Growing up in my family’s first house out of six, the kitchen island was my after-school hangout, my pseudo-desk and the site of many conversations, both light-hearted and serious. Aside from its use as a gathering space, the bi-level, white ceramic tile and oak island also served as an integral piece of the cooking prep puzzle by providing ample counter space and enough storage to house all of our obnoxiously large kitchen appliances – from my mother’s industrial-sized mixer to the gargantuan toaster oven we used once. Though the idea of an island as a mass storage unit is a good one, keep in mind that an island is first and foremost a visual piece that needs to belong esthetically. Islands that are too small, too large, or the wrong shape can be a detriment to the flow of the space.
If there’s one thing I can take away from my numerous moves involving upsizing and downsizing, it’s the importance of space. A room, especially a kitchen, with a layout that leaves dead space is like watching a bad movie. At first, the creator’s thoughtlessness is nearly laughable, but after awhile, it really just becomes annoying…or in my case, the annoyance can cause one to want to gently place their space-sucking microwave on the floor for lack of a better location. A properly shaped island can solve this predicament by filling in the emptiness with added storage and counter space, eliminating any appliance’s relocation to an unacceptable place.
A common misconception is that islands are meant solely for large kitchens. On the contrary, any island can be a functional, and practical, kitchen piece that eliminates any question relative to “Where in the world can I put this?” It just needs to follow a certain shape and size that will appropriately fit the space.
Gina Ciarrocchi is on board with Susan Muschweck Interior Design, LLC, as a summer intern. A junior Integrated Marketing Communications major at Duquesne University, Gina is currently discovering new techniques and ideas to effectively contribute to the Susan Muschweck Interior Design, LLC, brand. Gina is branching off of her existing skills in graphic design and trying her hand at several new programs, such as the techy mystery that is Adobe Lightroom, which she hopes to master during this internship.
Outside of her busy life as a student, Gina strives for balance as a devoted yogi (a practitioner of yoga) and an avid chef and baker of all things delicious, much to the enjoyment of her foodie boyfriend, who lives to sample each of her delightful creations.