Kitchen Island Sink - More Than A Convenience

A kitchen island sink is a wonderful convenience, especially in a larger kitchen, but buying one means there is more to think about before your purchase.

Islands don't simply increase work space and storage for cooking. Design experts have more purposeful ideas in mind when suggesting a kitchen island or a kitchen cart.

They know islands are the focal point of design and activity in a kitchen, but they also know islands are used to advantage in rearranging the floor and traffic plans in the kitchen's design.

What does all that have to do with a kitchen sink?

Designers strive for a 3-point efficiency in kitchen design with the refrigerator, stove, and sink in a triangle arrangement.

That means in kitchen islands, sink size and placement are crucial. Moreover, kitchen islands with sinks require permanent installation and plumbing and any electrical connections or outlets must be safely located away from the sink.

In smaller kitchens, a wheeled island may be the only choice, or you may have to install a smaller island incapable of being fitted with anything more than a bar-sink, if that.

Get Them Already Installed

Once you've gotten past considerations of size and placement, though, you'll find kitchen islands that can accommodate sinks in a number of style ideas and designs. Contemporary, Country, French Country, Rustic, Traditional and others are all popular.

Very important is the material you choose for the top of the island. Some lend themselves to customized configurations more easily than others.

Granite and marble, for instance, are much more difficult than wood in which to install a sink, so if they are your choice, ensure that the island you want comes with the sink already installed or with a hole already cut for the sink and fixtures of your choice.

Butcher Blocks are very handy for food preparation and work well with a sink nearby where vegetables and meats can be washed.

And you may wish to equip your island with beverage service, wine racks, towel racks, shelves for glasses, and other amenities that keep things you will use at the sink right at hand.