Ideas to Redesign a Kitchen Island With Columns

Practical Columns

• Beyond offering storage and work space, kitchen islands can offer informal seating. A few column-shaped barstools work best. Position the barstools on the side of the island farthest from the main cooking and food preparation areas. When adding barstools, ensure that the island permits sufficient legroom.

  If your island is filled with closed cabinets, consider having a carpenter or furniture-maker extend the island´s top outward. On each side of the extended lip, use a column befitting the kitchen´s overall style. To complement a simple Arts and Crafts-inspired look, use straight or slightly tapered square legs. For a more ornate Mediterranean look, choose a classical column with a decorative capital.

An Open Island

• To add a sense of space to a smaller kitchen, consider using a kitchen island solely for the additional counterspace. Instead of filling the island with drawers or racks, leave the space open. At most, add one low shelf for storing one or two frequently-used items and one drawer immediately below the countertop, either for cutlery or as a pull-out cutting board. Use columns to tie the island in with the rest of the kitchen decor. By selecting the right look, you´ll dress up the island from a simple table to a seamless extension of the cabinetry and counters. For an ambitious DIY project, acquire unfinished wood table legs and use a slab of discounted marble for an elegant top surface. Paint or stain the legs to coordinate with your cabinetry.

Decorative Flourishes

• If you're already pleased with your island's function but you want a simple update, you can add on columns as a purely decorative adornment. For a classically-inspired kitchen, select from Doric, Ionic or Corinthian columns. For example, in a Georgian or a Greek Revival home, you can combine the simple lines of Doric columns with white or deep blue tones. If your home is influenced by the Southwest, consider joining the columns with a rounded arch and using clay and earth tones.