What is your ideal island – Hawaii, Aruba, Minorca? Sorry, not that kind of island. The kitchen island.
When designing a kitchen for the 55-plus buyer, the island becomes the focal point – both visually and practically. But when it comes to the design of the island, there are a lot of things to consider. I’m not talking about the finishes of the island, or whether it’s rectangular or curved, but rather the three dimensional shape of it. When it comes to designing the ideal island for the 55-plus buyer, there are three major forms to consider that offer different solutions for the 55-plus home buyer.
The Flat Island
This island features one continuous surface at kitchen counter top height (36”). This configuration provides the most usable and flexible surface area. It is also the simplest installation. If the size is 4’ by 8’ or less, it can typically been done in one seamless slab of granite. The seating at the island is medium height bar stools with the seat at 24” high. There are plenty of styles of bar stools to choice from at this height, with and without backs. This height is fairly accessible, even for shorter buyers.
This solution maximizes openness between the kitchen and all adjacent rooms. One contention is that you can see into the kitchen sink. In reality, this is not remedied by a raised counter as you can still see everything in the kitchen while seated – including any dishes left in the sink.
One potential drawback with this island is the location of outlets and switches. Outlets are either below the overhang or at either side of the island. If you use the island for charging your devices, this location is not always ideal. The same is true for switches. If there is a sink in the island, the garbage disposal switch most either go on the end or a surface mounted switch cut into the island top.
The Raised Dishwasher Island
If you’ve ever had back issues, you know how painful loading and unloading the dishwasher can be. To alleviate this, you can raise the dishwasher 6” creating a 42” high counter top. This raised counter is then wrapped around the island creating the 42” tall overhang and sitting area. Raising the bar top helps to block the view of the kitchen sink and faucet from adjacent rooms. The bar stool required for this configuration is 30” in height, which can be less accessible for shorter adults. Switches and outlets can be conveniently located on the 6” backsplash. However, because the surface of the counter top is two levels, it is less flexible than the one level configuration.
The Dropped Bar Island
Mikiko Kikuyama
A dropped island enhances accessibility
The last island form to consider for the 55-plus plus buyer is one where the bar top is dropped to 30”, or table height. This two level island has a couple of distinct advantages. The first is accessibility because the seating height is 18” or a typical chair, also working well for wheelchair access. The other advantage is the accessibility to outlets – on the bar side of the island which is great for charging all of your devices without having to get on your hands and knees to plug them in. This becomes a great place to do work, play games or check email while remaining in the action around the kitchen.
Choosing an island really comes down to personal preference and lifestyle. These three solutions offer varying degrees of style and functionality. It is important for the NEXTadventure buyer to think about how they use their kitchens and decide which suits them best.
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