35 small kitchen island ideas to make the most of your space

In this kitchen in Georgia, designer Jerel Lake, a member of the Next Wave class of 2024, needed to find a clever way to add storage, so he decided to install a small kitchen island with numerous apothecary-style drawers. The multipurpose drawers include a docking station for charging your phone, storage designed specifically for a heavy Dutch oven, and built-in steel canisters for keeping side dishes warm.

When designer Kelly Cook of Orangerie Home was tasked with renovating this tiny kitchen, she chose only dark colors for the cabinets, floors, and ceiling. This helped the space feel larger, she explains. By sticking to a similarly dark color palette, shadows are largely eliminated. Choosing an island that matches this palette can also help the entire kitchen feel larger.

This Nashville kitchen island is small but mighty: Half of the countertop is open underneath (perfect for tucking in a single chair) and the other end is closed off, complete with plenty of storage drawers. To keep the island, and the room overall, neat and tidy, the team at Studio Dearborn decided to stash all of their cooking essentials in these drawers rather than lining them up on the countertop.

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The size of your island doesn't matter as long as you make it visually interesting. Think of it as a statement piece. That's what designer Fitzhugh Carroll of Brooklyn Home Company did in this 400-square-foot studio apartment. Carroll hand-carved this tiny kitchen island from a fallen oak-and-cherry log.

Opting for a small kitchen island gives you the opportunity to splurge on the style of countertop you really want. This kitchen designed by Julee Wray of Truss Interiors features a beautiful granite waterfall countertop, highlighting the island's look rather than its size.

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The key to making a small island look bigger is to make the space look larger, so opt for open shelving rather than using cabinets to store your items. Designer Colleen Saglimbeni used open shelving around the edge of the tiny kitchen island in this floating home, where space is at a premium, adding a beautiful pop of color to the room.

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When you live in a historic home, it feels right to choose furniture that fits the era. When antiques collector Philip Smith moved into a house built in 1716, he House BeautifulShe enlisted Robert Rufino, former style director at , to help her keep the decor in line with the times, which meant opting for a slender kitchen island with legs and open storage rather than a large block of granite.

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While rectangular kitchen islands are popular, square ones can work better, especially when they offer extra storage and seating. In this modern home in Seattle, designer Andy Beers packed more into the freestanding counter.

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Designer Leena Ravi added versatility to her kitchen by putting a small kitchen island on wheels. “Since the kitchen, dining and living area are all in one space, the mobile island can be moved around when more space is needed,” she explains.

If your kitchen is decorated in one standout colour, choose (or paint) a contrasting shade to make your small kitchen island ideas stand out and match the overall feel, like this muted grey island that Celia Bryson chose for Sophie Donelson's kitchen.

Want to make your small kitchen island look bigger? Opt for a monochromatic color scheme that complements its surroundings. Designer Molly Singer chose a bold green color (Behr's Solitary Tree, to be exact) for this kitchen's island, cabinets, and window sills.

In small spaces, everything has to do double duty. For example, if your small kitchen island doubles as a dining area, choose a table with an island-compatible countertop so you can prepare and eat dinner on the same surface. Weeth Home created the elegant custom table shown here, which can be used for anything.

Designer Kelsey Lee McGregor made this tiny kitchen feel much larger simply by hiding the microwave inside the island, which reduces visual clutter (and countertop clutter!) and makes the whole room feel larger.

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While many small kitchen islands are permanent fixtures in a home, you can add casters to your favorite vintage piece to make it even more versatile. Designer Lynn Kloythanomsup chose an antique Swedish butcher block for this tiny San Francisco kitchen. Its casters make it easy to move around the space and removable when the homeowners move out.

In this kitchen by Ariene Bethea, the stark contrast between the bright white walls and black cabinetry makes the quartz countertop island appear to almost float. Though the island is relatively small, it creates the illusion of more space.

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In designer Emily Janak's home, she and her husband chose dark soapstone for the countertops on their kitchen island because it's an incredibly durable, heat-resistant material—plus, in a small kitchen space, it's super convenient for placing hot pans and dishes directly on the counter in an emergency.

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This long, narrow island is relatively plain, except for the decorative panels on the front. Without these accents, a small kitchen island like this would easily go unnoticed. But adding these decorative elements transforms the piece and makes it look much more appealing.

Vaulted ceilings automatically make a room appear larger, no matter its size. In this Maui kitchen, designer Breeze Giannasio layered wood paneling over the small kitchen island to add warmth to the all-white space.

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