Kitchen Layouts With Island Bench

Planning or designing a new kitchen? Then there's a good chance an island bench design is on the cards too! Given the ever-evolving demands of modern kitchens, it's crucial your new kitchen with island bench design can handle more than just your day-to-day needs.

But where do you begin, and what storage, functionality and design elements are essential for your new island bench? #tooeasy — we’ve covered all the essentials for island benches you’ll need, and then some… to ensure your new kitchen design ticks all the boxes!

First things first, what are YOUR kitchen bench essentials? Island benches can be used for prepping, cooking, entertaining, homework… the list goes on, but it’s first and foremost vital to determine your unique kitchen bench needs, including the tasks, storage and cooking demands

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Expect of your island bench. This allows you to plan and design storage, functionality and solutions to cater to your individual kitchen use and lifestyle needs. Answer the following questions now:

Z+ S Tip • Your custom kitchen bench should cater to your household’s needs, preferences, and how you’d like to work and entertain in your home. Make a shortlist of essential tasks and storage for your kitchen island, to ensure it meets

Once you've determined the purpose and tasks the island bench in your kitchen will serve, it's time to look at your kitchen bench location and layout. The island bench location should maximize functionality and movement in the kitchen space, as well as any adjacent dining and living areas that flow from the kitchen. To ensure an efficient and practical kitchen design, keep these points in mind:

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Z+S Tip • When planning your kitchen island bench location, balance function and aesthetics, for the best result in your open-plan design.

Size is a crucial aspect when it comes to kitchen island benches. A larger island can accommodate more people and provide additional workspace, but it should be proportionate to your kitchen and overall home. To determine the ideal island bench size for your kitchen design, consider these factors:

Remember, the ideal kitchen island bench size will balance both function and style, enhancing your overall kitchen design and providing a convenient space for food preparation, storage, and socializing.

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Z + S Tip • For a longer benchtop you will need to purchase additional pieces of stone or benchtop material and also consider where the join for your benchtop will sit. The ideal spot for a benchtop join so it’s as seamless as possible is at the sink or cootop.

A kitchen island provides the perfect opportunity to add much needed kitchen storage. Even the back of a wider island bench can be utilised for extra cupboard space rather than boxing in an empty cavity. Make use of every opportunity and ensure to plan island bench storage to suit your kitchen design.

Not sure whether to install a sink on the island bench? There’s no rules — we love the look and functionality of a sink on the island bench, however It’s really a matter of personal choice! If you are including a sink on your island, remember to opt for a wider bench if viable, to create more distance between the back of the sink and people sitting on stools directly opposite. A benchtop that’s 1050-1200mm deep generally works well to ensure there’s ample space.

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Your island bench is the perfect location for high use appliances, especially a dishwasher (alongside the sink), a microwave (just below the bench for easy access), or a bar fridge. Storage that works especially well here includes integrated rubbish bins and extra-large drawers for storing items like Tupperware or dinnerware.

Finally, don’t forget benchtop space! Your benchtop provides vital storage for food and items during cooking plus a handy workspace, making benchtop space and storage an essential consideration in your kitchen design.

Z + S Tip • When considering storage options for your new kitchen island bench, look at your existing kitchen design and take note of what storage works well and what’s lacking to ensure your new design caters to your needs.

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As well as being a functional and social space for preparing food and cooking meals, kitchen island benches also have the power to bring the household together. Our favourite island bench design includes the integration of a dining end where bar stools sit opposite each other. This creates a zone that’s ideal for casual dinners, family time, work, and entertaining at home.

If you have space to include seating around your island bench, you’ll no doubt have quadrupled your kitchen’s usability instantly and created a versatile space for everyone to use. Whatever island bench design you choose, make sure there’s ample space to accommodate the number of bar stools you’ll need.

Your kitchen island bench design wouldn’t be complete without those extra features to maximise function, aesthetics and usability! Power is vital for your dishwasher and other appliances, but adding additional power points for use of small appliances or charging is a big tick when it comes to functionality! You can also integrate wireless chargers under your bench for added convenience, or opt for a sleek integrated PointPod.

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If your bench includes a sink, consider under mounting it to create seamless lines and pair it with a feature tap to add instant style to your design. This is also the place in your kitchen to splash out and create a thicker benchtop apron for added ‘wow’ factor, integrate special cabinetry finishes such as panelling, tiles or custom profiles and add a feature benchtop to elevate the whole space.

Finally, no island bench is complete without some feature pendants or lighting to bring your whole design together. When choosing lighting, you can opt for a layered lighting scheme where different light sources are used for different tasks. For example, pendant lights are perfect for lighting up the benchtop and creating atmosphere by night and can be switched separately, and combined with downlights to maximise functionality. When choosing any pendants or lighting for your island bench, always consider the other materials and colours within your home and opt for pieces that balance and complement your design.

Zephyr and Stonekitchen, kitchen design, kitchen reno, kitchen renovation, kitchen remodel, kitchen ideas, kitchen tips, kitchen budget, kitchen island bench, kitchen island, island bench, island bench design, island bench tips, kitchen inspo, kitchen inspiration, island bench inspo, island bench inspiration, kitchen renovations, kitchen designs, kitchen diy, kitchen layout, island bench seating, kitchen cabinets, kitchen handle, kitchen panelling, kitchen designer, kitchen desk, kitchen paneling, kitchen bench, kitchen countertop, kitchen cabinet, kitchen handles, kitchen renovating, home design tips, home storage, storage, benchtop, bench topCommentDesigned for maximum impact in the meeting point of the home, kitchen islands are fast becoming a multipurpose design feature. They are becoming larger in size and extending into living room spaces. Now frequently designed with inbuilt seated sections, they have also become a casual dining table. With the reduction in overhead cabinetry in kitchen designs these days they can also include integrated appliances and innovative ways to store your kitchen items.

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A square island in your kitchen layout will really set your overall design part.⁠ As an increasingly popular kitchen island bench idea, a square island creates a beautiful feature in your kitchen design and will allow you to have seated sections on multiple sides. Square islands can be used for day-to-day casual meals and also serves as an extra entertaining zone.

When choosing a square island design, think about including seating on multiple sides; and keep your storage and integrated appliances in the working zones.⁠

Create wow factor in your kitchen design with a layered style island. This can be done all in stone, allowing for a seamless flow of colour across the benchtops. The lowered sections will serve as the feature, designed for extra seating when entertaining or casual meals.

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Another striking way to design a layered island is to use a combination of stone and laminate benchtops in contrasting colours. Consider using different thicknesses for each of the materials to highlight the layered design, and to create something uniquely your own. 

Gravity defying cantilever style islands create maximum impact in your kitchen design and stand alone as a feature in your overall home design. This super stylish design allows you to double your kitchen island as the main or extra seated eating area for your home. 

This style of island is best suited to a contemporary style home because of its stylish and sleek appearance. Cantilever islands can also embrace the layered island trend for an even more striking design. Veined stone benchtops work extremely well in this case, as cantilever design showcases the detail in the stone. 

Kitchen Island Ideas To Transform Your Home

The last couple of years has reset home life for many of us. We’re spending more time at home, and with kitchens being the hub of the home it just makes sense to create a social and functional space. Kitchen islands are getting bigger and longer to accommodate extra storage, appliance integration, extra seating and even dining table sections.

In larger homes we are even seeing double islands become more popular which also provides some great design opportunities to feature innovative cooking