Are you looking for  best kitchen island ideas on a Budget For Small Space ,that will fit perfectly in your average or small sized kitchen? Well, you have come to the right place to find the inspiration. There are many ideas of kitchen island for your small kitchen that will  motivate and inspire you in  finding the right  style and apply it to your very own kitchen.

The question remains “is it crucial to have an island at the heart of small kitchen?”. This frequently asked question’s answer depends on the family needs, kitchen dynamics, and the available space.

A gorgeous and smart kitchen island would be the perfect thing to be the heart of your small kitchen. It can be your prep zone to create a simple breakfast nook.

The kitchen island would also provide additional space for storages. If your kitchen cabinets can’t store all of your items and clusterings, a kitchen island can do it.

Having tiny kitchen islands in a middle of a small kitchen is the solution. It solves the problem with elegance and ingenuity. It can pack quite a punch when it’s used the right way. It will enhance the aesthetics of the kitchen too.

There are three categories of ideas that would be shown here:

• Small Kitchen island Design ideas
• Small kitchen island decoration ideas
• Small kitchen Island Style Ideas

1. Small Kitchen Island In A Square Shape

When talking about large kitchen islands, some designers wouldn’t recommend you to pick the square-shaped kitchen island.

It is because the large square island would be hard to clean. The center space is often wasted because the access is difficult.

In this case, we are talking about the small kitchen. So, the shape doesn’t matter. It is because it’s small and you can easily clean all spot on the surface.

When placing a small and square kitchen island in your small kitchen, it’s visually pleasing and ergonomic.

Pros

• Flexible choice of furniture
• The standard kitchen island shape
• Well-blended with any style

Cons

• So ordinary/not unique

2. Small Kitchen Island Ideas With Great Mobility

A small kitchen island will give you much variety in terms of shape and mobility.

You have to think twice when you decide to narrow, long island in the small kitchen. It does offer you an additional prep zone and worktop. But it also offers hindrance and workflow disturbance.

If you have the long island between the sink and the stove, it might mean that you will be taking a long trip all the way around at some point of the times.

Pros

• Extra prep zone and worktop

Cons

• Hindrance
• Workflow disturbance

3. Small Kitchen Island Overhang

This is a good solution for you who want to add additional space of the counter without actually taking any room for the foot. It’s not a great deal for large kitchens, but for a small kitchen, it’s a good deal.

This kind of kitchen island will provide the perfect couple’s breakfast nook. The crucial part of this kitchen island is choosing the countertop’s material. It’s recommended to choose a wooden countertop.

Pros

• It saves more space
• It gives more space for legs
• It comforts the sitting
• It can be attached with more stools

Cons

• It can be expensive
• It can’t be used as the workstation of the kitchen

4. Kitchen Island Cart

This is one of the simplest solutions of a small kitchen island. This portable furniture is so flexible, you can move it to anywhere you want based on your needs.

When you are not using it, you can move it away from the center and set it on the corner. The size of kitchen island cart is always small, so it is perfect for your small kitchen.

There are some small kitchen island cart products you can purchase online. Most of the cart design complete with shelves, cabinets, drawers, and other space of storage. All of them are designed based on your needs. Or you can make  it yourself! You can find some guides online on how to make a DIY Kitchen Island.

You can choose the cabinets with glass doors or closed doors. Also, there is some cart that is only having shelves. The shelves allow you to arrange the kitchen tools to be a nice decoration.

Pros

• Simple solution
• Portable and flexible
• Good dimension for small space

Cons

• The wheels can be a big problem
• High chance of trembling

5. A Restaurant Grade Small Kitchen Island Ideas/ Stainless Steel Kitchen island

It’s quite easy to find, you can just visit a supply store for a restaurant. There will be an industrial, commercial stainless work table you pick for your island.

This portable island is completed with wheels. It’s lightweight yet sturdy, durable. This island uses wood and stainless steel for the materials. It comes in with various sizes as narrow as 16”. The price is fairly cheap.

If you use the island very often, you need to pick the one with a towel bar for textiles and hooks. Also, make sure it has an open shelving below.

As told before, the wheels are there to help you move it easily to anywhere you want. Even though, this kind of island is still easy to move without the wheels.

Pros

• Good quality
• Food grade
• Easy to find
• Portable

Cons

• The wheels can be a problem When’s not built right
• Mostly made of metal which’s not stylish for some kitchen design

6. The Drop Leaf Kitchen/ SlIde Out Table Island Ideas

It has extra counter space you need for your kitchen activity. A drop leaf island is a smart way to add more space to the counter. You can just pop it up when you need bigger space. Then, drop it down if you do not use the space anymore and let you get an ease of movement in a small kitchen.

If you need more space on an island and do not have more space in the kitchen, adding this island at the end of a kitchen island, kitchen wall, and kitchen cabinet is clever. The extra space on the countertop can be used as extra prep zone or an eating nook. You can store it or get it away when not in use.

Pros

• Space saver
• It makes your small kitchen to be more spacious
• Flexible

Cons

• The drop-leaf panel / slide out table  won’t be stronger than ordinary island

7. A Butcher Block Kitchen Island Ideas

This is a perfect alternative for a kitchen island. It is designed for a butcher to handle meat. It can also be used as a small kitchen island. The ethnic and traditional look would be in the kitchen. You have to blend well with the style.

The surface of this butcher block must be ready for use in the kitchen. A couple of stools need to be added to create a snack counter.

A kitchen with the white background may be a good friend of this kitchen island. It looks both rustic and stylish. The red stools look stunning going into the mix. Both of the furniture are made of wood.

Even though they have different paint color, the feelings remain the same. If you want to leave the stools to be natural, it wouldn’t look good like that photos. This can be a good small kitchen island with stools.

Pros

• Good quality of wood
• Good strength
• Rustically stylish

Cons

• Not for other styles besides traditional, antique or rustic
• It could look dirty
• It’s hard to find matching furniture

8. Kitchen Island Ideas on a Budget : Upsycled Furniture

This is a cheap and effective way to get an island for your small kitchen. Some furniture from other room can have good small kitchen island designs. A sofa table may be a good choice. A sofa table with high feet is a perfect choice. Normally, it has to be around 30” high to make it be a good option of a kitchen island.

Placing flowery pot below the table will fill the hole under the table. It might be more spacious without the pots, but the pots give something to talk about when you are entering the kitchen. I mean, it makes the table more interesting. There are small drawers you can use to put some small kitchen tools or some other clusters.

The white walls and cabinets are the perfect combination of wood floorings. The dark brown color might be a little bit contrast when going with the light color like white. But this kitchen looks outstanding with it.

Pros

• Budget friendly
• Effective for small kitchen
• DIY

Cons

• It’s not as good as the previous version
• The durability is questioned

9. A Floating Kitchen Island Ledge/ A Breakfast Bar

First, you need to find the right space for this floating island. It is the key to making a good kitchen experience. This simple butcher block ledge will be a good alternative of floating kitchen island. If you think that a ledge is not possible in your kitchen, you need to create an enclosure that has a minimalist design of island.

This is one of the greatest solutions for the small kitchen. If you want your kitchen to be more spacious, try having the kitchen island attached to the walls. On the picture, the floating table is completed with two wooden stools that are painted darker.

Two light bulbs in the lighting fixtures complete the minimalist and ultra modern style of this kitchen. Almost the whole element of the kitchen is painted gray, only the glass and cup shelves, island, and stools are in brown colors.

Pros

• It makes the room more spacious
• Perfect for small room
• Can be a great breakfast bar
• Gives more space for workflow

Cons

• Not strong enough to hold heavy things
• Can’t be used as workstation too often

10. Storable Kitchen Island Ideas/Tiny Kitchen Island

This is the solution of limited space in the kitchen. If you have an open space where you can store an island when not in use, you need to have a kitchen island that is designed to fit the dimensions of the open space you have.

This island is completed with wheels that will help you move it around easily.

It is kept safe under the kitchen counter. You can get it out of the safe space to use it and you can get it in again. It’s quite clever to keep your kitchen space open when you are not in the work.

The wooden countertop is provided for you to work on. You can slice some bread, veggies, and fruits on it. It is like the biggest cutting board you have ever have in your kitchen.

Pros

• Can be hidden away from sight
• Can be used as cut board
• Can be used as the extra workstation space
• Flexible and Portable

Cons

• You need to move it in and out every time you use it
• The size is a little bit too small for an island workstation

11. Traditional Dark Kitchen Island

Black and white is the safest color combination in almost any kind of room. It is because this color combination is easy to develop.

You can go with with the white as the main color and black as the accent. All the countertops and wall accessories in black color will give exotic looks to the kitchen.

This monochrome scheme is simple and easy to apply. The small kitchen island in the middle painted in the same color as the rest of the elements.

The bright color should be used when dealing with small spaces. It gives the illusion of space into the room. The room looks crisp and clean.

Pros

• Black and white colors are the best combo or neutral color
• Exotic looks for the kitchen
• Black countertop is perfect for kitchen island

Cons

• Black domination on the surfaces can be uncomfortable

12. Classic Small Kitchen Island Ideas

When it comes to designing a small room, a wall with bright color is a must. The bright color should also be dominant color of the room. Take a look at this classic kitchen.

The walls are using bright beige colors as well as the backsplash and the shelves. For the cabinet that is attached to the wall are given with light blue colors.

Blue is great when combined with neutral colors. As you can see, unlike the cabinet, the blue colors of the island is a bit darker. It’s still light blue, but it’s quite darker. It’s done to add accent into the room.

Making it be more interesting. A slimline design of kitchen island is a good solution for your small kitchen. On the photo, the central workstation seems small, but it actually provides extra storage space for food preparation.

Pros

• Classic style adds elegance to the kitchen
• Warming feelings around the room

Cons

• Not for Modern style enthusiasts
• Can be outdated

13. Small Kitchen Island Ideas With Multi-function

It will be great to have a furniture that can be multifunctionally used. It’s perfect for small kitchen. As you can see in the picture, the island is also used as kitchen appliances plug-ins and display shelves.

There’s a place to prepare food and have breakfast on the countertop, there’s a space for stools to tuck under, power points to plug in appliances, and shelves under the table to display for books and pottery.

Pros

• Decorative arrangement of the books and pottery
• The stools can be hideaway

Cons

• Kitchen island is not a place to read books
• The sink on the countertop can spill anywhere
• There’s no backsplash in front of the sink

14. Small Kitchen Island Ideas With Integrated Breakfast Bar

It is also known as a shaker-style kitchen. What is shaker style? Actually, it comes from the type of cabinet. Shaker style cabinets are uniquely simple yet attractive units.

This kind of cabinets features recessed panel doors, basic hardware, and light finishes. Originally, the style inspired by the furniture design by the Shakers. Shakers are carpenters and craftsmen that are really skilled.

As you can see on the picture, the kitchen island is connected with the kitchen countertop. It is called the L-shaped work surface. This is a great choice of small kitchen solution.

An incorporated breakfast bar is built from that. With the white countertops and wooden structure, this small kitchen island bar makes a good impact to the kitchen.

Pros

• A breakfast bar is a good addition to the kitchen
• Shaker-style cabinets

Cons

• Looks so crowded
• Uncomfortable workflow

15. Small Kitchen Island With Open Shelving

Your kitchen walls look flat and kinda boring? Well, the key to making it interesting is to add decoration. To support decorative things for your decorating, you may add an open shelf to it.

When you have an open shelf, you can play with some accent colors from that. Choose the whole elements with the white main color, and you can choose another color as the accent.

For example, in the photos, you can see the combination of dark and white wood. It looks stunning. Wood really make a good match with any color.

The floor-to-ceiling shelving unit gives you some space to store away everyday essentials or your favorite pieces to be showcased. With the right color of accessories, the walls will look more interesting and colorful.

Pros

• Good color combination
• Warming feelings in the kitchen
• Open shelf does make the room more interesting

Cons

• The pieces can be clusterings
• Hard to clean piece by piece when showcasing too many small stuff

16. Small Kitchen Island With Cabinet

Maybe, it will be a little bit weird when having kitchen island on the corner. If you just go with it, it will be okay. You will get the unique style of your own in the kitchen.

Sometimes, a corner space in the kitchen is unused. Some people decide to put flower pot or some other accessories. But, if you want the center of the kitchen to be more spacious, this is the best thing you can do.

Pros

• Make used of left space
• More spaces in front of the kitchen countertop
• Can be used as dinner table

Cons

• Looks a bit crowded on the corner
• The cabinets on the top is risky

Small Kitchen Island Decorating Ideas

Decorating a small kitchen island is not as easy as it looks. You should decorate it based on the style you have in the kitchen. Because we are talking about a small kitchen, the decoration needs to be simple.

17. Beach Cottage Style Kitchen Island Decoration

Take a look at this decoration on a small kitchen island. This an example of a coastal kitchen design found in Los Angeles. It has white cabinets, a farmhouse sink, ceramic backsplash, quartz countertops, an island, colored appliances, painted wood floors, and multi-colored floors.

Let’s focus on the kitchen island decoration. Look at the lighting at the top of the kitchen island. The light fixture is an inspiration. It makes the ceiling of the kitchen to be more decorative.

A big purple flower in a rattan pot is the decorative item to be on the small kitchen island. The color of purple makes a focal point of the kitchen area.

Pros

• The natural atmosphere of beach spread around the room
• The inspirational lighting fixture

Cons

• The red color of kitchen island did not blend well
• The window on the background brings too much light into the kitchen

18. Rustic Revival Style Kitchen Island Decoration

Rustic elements in a kitchen would create a strong visual moment. Take a look at this authentic chop block.

This tiny kitchen island has a wood accent that will add a warm touch to a room. It has a modern finishes and stainless-steel appliances. A simple napkin decoration on the top would be enough.

Pros

• The main rustic element is the kitchen island
• Traditional style
• Contain chop block wood which is so strong

Cons

• The kitchen island design doesn’t match with the rest of the elements

19. Rounded Edges or Round Kitchen Island and  Decoration

A rounded-edged kitchen island is one of the perfect solutions for your small kitchen. This is a two-in-one dining area and island. This gives you an elegant design and spacious storage for your kitchen. It comes with a stately pillar that supports the edges.

The color of green, yellow, and white embraces the dark colors of the countertops and wood accents. Just put a yellow fruit like lemon to be an accent to the wooden table.

There are still many ideas of decoration available. You can imitate what you see in the pictures, you can also do some modifications or improvements based on your creativity.

Pros

• Unique table for kitchen
• Extra space for dining or doing breakfast

Cons

• More space required
• Not part of kitchen island

20. Kitchen Design Ideas without the Small Kitchen Island

Maybe, not all kitchen space is good with kitchen island. If you do not have any remaining space to put kitchen island in the central, you don’t need to force it.

You can still have an amazing kitchen without the island. Having a kitchen is just an option for your kitchen activity. It does make the action to be more effective and efficient.

If it’s not standing in the middle, you can’t call it as the kitchen island. If it’s facing the wall, you can’t also call it as a kitchen island. As in this picture, there’s no space left for a kitchen island, yet space still looks impressive.

The wooden countertops give a fine spot as the workstation. The light blue and white combination for the cabinets offer a good accent to the small space.

Pros

• Without kitchen island, you will have more space for workflow

Cons

• No extra space for workstation
• Can’t have a meal close to the kitchen
• You may not be having a small kitchen island with sink, or small kitchen island with stove, but you already have that in the usual place

Conclusion

Applying a kitchen island in a small space can be both tricky and challenging. If you smart enough to decide what design to have in for your kitchen, the comfortable kitchen experience you will get.

The ideas and detailed information that are available in this article must be very helpful for you to get inspired and to decide what to do with your small kitchen. We hope these small kitchen island ideas will inspire you in designing perfect kitchen in your home.