Kitchen islands are an amazing way to add space and visual appeal to your kitchen. This is why a lot of people get a kitchen island installed. There are many things to consider when designing and installing a kitchen island. You need to choose the location, surface material, cabinets, and more. Most people choose granite countertops as the surface for their kitchen islands which is a great choice. However, not all choices made during the kitchen island installation are perfect. So, you should avoid these mistakes.

Common Kitchen Island Installation Mistakes

The Size Of The Island Isn’t Right

Firstly, you need to make sure that the dimensions of the island are 100% correct. This implies that you’re actually measuring the space you have and then you can decide whether a kitchen island will even cut it or not. Measuring the island is important because there are lots of things that can go wrong if you don’t know the right size of the kitchen island.

You want to ensure that the island is the perfect length and height for it to fit in the kitchen because if it’s too small or large, then you won’t be able to work properly in the kitchen and the functionality of the kitchen island will be compromised a lot.

So, before designing a kitchen island, always make sure that you’re double and triple checking the measurements because that’s going to be a lifesaver at the end of the day and you won’t have any problems. Moreover, it’s better to leave measurements to an expert.

You Haven’t Decided The Placement

The next mistake that many people make when designing and installing a kitchen island is the placement of the island. It’s really important to figure out where you want to put the island because that’s going to ensure the right place for the kitchen island to be functional and practical.

You can’t just put an island anywhere you want. You need to decide the right place so that it doesn’t hinder your productivity in the kitchen. This is why the right placement of the kitchen island plays a very important role and it’s something that you need to decide before actually installing it.

You Don’t Have A Clear Purpose In Mind

Kitchen islands are more than just a block of countertop material mounted at a height. There is a lot more that goes into consideration of a kitchen island and whether it’s even worth getting one or not. You need to decide what you’re going to use the kitchen island for.

There are a lot of functions of a kitchen island. You can use it as an extra storage space, you can use it as a breakfast bar to sit and have your meals, you can use it as a prep space, you can even use it host guests, and the list goes on. However, you need to decide what the kitchen island will be used for before getting it installed.

There’s No Seating

You also need to decide whether you want to have seating on the kitchen island or not. This is something that a lot of people go for, but they can sometimes forget about it. Well, seating is a great addition to your kitchen island and mostly it is included when you install the kitchen island.

However, a lot of people tend to forget about the seating aspect and that can ruin the beauty of the space. You need to plan the kitchen island design with seating if you want seating.

You Didn’t Consider The Space Well Enough

This mistake ties in with the dimension and measurement one, however, this one has to do with the space surrounding the island. You want to go for a kitchen island size that is not only going to be sufficient in size but should also leave a border around the island for you to comfortably walk around.

This is something that a lot of people can forget so they are left with a cramped kitchen where they can’t even work. This is why considering the space that would be left around the kitchen island is also extremely important.

You Forgot About Electrical Connections

Kitchen islands tend to have a lot of electrical connections too. Sometimes, they’re used as a countertop space to put appliances and there are lots of electrical connections that can help power up the appliances. If you’re using a kitchen island for that reason, then you need to make sure that you’re figuring out a way to incorporate electrical sockets in the kitchen island otherwise the space will lose one key functionality.

So, if you want to power up your appliances, then you need to have electrical connections and that’s done when the island is being installed.

There Is No Plumbing Connection

Sometimes, there is also a sink on the kitchen island or a part of it where you can drain things and even wash the dishes. This is why plumbing connections are really important to include in the kitchen island as well. This will ensure that there is water coming in the sink on the island and it has a passage to be drained.

Well, it’s a basic things but a lot of people can forget this as well and they’re left with no choice but to remove the island and then have plumbing connections installed. That’s a bummer!

The Island Doesn’t Have Storage

A kitchen island is meant to be a place for ample storage. It should have lots of drawers and cabinets to put your huge pans and other kitchen essentials. It shouldn’t be a solid block of material taking up space in the kitchen.

A lot of the time, people fail to understand this thing and they leave out the space storage aspect which is not smart at all. If you can’t use the island for storage, then it’s not a good idea to install it in the first place.

Space On The Island

Another thing that people can do, and this can happen after or before installation, is the fact that people will use the countertop space to put unnecessary things, and that destroys the purpose of a kitchen island. You want to use a kitchen island for practical reasons, not put a bunch of random things on it.

You either want to use it as an extra working station or a makeshift dining table. This is why it’s really important to know what you want to use the island for, otherwise it will only be a waste of time and money.

There’s No Proper Lighting

If there’s no light on top of the kitchen island, then how will you work? The kitchen island needs to be well-lit and bright so that you can see what you’re doing on the island. This is something that a lot of people can forget about and this can lead to the island being dark and gloomy.

However, this problem is easier to fix because you don’t need to do anything with the island. You just want to ensure that you’re thinking about the light fixtures and going for lights that are small but very bright. This can be done after the island installation as well.

Conclusion

A kitchen island designing and installation may seem easy, but it’s anything but. By looking out for these mistakes, you will be at ease and you’ll get the most use out of your perfect kitchen island. For flawless kitchen island installation, get in touch with granite countertop installers Potomac.