Steel Yourself: Industrial Kitchen Islands Are On a Roll
The almighty kitchen island functions in many ways, not the least of which is acting as command central. A customized version, like any of the clever rolling industrial styles below, offers that same high function, but thanks to their added features and bold aesthetics, they run circles around the traditional built-in island.
Not surprisingly, a kitchen shown on Houzz featuring such an industrial-style island constantly gets the question, How did the designer make that? I went to some of the creators directly for tips on how you, too, can have something like these islands in your kitchen.
A design collaboration. Anastasia Faiella, founder of Faiella Design, has fielded lots of questions about this piece she made in collaboration with Jason Lees Design and decorative painter Ted Somogyi. The name of the game is aesthetics. “The paint colors were carefully selected to coordinate the kitchen with its shared dining room space,” says Faiella.
While beauty is key to this design, so too is functionality. The top is butcher block, and the wheels have a locking mechanism to prevent rolling away. The drawers are accessible from the side so as not to fight with the stool.
Form follows function. Architect Tim Cuppett designed this piece to fit the explicit needs of the homeowner. “Always start with function first,” he says. “Materials and details can be altered to fit any desired style.”
His stainless steel design was made by a local commercial kitchen equipment fabricator. “In addition to having drawers and an open shelf below,” he says, “it’s on casters so that it can be rotated and used as a serving bar, keeping people out of the cook’s way.”
A view from the historic house’s living room shows the usefulness of the same island, which can roll through the living and dining areas carrying drinks or food.
When deciding what size to make an island of this nature, be mindful of necessary clearances. In this case the clearances include both kitchen traffic lanes as well as the doorways it needs to pass through.
Continue reading Steel Yourself: Industrial Kitchen Islands Are On a Roll
Not surprisingly, a kitchen shown on Houzz featuring such an industrial-style island constantly gets the question, How did the designer make that? I went to some of the creators directly for tips on how you, too, can have something like these islands in your kitchen.
A design collaboration. Anastasia Faiella, founder of Faiella Design, has fielded lots of questions about this piece she made in collaboration with Jason Lees Design and decorative painter Ted Somogyi. The name of the game is aesthetics. “The paint colors were carefully selected to coordinate the kitchen with its shared dining room space,” says Faiella.
While beauty is key to this design, so too is functionality. The top is butcher block, and the wheels have a locking mechanism to prevent rolling away. The drawers are accessible from the side so as not to fight with the stool.
Form follows function. Architect Tim Cuppett designed this piece to fit the explicit needs of the homeowner. “Always start with function first,” he says. “Materials and details can be altered to fit any desired style.”
His stainless steel design was made by a local commercial kitchen equipment fabricator. “In addition to having drawers and an open shelf below,” he says, “it’s on casters so that it can be rotated and used as a serving bar, keeping people out of the cook’s way.”
A view from the historic house’s living room shows the usefulness of the same island, which can roll through the living and dining areas carrying drinks or food.
When deciding what size to make an island of this nature, be mindful of necessary clearances. In this case the clearances include both kitchen traffic lanes as well as the doorways it needs to pass through.
Continue reading Steel Yourself: Industrial Kitchen Islands Are On a Roll
