More important than ever
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“We use the island a lot to make connections between living rooms,” says Jean-François Aubry, president of Groupe 3R, which specializes in the design and construction of kitchens and bathrooms. The island divides the rooms, without there being any walls. The rooms are therefore larger. »
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PHOTO MARJORIE ROY, PROVIDED BY FRANÇOIS LEVESQUE
Houses are being built or renovated with much more room for the kitchen than before, because it’s a place that brings people together, notes François Levesque, president of Richard & Levesque, a manufacturer of custom cabinets. Islands now often have only one level. This allows them to really take their place.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIE-ÈVE GAUTHIER
The island provides additional counter space, says Marie-Ève Gauthier, vice-president of Max Larocque Construction and interior designer. “In 80% of cases, there is no sink or hob,” she notes. The island becomes a large counter for working. Here, a column has been integrated into the island to compensate for the shrinkage of a load-bearing wall.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
This island has become the central element of the apartment. The absence of walls enhances it. “It’s like a jewel,” says Jean-François Aubry, of Groupe 3R. In addition to being beautiful, it includes a dishwasher.
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
An island provides space for storing garbage, among other things, and plenty of accessories, points out Jean-François Aubry, of Groupe 3R. Drawers allow easy access to what is there.
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Different seating configurations
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PHOTO CATHERINE POTVIN, PROVIDED BY CLAUDIA BÉRUBÉ
In this island, equipped with a sink and a dishwasher, the stools have been placed side by side. “Having a layout with corner or face-to-face seating is more user-friendly, but we should have reduced the storage, which we needed,” says interior designer Claudia Bérubé. It is necessary to calculate the space of retreat of a bench for the circulation, to make sure that this element does not become irritating. »
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PHOTO MARJORIE ROY, PROVIDED BY FRANÇOIS LEVESQUE
“The island is not always rectangular,” says François Levesque, of Richard & Levesque. It can have certain shapes, created with space to eat. We can graft a table, which will be made of wood, for example. It can be at the end or embedded in a corner of the island. It can stand 36″ high or drop down to table height. »
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PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
“More and more customers want to remove the table in the kitchen to have a larger island, to cook together more easily, notes Jean-François Aubry, of Groupe 3R. We try to find a way so that they are not tied like onions, so that they can talk. »
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PHOTO MARJORIE ROY, PROVIDED BY FRANÇOIS LEVESQUE
Seating is often essential, notes François Levesque, of Richard & Levesque. People gather around the island and chat while preparing meals. When space permits, there are seats on two sides of the island, with an L-shaped arrangement, rather than facing each other, so as not to encroach on the space where there is a lot of activity .
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ATYPIC PHOTO, PROVIDED BY CLAUDIA BÉRUBÉ
“The dimensions of the kitchen did not allow us to put benches in front of the island, without impeding circulation,” says interior designer Claudia Bérubé. This explains why a walnut table serving as a lunch counter is the extension of the island. »
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY MAX LAROCQUE CONSTRUCTION
To maximize storage on each side of the island, three seats have been provided at one of the two ends. Here, the entire ground floor has been opened up to create a kitchen open to the dining room and the living room, explains Marie-Ève Gauthier, of Max Larocque Construction.
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Lots of storage
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The owners of this century-old home like to cook together and they wanted to maximize storage space when they remodeled their kitchen. They preferred to install a small table and two chairs, near the window, in order to have drawers and cupboards on each side of the island. It is a creation and a realization of Max Larocque Construction.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
“Anything that can be stored in the island frees up the counters,” notes Marie-Ève Gauthier, vice-president of Max Larocque Construction. The addition of the island has greatly increased storage space and space to prepare meals, without expanding the house.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
A special place has been provided in the island to store the large and heavy KitchenAid brand mixer and ensure that it is easily accessible. A mechanism from the Richelieu company ensures that the shelf on which the mixer is located rises to the height of the worktop or falls.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Waste, recycling and compost bins are close at hand in the island.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Electrical outlets have been provided in the island, to facilitate the preparation of meals.
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A peninsula rather than an islet
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY MAX LAROCQUE CONSTRUCTION
When it is not possible to incorporate an islet, a peninsula is a good alternative option. “This allows you to increase the work surface and add storage space, without modifying the existing space,” says Marie-Ève Gauthier, of Max Larocque Construction. A removable island, like this one in wood, increases the surface available when preparing meals. »
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PHOTO CATHERINE POTVIN, PROVIDED BY CLAUDIA BÉRUBÉ
“The client previously had a central island with circulation dimensions that were not sufficient,” says interior designer Claudia Bérubé, based in Quebec City. We remedied the situation by removing a traffic lane, which gives us a peninsula. »
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