Free-Reprint Article Written by: Aaron J. Munk See Terms of Reprint Below.
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The modern kitchen has become the heart of the home; a place where family and friends gather to do everything from cooking and eating, to entertaining, to doing homework, to sharing everyday life. Additional Article Information: =============================== 812 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line Distribution Date and Time: 2008-12-17 11:00:00 Written By: Aaron J. Munk Copyright: 2008 Contact Email: mailto:[email protected] For more free-reprint articles by Aaron J. Munk, please visit: http://www.thePhantomWriters.com/recent/author/aaron-j_-munk.html ============================================= Special Notice For Publishers and Webmasters: ============================================= If you use this article on your website or in your ezine, We Want To Know About It. Use the following URL to let us know where you have used this article, and we will include a link to your website on thePhantomWriters.com: http://thephantomwriters.com/notify.php?id=6445&p=load HTML Copy-and-Paste and TEXT Copy-and-Paste Versions Of Article Are Available at: http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/m/island-living.shtml#get_code --------------------------------------------------------------------- Island Living: Your Kitchen Will Never Be the Same Copyright (c) 2008 Aaron J. Munk SeeItYourWay http://www.seeityourway.com Today's kitchens aren't just for cooking anymore. The modern kitchen has become the heart of the home; a place where family and friends gather to do everything from cooking and eating, to entertaining, to doing homework, to sharing everyday life. Because of their practicality and convenience, kitchen designers are incorporating islands into more new homes. Along with more storage area and additional counter space, islands add a sense of style and luxury to the kitchen. Your island can be as simple as putting a plain table in the middle of your kitchen, to designing an elaborate unit with varying heights and running water or even a cooktop or oven. When you decide to install an island, you must plan specific design elements and keep in mind the following considerations: Space Requirements Some kitchens are just too small for an island, which requires a three-foot clearance on all sides. There is no hard rule, but unless the kitchen has an open space of eight feet by twelve feet, at the minimum, its unwise to consider adding an island. You can draw a chalk outline on the floor of your kitchen to indicate the island. Or, you could stack boxes in the shape of your desired island space. As you walk around the shape, if it feels crowded, your island could become more of an obstacle than a convenience and you may need to adjust the design. Make sure there's enough space between the island and other work areas so you'll be able to open cabinet or appliance doors. And remember that with an island, there will be room for two people to work. If your kitchen is not large enough for a fixed island, you could invest in a portable version that can easily be moved and be stored near a wall when not in use. Design Choices Use design elements based on tasks you want to perform around your kitchen island. It can be located so it functions as an integral part of the work area or you may want to use it to divide the kitchen and the family room. The classic "work triangle" of the cooking station, the cleanup station and the storage station can be reconfigured to include the island. You can relocate the cooktop to the island and have a wall oven elsewhere. If you do, consider storing the pots and pans below the cooktop for ease of use. This type of cooking island will require about a two-foot clearance on the counter adjacent to a cooktop and an exhaust fan nearby. This cooktop island is ideal for those who like to entertain since the cook can prepare food while entertaining guests. Proper ventilation is vital and an exhaust fan located beneath the heating elements should draw smoke and heat away from the rest of the kitchen. You could relocate the cleanup station to the island by adding a sink and a disposal unit or a pull-out waste basket drawer for prepping vegetables. You might also want to add a dishwasher and make sure there is easy access to utensils and dishes and cleaning supplies. A social island might have seating and space for a television or computer and storage for homework and supplies. This configuration could include a microwave for heating up after-school snacks. Proper Height Usually, the island will be the same height as the rest of your countertops. However, they can be modified with different heights such as adding the popular breakfast bar. This dual-height island has a 42-inch counter to accommodate bar stools along with a lower 36-inch high counter for cooking. And, islands aren't just rectangular. They can be L-shaped or curved or even have more than two tiers. Countertops and Lighting When adding an island, you'll be adding more counter space. Islands can be topped just like regular counters - with hard wood, granite, marble, stainless steel, laminate, natural stone or butcher block. You can choose to match the rest of the kitchens countertops or you can chose something different that complements the look of your kitchen. Adding legs or feet makes the island look more like a piece of furniture, a popular trend for todays kitchens. It's very important to have enough light in a kitchen. There are many options for light above the island including recessed and pendant lighting to track lighting or even a chandelier. You might even try to maximize the natural light by having a skylight. Many new kitchen islands are being designed with functional and decorative touches, turning the island into the focal point of the kitchen instead of just a last-minute addition. Island living shouldn't be stressful. If planning your island seems overwhelming, there are plenty of places to get design help. Designed correctly, a kitchen island will make your work area more functional and efficient, and will be enjoyed by everyone for many years. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Aaron J. Munk is the founder of Maytex Global, a home-design technology company at the crossroads of technology and design. They are the creators of SeeItYourWay, a premier kitchen design website, providing users with the ability to view multiple home dÈcor selections in a photo-realistic setting, bringing out the unique designer in each and every one of us. To learn more, visit http://www.seeityourway.com or call 800-733-0155. --- END ARTICLE --- Get HTML or TEXT Copy-and-Paste Versions Of This Article at: http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/m/island-living.shtml#get_code ..................................... TERMS OF REPRINT - Publication Rules (Last Updated: May 11, 2006) Our TERMS OF REPRINT are fully enforcable under the terms of: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.2281.ENR: ..................................... *** Digital Reprint Rights *** * If you publish this article in a website/forum/blog, You Must Set All URL's or Mailto Addresses in the body of the article AND in the Author's Resource Box as Hyperlinks (clickable links). * Links must remain in the form that we published them. Clean links should point to the Author's links without redirects having been inserted into the copy. * You are not allowed to Change or Delete any Words or Links in the Article or Resource Box. 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Munk can be reached at: [email protected] *** Print Publication Reprint Rights *** If you desire to publish this article in a PRINT publication, you must contact the author directly for Print Permission at: mailto:[email protected] ..................................... If you need help converting this text article for proper hyperlinked placement in your webpage, please use this free tool: http://thephantomwriters.com/link-builder.pl ===================================================================== ABOUT THIS ARTICLE SUBMISSION http://thePhantomWriters.com is a paid article distribution service. thePhantomWriters.com and Article-Distribution.com are owned and operated by Bill Platt of Stillwater, Oklahoma USA. Learn more about our article distribution services by visiting: http://thephantomwriters.com/x.pl/tpw/info/article-distribution/index.html The content of this article is solely the property and opinion of its author, Aaron J. 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