Designing The Right Island Bench For Your Kitchen
For home chefs who love entertaining, designing your kitchen around an island bench grants guests and family a front-row seat to your kitchen magic.
Hard-working kitchen island benches can boost precious bench space while doubling as a dining table, bar, and even workspace. Provided your kitchen is sufficiently roomy (experts recommend a space of at least 16 square metres) there really is no downside to adding an island bench into your kitchen design.
Here are our top tips to consider when thinking about designing the right island bench for your kitchen.
1. Choose your kitchen island layout
The truth? Not all island benches were created equal – different kitchen island layouts have different benefits. So before settling on a final design, you’ll want to determine your goal for the space.
Overhanging bench at front of island for stools
Are you keen for the kids to spread out with their homework, or to have sufficient room to lay out a spread for guests? Then you’ll want to include two key features into your island bench: a length of at least 2.4 metres (for proportion as well as space), and an overhanging benchtop at the front for bar stools. This overhang should provide sufficient leg room for people to get comfy. Whatever you do, don’t go narrow with your kitchen island! Provided there’s enough room between countertops and appliances, the wider you can make your island the better.
Connected benchtop at one end for seating
For clever space optimisation, you can add a seating extension to your kitchen in the form of a peninsula or attached island bench. Perfect for medium to larger spaces, this kitchen design offers acres of bench space, with the uninterrupted countertop flowing into your attached island or breakfast bar. Better yet? It’s easy to incorporate breakfast bar stools or dining chairs in the manner above, making this island extension ideal for entertaining or serving food.
Freestanding portable kitchen island or butcher’s block
Is your kitchen on the smaller side, or are you going for that rustic country vibe? Then a freestanding island bench or butcher’s block may be for you. Freestanding islands provide additional space for meal prep, snacking or even sorting mail, but they’re light and portable enough (often on lockable wheels) to be moved easily if you need to reconfigure the space. The rustic butcher’s block is a sturdier option – usually made from solid wood – but it’s still able to be moved if need be.
2. Install inbuilt kitchen island appliances
Fitting inbuilt appliances in your kitchen island is a brilliant way to make savvy use of available bench space while enhancing workflow in the kitchen. The NEFF Flex Induction Cooktop is the perfect solution for an island bench setting with nothing overhead, with the rangehood and ventilation integrated into the flat cooktop – no overhead rangehood necessary. And with the new Flex Design range, you can add coloured trimmings and handles to your induction cooktop to match the rest of your appliances for a seamless kitchen design.
It’s also possible to incorporate inbuilt microwaves, dishwashers, and even a Slide & Hide® oven into your kitchen island, saving on space, keeping your benchtops clear and optimising the golden triangle.
A final design tip for kitchen islands? Including a few power points allows multiple cooks to use appliances like blenders or stand mixers at once – a lifesaver when it comes to whipping up memorable multi-course feasts.
3. Consider storage in your kitchen island
Another benefit of an island bench? The bountiful storage options! Wide breakfast bars and peninsulas are perfect for incorporating custom storage solutions like inbuilt shelving or pull-out drawers. Including a roomy bottom drawer for bulky appliances like slow cookers or pots and pans is another pro tip. Wine buffs may even like to include a wine fridge – a savvy storage solution that ensures your favourite bottles age perfectly while remaining at the ideal temperature for drinking. Win, win.
4. Work out your sink placement
Fixed island benches make it easier to nail the all-important work triangle – the space between your oven, sink and fridge. Especially if you have room to incorporate a sink into the kitchen island itself. Keep in mind, a plumbed-in sink can snaffle precious bench space if you don’t include a removable drainer, so factor this into your island design. And choose a modest-sized sink, as this frees up more of your island for meal prep, breakfasts and good ol’ family chats.
Want to see how the Flex Design range can work with your kitchen benchtop? Then book in a free product demonstration. Our NEFF kitchen experts will show you the very best that this exclusive new range has to offer.
About NEFF
NEFF is a German-engineered kitchen appliance brand, with a product range that includes ovens, cooktops, rangehoods, coffee machines and dishwashers designed to make life in the kitchen a daily pleasure. For people who love to cook, NEFF gives you the tools to create meaningful connections, express your creativity and make memories. Because real life happens in the kitchen.
