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Ready for the island kitchen? Ideas for cooking islands with style

14/05/2025

5 min.

André Herger

An island kitchen offers extra worktop space, making the room the meeting point and centre of your home.

Cooking islands are the first choice for many, especially in open-plan kitchens. But a modern island kitchen can also shine in small rooms. When does a cooking island make sense and how do you plan your kitchen with an island? We provide tips for planning and furnishing.

Kitchen planning details

Kitchen design: Orea
BORA product: BORA Classic, triple combination of two surface induction hobs, a wok hob and two cooktop extractors

The island kitchen as the centrepiece of your home

The best parties take place in the kitchen, the family gets together to cook, talk and laugh, creative recipes are tested and new flavours are tried out.

An island kitchen offers the space to enjoy all of this to the full. An additional block positioned in the centre of the room complements the classic kitchen unit. It usually consists of base units with doors and/or drawers and a spacious work surface.

Often the hob is located on the cooking island, so you have plenty of space for kitchen utensils, recipe books, spices, etc. when experimenting with new recipes. An island kitchen with a counter complements the dining tableand is ideal as a breakfast area or for socialising before and after dinner.

Advantages and disadvantages of island kitchens

Whether a large or small island kitchen - the central block offers numerous advantages:

An island kitchen creates additional space and offers plenty of storage space with drawers and doors.
In open-plan living and cooking areas, it serves as an optical room divider and continues to open up the view into the room.
A kitchen island also promotes communication and sociability.
Cooking islands can be flexibly equipped according to your wishes - with a hob, grill or teppanyaki, sink or simply as a work surface.

But does a kitchen island always make sense? The solution can also have disadvantages:

In very small kitchens, the optimal minimum distance to other furniture is often not given.
Retrofitting is often complex and costly.
New pipes often need to be laid for integrated hobs and sinks.

Tips for kitchen planning: Island kitchens in rooms of different sizes

Whether an XL, medium-sized or mini kitchen - an island can be realised in most rooms. We present variousplanning examples .

Cooking islands in large kitchens

Open-plan kitchens and large rooms require a centralcooking islandthat complements an L-shaped or U-shaped kitchen.
Steam oven and co., fridge and dishwasher can be integrated into the line.
The XL island offers space for the hob and sink.
There is storage space under the island.
An extractor integrated into the hob creates space on the ceiling for the lighting.

Good to know: A large kitchen can cope with strong colours. For example, an island kitchen in black or anthracite with a real wood worktop exudes cosiness and class.

Planning tips for medium-sized kitchens

In addition to a row, an island kitchen with counter creates another multifunctional area.
Drawers, pull-outs and cupboards provide space for cooking utensils and crockery.
The worktop can be complemented with a hob if required. The space this saves in the kitchen unit can be used for small appliances such as a coffee machine, kettle, food processor or the BORA QVac built-in vacuum unit .
To save space, the island can be positioned against a wall. Tip: In this case, install shelves on the wall, for example for spices or frequently used kitchen utensils.

Island kitchens in a small space

Mini kitchens can also accommodate an island as an addition to a row or U-shaped kitchen.
Opt for a compact kitchen island with hobto save space in the line.
Integrate cupboards and open shelves for easy-to-reach storage space.
An extractor system built into the hob creates space for hooks on the ceiling to keep pots and pans within easy reach.

How to make optimum use of the different kitchen shapes

Do you know the rule of triangles? It is the be-all and end-all for optimum kitchen planning and keeps working distances short:

The work triangle connects the most important areas in the kitchen: Fridge, cooker and sink.
Arrange these areas in the island kitchen so that the respective zones are no more than about two metres apart . This ensures optimum freedom of movement and efficiency at the same time.

Good to know: In an island kitchen, for example, it makes sense to integrate the hob on the island, install the sink directly opposite in the row and place the fridge on one of the side walls near the sink .

Planning island kitchens - tips for convenient cooking

What is the minimum width of a cooking island? The question arises above all in small kitchens. If you use the free-standing cooking island primarily for serving, a width of 80 to 100 centimetresis sufficient. If it also serves as a work or cooking area, it should be at least around 1.20 metres wide .

Sufficiently wide walkways are essential for comfortable kitchen use. But how much distance should be maintained between the kitchen unit and cooking island?