Living rooms are often the highlight of every renovation or BTO HDB interior design project in Singapore. Indeed, people assume the living room as the busiest place in every home. That’s why homeowners prioritise utilising their spaces with the best sofas, armchairs and decoration. However, the focus quickly shifts to the kitchen, especially when the family gathers for breakfast or dinner. Now, more homes use kitchen islands to linger, prep and have a quick snack.
If you like having ample surface area for cooking and prep action, kitchen islands have it all. Meanwhile, you will preserve a good amount of storage space where you can keep your food and silverware. Best of all, you’ll gather the entire family by opening valuable space. Here’s how to incorporate a kitchen island into your interior design:
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Choose the right proportions
Careful planning is the key to success, and doing so when designing the perfect kitchen island is no different. Therefore, you should ensure it’s the ideal size as it may ruin the comfort and flow of the room. While the dimensions are entirely customisable, most HDB BTO interior design kitchens have box-shaped kitchen islands.
Such island areas often match the rest of the kitchen cabinets to maintain balance. However, not all HDB homes have spacious rooms. Fortunately, a kitchen island can be as small as 150 centimetres long. Regardless of the proportions, ensure your kitchen island serves the intended purpose.
Put functionality first
Whether you’re an avid cooker or prefer more effortless recipes like sandwiches and omelettes, the functionality must always come first. In such cases, having additional counter space will give you the much-needed freedom to optimise your island for cooking. Since most HDB interior design plans use open-plan concepts, you should choose appropriate seating for your dining place.
Usually, the standard solution is to ensure a walkway of at least 90 cm on the seating side. Moreover, you can use your seating as a separator between the cooking and hangout areas. Make your dining section higher than the cooking area. If your kitchen is smaller, you can keep the counter height uniform to make it look bigger.
Another way to separate the cooking space from the dining area is to install task illumination. Typically, you can use track lighting, but some homeowners take it further by using directed spotlights or even pendants. Place them over your sink and stovetop to enhance your kitchen island’s functionality. Ultimately, having everything in one place will allow you to prepare food in the comfort of your kitchen island.
Set up enough storage space
Proper purposing of your kitchen island will help you optimise your storage space more efficiently. However, some general tips may help you even more. For example, you may benefit more from installing deep drawers than cabinet doors. While the latter may tire you from bending down, the former will keep everything at close reach. What’s more, placing dividers will keep your utensils and silverware in place and organised.
Another clever solution to dark kitchen cabinets is open shelving. Most modern kitchen islands are freestanding and use open shelves below the workspace. The following method will make any kitchen look more spacious and easier to use. Make sure you keep your cabinet shelves clean and your feet at a safe distance to avoid pushing items while roaming.
Create Contrast
Neutrals are casual in many modern styles like minimalistic and Scandinavian interior design. However, they often give homeowners a false sense of creative solution. Suppose you want to express yourself with your kitchen island design. That way, a more striking colour idea will undoubtedly add a note of excitement.
Typically, bold, dark colours are an excellent way to contrast your kitchen island and the rest of the cabinetry. Still, you may take it further by choosing contrasting hardware for the ultimate wow factor. Besides, mixing veneered kitchen island cabinetry with a marble or stone countertop is also a practical solution.
Mix Shapes and Patterns
One of the latest trends involves replacing sharp-edged furniture with more streamlined and round shapes. Considering the following aspect can dramatically change the general mood and aesthetics if you want to make a statement. While the proportion is essential, experimenting with forms can break the ice and open an uncharted world of style and elegance.
You can take the idea further by using different materials and adding various density levels. Sometimes, splitting levels in your kitchen island design can make it look and feel disjointed. To avoid this, you can experiment with varying patterns. To minimise the clutter on your kitchen island, install two separate dishwashers.
Create the Interior Design of Your Dreams
Kitchen islands are integral to every modern HDB and Condo interior design. They are especially crucial for limited spaces where open-plan concepts work the best. That’s why it’s vital to rely on experts in the field to help you create the HDB kitchen design of your dreams.
Swiss Interior has extensive skin in the game regarding Condo and HDB interior design projects in Singapore. The team of seasoned designers will help you make the most of your kitchen island section. Ultimately, you’ll optimise your kitchen for the highest functionality and comfort possible. If you’d like more kitchen countertop design and kitchen design ideas, check out their article at https://www.swissinterior.com.sg/blog/kitchen-countertops-which-countertop-suits-you-best.