The central kitchen island enjoys a natural gravitational pull – it's where members of a household come together to cook, eat and entertain, and it's also the perfect opportunity to create something incredible. Emma Hedges presents 10 inspirational designs.
1. This Metro and Urbo bespoke kitchen by Roundhouse features matt lacquer Farrow & Ball Railings on the cabinetry, which allows the central island to shine. The antique brass finish almost glows as it reflects the natural light in the space, and chimes with the brass fluted wall cabinets with mirrored interiors beyond. Pulling all the tones in the space together is the textured African Fusion worktop with sharknose profile – a beautiful piece in itself.
2. Shehryar Khan of Sheraton Interiors adopted a similar strategy when designing his own kitchen, and opted for Little Greene Lamp Black paint for the cabinetry to achieve a bold, sophisticated look in the background, while the contrasting whitewashed stained oak Japandi-style island introduced an element of natural, organic warmth. This island may be beautiful but it's also hardworking – whitewashed stained oak drawers offer plenty of storage, and 2 BORA induction hobs are flush-fitted into the worktop.
3. This kitchen, which was designed by Kelling Designs and DeVOL, is in a large stately home, and fittingly features a generous, 2-in-1 island area. The kitchen table with banquette seating curving round it seats 10 people and links 2 identical islands at either side. The island at the far end hosts the main kitchen zones, including the cookers, fridges and washing amenities. The island on the nearer end has a breakfast bar, coffee, tea and breakfast station with a smaller fridge and dishwasher. The whole space flows organically, while Corian worktops in slightly different finishes create visual interest.
4. This bespoke kitchen from Grid Thirteen was designed using the company's in-house handcrafted ‘Darling Maeve’ collection. The central island features a Caesarstone worktop that has 2 different heights and thicknesses to enhance visual appeal while also providing distinct working zones for culinary tasks. The colour scheme contrasts dark wood veneer doors on the island and Farrow & Ball Ammonite panelled doors chosen on the wall cabinetry for an impactful yet timeless design. The large island cleverly provides 2 seating areas – a high breakfast bar area by the patio doors and low-circular booth seating at the other end.
5. This Searle & Taylor kitchen features a handleless curved corner island with stained oak vertical grain veneered fronts and matching plinth, forming the centrepiece of a classic bespoke kitchen painted in Stone 3 by Paint & Paper Library. In the centre of the 30mm-thick Bianco Superiore honed quartzite worktop is a flush-mounted Gaggenau Cook’s Cooktop, while at the task end of the island, which has handleless deep drawers, is a square ceramic undermount sink by Shaws with a Quooker tap with an antique brass finish.
6. This impressive building is a converted barn with beautiful vaulted ceiling and Roundhouse's bespoke design reflects the architecture of the space keeping it light with natural materials and special veneers to match the timber in the ceiling. The bespoke kitchen island has real presence in such a large area using a thick Stainless worktop edge profile as a feature alongside the terrazzo flooring to complement the tones of the kitchen. A BORA hob sits flush within the island worktop.
7. This open-plan kitchen was part of a whole-house renovation by Sheraton Interiors and features a skinny Shaker slab door in Farrow & Ball's Card Room Green, and dark stained oak on the doors on the back of island. The pièce de resistance is the striking XTONE worktop in warm Calacatta Gold, which has 2 Gaggenau gas hobs and a teppan yaki flush-fitted into it. Functionality was a priority, so there's also ample storage to help keep surfaces clutter-free.
8. This sculptural island in Diane Berry's own Eggersmann kitchen is feat of engineering, achieving both beauty and function. The priority was to seat 6, which it does easily, and Diane wanted it to be floating so guests could stretch their legs. To achieve this, the island is full of concealed steel to support the overhanging 3200 x 1350mm Dekton worktop, as the area on the floor is comparatively small. The units are reduced in height and the sides and fronts are 3mm solid stainless steel. An undermounted sink with a Quooker Front tap provide additional luxe touches, while lighting under the units creates an elegant glow in the evenings.
9. An island doesn't have to be huge to make a statement, as proven here by Simon Taylor Furniture. This waterfall island is the central feature of a bespoke handleless kitchen with lacquered fronts. The task side of the island faces a black AGA and includes deep pan drawers with a single cupboard to one side and pull-out bins to the other. The facing side features a vertical grain walnut veneer panel within a recess for 3 counter stools in-between a 30cm handmade walnut wine rack and a 30cm wine chiller. To complement the AGA, the clients chose 20mm-thick worktops with a double pencil edge in Eternal Noir by Silestone, which is also used for the waterfall ends of the island.
10. This gem by Naked Kitchens combines boho chic with a sense of glamour. The in-frame Shaker doors painted in Sandringham Pine green provide a smart, muted backdrop to the room’s vivid pops of pink and orange. Gleaming brass finishes add a touch of luxury, while the island balances the space and multi-tasks as a worktop, dining perch and a bar in the evenings, with the trio of pendant lights working in perfect harmony with the seats.
