New house, what do I do with this island?

[KatieJ]

We have a bought a new patio home(no basement) but not yet moved in.

I will have an enormous island, but I am not sure what to do with it.

My previous home we had a custom kitchen remodel and I had a little nook where I did my planning and such. I had a (desk) drawer right there, and below cupboard open shelves for notepads, Bible study books, blank menus, etc.

I won’t have that now, as we bought a model home and didn’t plan it out ourselves.

Thr kitchen has a huge walk in pantry, so I have plenty of storage, but I still want to create a space for my menu planning, List making etc, in the kitchen.  My new office space is down the hall and will also be my sewing studio…not really available for menu planning and such.

Can I put some kind of desk organizer on my island for notepads and such, maybe incorporating some cute plants with it?

My daughter in law does pottery and  I have some beautiful bowls I use for fruit I plan to put there, plus we use cloth napkins…so thinking possibly a basket for those. Can I make this work and not look junky?

This island is huge, so plenty of space.

The photo is from the sale ad, and not my furniture. I have  Amish oak saddle stools and a dining room table so bamboo organizers will be a good match. The granite has some brown in it as well. 

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by KatieinMich

[WildflowerMom]

I would hang a cute magazine rack on the side of it.  Something like these, but not necessarily these exact ones. 
https://www.wayfair.com/commercial-business-furniture/pdp/everly-quinn-mccrimmon-metal-magazine-rack-w004193974.html

[Junie]

What you suggested sounds fine.  Or you could maybe put an actual desk under the windows.  It looks like there is plenty of room.

[elegantlion]

I like the idea of adding a small desk or even just a small table where the paperwork could live and then you could work on the island. I'd prefer to keep the island open for eating or a small display. 

[KatieJ]

Desk is maybe an option but we have a huge dining room table with 10 chairs…we have a big family …

we plan on just leaving the table with 3 boards in it at all times. Possibly a chair in each corner with a plant..

Lack of storage fir extra chairs comes into play here too…

[plansrme]

As the proud owner of a gigantic island, I can assure you that if you permit anything to live on your island, everything else will move in with it--the mail, keys, bookbags, purses.  If you want to enjoy the vast open space, you must guard it zealously. When we first had our island expanded, I threatened to throw away anything that was left on it. My husband actually got mad about it. But 15 years later, you know what's on my island? NOTHING. Maybe a narrow bookshelf under the window would hold supplies that you could use at the dining room table or at the island, or I like the idea of hanging a magazine rack on the side.

[KSera]

1 hour ago, plansrme said:

I can assure you that if you permit anything to live on your island, everything else will move in with it--the mail, keys, bookbags, purses.  If you want to enjoy the vast open space, you must guard it zealously.

QFT

[Bambam]

2 hours ago, Junie said:

What you suggested sounds fine.  Or you could maybe put an actual desk under the windows.  It looks like there is plenty of room.

I'd put a desk right next to the wall cabinets by the windows.  I might put a tall skinny bookcase right next to the cabinets and then my desk right next to it.  Or possibly the hutch thing over the desk itself. If your desk is like mine (sorta cluttered), I might do a roll top desk. 

I find that I use all my island for various cooking tasks. Mine isn't that big, but I would like one larger than what I have! 

[KatieJ]

I’m really looking for ideas on how to use my island …there is plenty  of room for prep work and a small work area for me, plus DH and I have a meal.

it’s just the 2 of us, if everything has a place, it’s fine. I want to plan for That to happen.

 

 

[fairfarmhand]

10 minutes ago, KatieinMich said:

I’m really looking for ideas on how to use my island …there is plenty  of room for prep work and a small work area for me, plus DH and I have a meal.

it’s just the 2 of us, if everything has a place, it’s fine. I want to plan for That to happen.

 

 

The only way I would do it would be if I had a magazine rack off the side to avoid ruining papers if I spilt. But I wouldn't plan on it being a good space like a desk, For a couple of reasons. First, I can't sit on a stool very long without my feet and legs going to sleep. They're just not very comfy for long periods of sitting. Second, my island always has someone spilling something or leaving something sticky. And my granite camouflages sticky spots very well. So having papers sitting out on the counter risks their being spilled on or having splatters on them or me setting stuff in a sticky spot. 

Maybe you're a tidier cook than me? I'm definitely a messy cook and my family is messy. Even when they;re trying to be clean, the granite makes it easy to miss wiping a spot.

Edited October 3, 2021 by fairfarmhand

[Selkie]

I have a big island and like to keep it clutter free. I keep my cutting board on it, along with two big tiered fruit baskets and some trays of microgreens.

[Murphy101]

I would leave the island clear except for maybe a bowl of fruit or the basket of napkins, I’d place the other in the center of the dining table. I’d get some decorative wall basket organizer for the between the cabinet and window.

Then maybe a pretty rolling cart under the basket with my standard menu and lesson planning supplies so I can roll it to the table or the island at my preference. Or you could put a 2-3 shelf tall bookcase there to hold those items and decorate with whatever odds and ends on top of it.

ETA: this would also work for at the end of the island

picutre ideas

Edited October 3, 2021 by Murphy101

[Murphy101]

I’d it’s just a designated workspace for Dh and I - 

I’d get one of those lazy Susan styles desk organized for pens and such and some small but cute bookends to keep my menu books and such between.

I think finding or making some really good coasters to set there would be good too. We get really cranky about condemnation or spills around our work stuff. No fun to set paper work on a large cup ring.

[Teaching3bears]

I have no more ideas for you except to give yourself time to figure out how to use it.  I did want to say that it’s a lovely kitchen with a lovely view.

[PeterPan]

3 hours ago, KatieinMich said:

Can I put some kind of desk organizer on my island for notepads and such, maybe incorporating some cute plants with it?

One piece of clutter will grow more, so don't plan on keeping stuff on there. 

I would install a window seat under the long window and then do some vertical storage to create that desk/work area between the kitchen cabs and the window seat.

If you want to install magazine racks on the *side* of the island that faces the dining, that could work. I personally would walk into them, but it could work and be really nice. 

You have interesting space on the flat side (left) of the frig where you could do a bulletin board, shallow storage, whatever. You could install a drop down desk.

You could do cookbooks to the right of the frig unless you need that space for a coffee station.

Do you have a strong preference for the type of seating where you use this? You like upholstered or a chair with a desk surface? You'd have room for an upholstered piece if you wanted it.

Edited October 3, 2021 by PeterPan

[Lucy the Valiant]

A table runner could "anchor" the DIL's beautiful pottery, and with only 2 people, you could just make the "rule" that everything on the island has to be in the pottery bowl or nice tray. I think that would look lovely!

And if you live with it for a while and it's not working, have fun changing it up! 

 

[Murphy101]

1 minute ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

A table runner could "anchor" the DIL's beautiful pottery, and with only 2 people, you could just make the "rule" that everything on the island has to be in the pottery bowl or nice tray. I think that would look lovely!

And if you live with it for a while and it's not working, have fun changing it up! 

 

I like the idea of a table runner too. 

[PeterPan]

The challenge is that the island is all one level. Things are going to skitter from the prep side to the eating side and the whole thing will get taken over for projects. 

[KatieJ]

I am kicking around a table runner..but not right away.

When  I menu plan, it is  once a week…cookbooks, one piece of paper thatI throw away at the end of the week and start over. I will be checking into coasters, because I do not  know anything about granite.

 

My previous space was also my morning coffee, morning devotion, and later in the day my chopping station. But I had access to a drawer and a huge counter to my left to move stuff out if the way if I needed to,  just wouldn’t accommodate more than one stool. The stove was just a few feet to my right. It worked just fine. I don’t need or want a desk. 

It was never  my office where I paid bills, and this island won’t be either. It’s just where I hang out during the day.

 

Keys and purse already have a spot in the mud room…on the way to the kitchen from the garage. No kids here, no backpacks. 
 

Thank you your replies. I think I’ll start with several large trays to divide the space. It looks pretty bare to me right now. If it’s gets messy, or the kids are coming for a meal and I need more space, ,  I can grab the tray and slide it into the island cabinet. I’m quite sure there will be empty shelves. My cookbooks will be in the pantry. I research mostly on my iPad and dig out cookbooks when needed.

Edited October 7, 2021 by KatieinMich

[KatieJ]

1 hour ago, PeterPan said:

The challenge is that the island is all one level. Things are going to skitter from the prep side to the eating side and the whole thing will get taken over for projects. 

No projects…they happen in my sewing room. 

[Tap]

I would put a long couch table, side board or buffet table under the long windows to hold your books and other loose items. That way your counter stays clear and you have a place for the items that is close by.  Then you could use the top to display some items without cluttering your  counters. 

I just grabbed a quick idea off of Wayfair to show what I mean. 

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/gracie-oaks-christensen-5197-wide-2-drawer-pine-wood-buffet-table-w002221501.html

[KatieJ]

On 10/3/2021 at 9:05 PM, Tap said:

I would put a long couch table, side board or buffet table under the long windows to hold your books and other loose items. That way your counter stays clear and you have a place for the items that is close by.  Then you could use the top to display some items without cluttering your  counters. 

I just grabbed a quick idea off of Wayfair to show what I mean. 

https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/gracie-oaks-christensen-5197-wide-2-drawer-pine-wood-buffet-table-w002221501.html

That’s lovely, really lovely, but I don’t need storage at all. And I think my dining table is going totally fill up the dining room and I am looking forward to having a dining room that is not crowded..
I am just trying to find a cute way to keep a small note pad,maybe post it’s, pencils, maybe devotional notebook together. Not a huge pile of stuff…

I have space on the other side of the island, drawers, cabinet space, etc.., but it will mostly be stuff I am using all day Thst I want to corral  in a cute way.

I think a tray will work. 
 

Edited October 7, 2021 by KatieinMich

[Tap]

I used a serving tray on my desk for years to contain items. Maybe that is what you need? The one I had was about 12x16 inches long, and  2 inches deep and was painted to match the desk on the outside but the inside had a beautiful image on it. 

https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/ivy-bronx-sultan-long-rectangular-tray-w000021834.html?piid=

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, KatieinMich said:

No projects…they happen in my sewing room. 

Cooking projects

[KatieJ]

10 minutes ago, Tap said:

I used a serving tray on my desk for years to contain items. Maybe that is what you need? The one I had was about 12x16 inches long, and  2 inches deep and was painted to match the desk on the outside but the inside had a beautiful image on it. 

https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/ivy-bronx-sultan-long-rectangular-tray-w000021834.html?piid=

That’s the direction I am going to try. My daughter suggested that today as well. The space is big enough, I might get two..one for the pottery I put fruit in, and one for my scribbles and stuff. Maybe a plant between them. 
 

[Denise in IN]

You new home looks lovely!  I think some kind of tray or basket is a great idea.  If you have a way to contain, that will help keep clutter at bay.  And a tray or basket can be easily moved when needed.  

[marbel]

I think trays are a great idea! Or low baskets if that is a look you prefer. I love having things contained that way so I can easily move them around for cleaning or using the space for something different. 

When I had a big island it was always a mess, but I had little kids and we were messy, and in my house any horizontal surface seems to be fair game to plop stuff on. You and your husband may well be different!  I'd love a big island like yours to sit at and do paperwork. I love sitting up high as long as the chair has a back. 

It's a lovely space.

[Tap]

22 hours ago, KatieinMich said:

That’s the direction I am going to try. My daughter suggested that today as well. The space is big enough, I might get two..one for the pottery I put fruit in, and one for my scribbles and stuff. Maybe a plant between them. 
 

A nice thing about this, is that if you like to decorate for the seasons or holidays...you can change the tray to match the theme. 🙂 Especially if you get wooden trays that are designed for painting. You can customize them for your own style with paint and decoupage. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Tap

[dsmith]

Could you put something like this on the end of the island?

https://smile.amazon.com/VIVO-Floating-Organizer-Workstation-DESK-SF01W/dp/B07R69WC9Y/ref=sr_1_17?dchild=1&keywords=floating+desk&qid=1633413728&sr=8-17

Or keep a small storage cart or shelf at the end to hold what you need close by? 

[KatieJ]

I really don’t need a desk..I will have an office/sewing room for bill paying.

I want to organize my daily notes, pencils, Bible study book, stuff I use all day long, but want to keep it tidy. 

I think a tray will work. 

[Murphy101]

8 hours ago, KatieinMich said:

I really don’t need a desk..I will have an office/sewing room for bill paying.

I want to organize my daily notes, pencils, Bible study book, stuff I use all day long, but want to keep it tidy. 

I think a tray will work. 

Because it’s in the kitchen - yeah I’d want a try or table runner or something under the items you place there. Just in case of spills that tend to happen in that area. 

[Resilient]

DH has a special kitchen-requiring project he likes to work on a little bit every day.  He got a tray that can hold all the things he uses, and he brings it from a table in another room to the kitchen, do his thing, put everything back on the tray and take it back to the other room.  

He also has about 4 other projects that do NOT require a kitchen and those things have not yet been put on a tray and they are all over the place on the peninsula and I hate it.  Every time we have company he has to haul it all away and then he loses the order (as if) of it all and is cranky about that.  

Tray.

 

Or this:  https://www.wayfair.com/furniture/pdp/andover-mills-adda-reversible-writing-desk-w003245915.html?piid=1814884223 or something like it.

 

Edited October 6, 2021 by Resilient
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