3 Things You Maybe Didn’t Know an Island Could Have

Island. “Given that we were a bit limited with wall space for large appliances, we worked a set of freezer drawers into the island, across from the full-sized Sub-Zero refrigerator column,” designer Emily Karempelis says. “This prevented us from having to step up the overall width of a refrigerator-freezer combination unit.” There’s also a microwave drawer, placed in the island to keep the look of the kitchen streamlined and to have it near the pantry and refrigerator.

Other special features. Recessed appliances that sit flush with cabinets. Wall-mounted sconces over the sink. Walk-in pantry. Reclaimed-barn-wood accent on range hood.Designer secret. “As a designer, I am always looking to create balance and symmetry,” Karempelis says. “In this case, we were a bit landlocked, and recessing the appliances into the wall threw off the centerline of the island and the kitchen sink. Instead of drawing attention to this by adding pendant lights over the island, we instead kept can lighting in the kitchen and used some fun wall-mounted sconces over the kitchen window to draw your eyes through the kitchen space while also providing additional lighting for one of the main working surfaces in the kitchen.”

“Uh-oh” moment. “One of the final steps in a kitchen renovation is to install the appliance panels,” Karempelis says. “When it came time to do this, the panels that we had were not the correct size to fit the appliances. We knew we had to get the team on-site to come up with a solution. We took a step back and evaluated what had happened. We had a great team of contractors and subs working on this project, and we came together with a solution to get them right. While this part of the project got pushed back a few days, other aspects of the job were able to continue moving forward, and in the end everything turned out right.”

Contractor: New Rosslyn Construction; cabinets: Cabinet Resources; cabinet finishing: DeHuelbes Designs; appliances: Sub-Zero and Wolf; tile: Builders Floor Covering & Tile; countertops: AGM Imports; countertop installation: Inman Park Marble & Granite; hardware: Masterpiece Lighting; sconces: EK Interiors; plumbing: Waterstone Faucets; photography: Rustic White Photograph

Island. The end-of-island accent piece is a fun “touch of the unexpected,” Koepke says. The piece also adds extra countertop space for chopping and other food prep. The drawers are decorative false fronts. Each stack of four false drawers forms a vertical door; each pair of doors opens to a cabinet with adjustable shelves.

Other special features. Custom zinc range hood. Locally sourced reclaimed-barn-wood beams.

Designer secret. “The perfect balance of textures in this space really is the goal I wanted to achieve,” Koepke says. “With modern farmhouse in mind, I wanted to mix crisp and clean elements, such as the smooth white cabinetry and sleek quartz countertops, against the raw metal from the hood and [the] roughness that the barn-wood beams and wood floors give off. Add some fun industrial-style lighting and cabinet hardware, a little touch of the unexpected, and you have the recipe to a perfect modern-farmhouse kitchen.”

Island accent piece: Brothers Woodworking/Old Sol Lumber; Indian premium Black Satin granite perimeter countertops: Arizona Tile; island countertop in Calacatta Nuvo: Caesarstone; cabinetry: Crown Cabinetry; Build Brick ceramic backsplash tile in white gloss: Kaiser Tile; light fixtures: Shades of Light; cabinet hardware: Top Knobs; custom range hood and barn-wood beams: Porter Barnwood; Fossil wall paint: Dunn-Edwards Paints; furniture staging: Modern Manor