed sink will do just that.
You can also add pendant lighting much easier with a sink in the middle than a cooking surface with a hood.
Dishwasher
Your dishwasher is usually next to the sink. If your island is open to your family room, think about buying a quieter 44 decibel dishwasher.
You can watch TV without listening to the dishwasher running in your kitchen. Sink placement and your choice of cooking appliance, whether a cooktop and wall oven or a range, are the only decisions to affect the overall flow of your kitchen.
What else can you place in your island?
The answer is everything, and it depends on the size of the island.
Let’s look at some common options. All will fit within standard cabinet sizes.
Microwaves
Microwaves can be placed anywhere. You can centralize near your sink, over a wall oven, or even under cabinet.
It all depends on how you use it. I do not use my microwave often, so it’s located far outside the island.
Speed ovens add the convection element to the microwave so you can use it as a microwave, convection oven, or both to save time without losing flavor and texture.
Refrigerator Drawers
Refrigerator drawers allow extra storage whenever you need it. Many people place drawers in an island to keep snacks for the kids or vegetables for chopping near a prep sink.
Wine & Beverage Centers
The difference between wine and beverage centers is depending on how often you drink wine.
Beverage centers can store all kinds of beverages with limited storage for wine. However, wine storage units are designed to keep wine for a more extended period, yet have no provisions for other beverages.
Ice Makers
Ice makers have become popular because you no longer have to have cloudy ice from your refrigerator. You can buy an ice maker with clear ice cubes without impurities or even a chewable slushy cube, better for soft drinks.
Ice makers are a convenience, but plan on cleaning them at least twice a year.
Warming Drawers
Warming drawers keep food warm for up to 3 hours without dehydrating. Although you want to place warming drawer under your wall oven or under a cooktop, you can place them on an island as well.
Takeaways
The key to designing an island with appliances is where your primary appliances like your sink, stove top and dishwasher are located.
After that decided location, whatever you use the most for secondary appliances, you can choose between cooking appliances like a microwave, speed oven, or warming drawer.
Or refrigeration, like drawers, beverage centers, and wine storage. Just make sure your kitchen matches your lifestyle and how you use it.