The 8 Best Kitchen Islands

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Our Top Picks

Best Budget:

Three Posts Hardiman Kitchen Cart at Wayfair

"This high-quality cart comes with plenty of convenient features, including a spice rack and built-in towel rack."

Best Splurge:

Pottery Barn Elworth Kitchen Island at Pottery Barn

"With its sleek appearance, ample storage options, and extendable eating area, this island will easily check all of your boxes."

Best for Large Kitchens:

Crate & Barrel Large French Kitchen Island at Crate & Barrel

"Those with larger kitchens will appreciate this island, which can accommodate up to three counter stools along its length."

Best With Granite Top:

Three Posts Hedon Cambridge Kitchen Island at Wayfair

"The granite top adds a sophisticated look to this island, which includes three interior shelves and two pull-out drawers."

Best With Open Shelving:

Gracie Oaks Delesha Multifunction Prep Table at Wayfair

"Its industrial, multi-use design is great for storing and displaying homewares, and it also works well in offices, entryways, and more."

Best With Drop Leaf:

Homestyles Americana Kitchen Island at Home Depot

"This traditional-looking island's drop leaf provides extra dining and prepping space, and it can be collapsed to save space."

Best With Slide-Out Table:

Design Element Medley Kitchen Island at Home Depot

"With its slide-out table and smaller footprint, this multi-functional island is ideal for small- to medium-size kitchens."

Best With Rack:

IKEA VADHOLMA Kitchen Island at Ikea

"You can hang pots, pans, and utensils on the built-in rack, which is streamlined enough to blend in with your existing set-up."

If you frequently find yourself wishing for more storage or prep space in your kitchen, an island might be a good investment for your home. While kitchen islands often come built-in with many modern houses, you can also buy them separately from many online retailers—handy if you live in an older home or apartment.

Be sure to take the size of your space into account when shopping for a kitchen island. You’ll want to make sure there’s ample room to move around the island as well as clearance to open appliances like the dishwasher and oven. You’ll also want to decide whether you want any specific features on your kitchen island, such as a slide-out table for extra seating, a pan rack, or even a high-end marble or granite top. All of these factors, plus your personal style, will lead you to the best kitchen island for your home.

Here, the best kitchen islands to make meal prep a breeze:

Buy on Wayfair

You can easily and inexpensively transform your kitchen with the Three Posts Hardiman Kitchen Cart, a budget-friendly kitchen island mounted on locking caster wheels. This top-rated island is 36 x 53.5 x 29 inches, and it features three drawers, a cabinet with two inner shelves, a built-in towel rack, and a drop-down leaf, making it an incredibly versatile addition to your home.

The Hardiman Kitchen Cart is made from manufactured wood, and its wooden top doubles as a butcher block for when you need to prep dinner. Its drop-down leaf can be extended to add extra seating to the island, and it even has a built-in spice rack on one end, so you can keep frequently used items within reach. Just be prepared to set aside some time for assembly—this piece has a lot of parts to fit together.

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Buy on Pottery Barn

If you’re looking for a high-quality, sturdy kitchen island with a rustic or industrial aesthetic, the Elworth Kitchen Island will check every box on your wishlist. This high-end island is 36 x 60 x 36 inches, but it reaches a maximum length of 102 inches when its pull-out table is extended, allowing it to double as an eating area.

This gorgeous island is crafted from solid, kiln-dried acacia wood with veneers, and its top is made from sealed concrete for a sleek industrial appearance. It features five drawers where you can store utensils, linens, and more as well as a large open shelf that’s the perfect space to keep frequently used kitchen appliances.

Buy on Crate & Barrel

For those with spacious kitchens, you’re going to need a sizable island to match the scale of the room. One of the largest kitchen islands available today is the stunning Crate & Barrel Large French Kitchen Island, which measures 72 inches long—that’s an impressive 6 feet!

This luxe island has a stunning marble countertop supported by a black cast steel and aluminum base. It sports slender legs with subtle ornamental details, and the island offers plenty of storage in its three drawers, six open shelves, and towel rack. It can accommodate up to three counter stools along its length, and it features an overhang with a footrest that makes it the perfect spot for eating. Overall, this French kitchen island is truly striking, and it would make a wonderful addition to a large, Old World-style home.

Buy on Wayfair

If you have granite countertops in your kitchen, you can ensure your new island matches with a product like the Three Posts Hedon Cambridge Kitchen Island. This island has a beautiful gray granite on top, and you can choose from a variety of popular finishes for the base. It even comes with optional caster wheels, making it conveniently mobile.

The Hedon Cambridge Kitchen island is 36 x 51.5 x 18 inches and made from solid wood for durability. It has four stylish doors on the front that open to reveal spacious cabinets with adjustable inner shelves as well as two drawers where you can store utensils and other cooking supplies. Plus, on one end, there’s a towel rack, and on the other, you’ll find a little caddy where you can store spices, oil, and more. Assembly of this piece can be time-consuming, but at the end, you'll have an island that's functional and solid.

Buy on Wayfair

For a minimalistic kitchen addition, consider the top-rated Gracie Oaks Delesha Multifunction Prep Table, which has a narrow 20-inch profile. This simple island has black metal legs and a manufactured wood top, and its open shelves are ideal for storing pots, pans, small appliances, cookbooks, and more.

This island is 48 inches long and 36 inches tall, and its middle shelf has a matching natural wood finish while the bottom shelf is an open grate. Its metal and wood design has a notably industrial feel, and the open-shelving design is great if you want to keep an open feeling to your home while adding counter space.

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Buy on Home Depot

When you have an island with a drop leaf, like the Homestyles Americana Kitchen Island, you’ll be able to fold the leaf up and put stools underneath for seating or fold it down when you need to save space. This mid-priced kitchen island is 36.5 x 50 x 26.5 inches, and it has a traditional aesthetic that would fit in well in most kitchens. Plus, it comes in black, white, and oak finishes to match any decor.

The Americana Kitchen Island is crafted from solid hardwood and engineered wood with antique pewter hardware, and it features a distressed oak top for an aged look. The island has two drawers, a spacious inner cabinet, and open shelves on the sides for all your storage needs.

Buy on Home Depot

The Design Element Medley Kitchen Island would look stunning in a farmhouse-style kitchen, thanks to its gray finish and hardwood countertop, and with a convenient slide-out table, it’s an unbeatable space-saving solution.

The island has a 35.6 x 54 x 28-inch footprint, and it features a hidden 48-inch wide table that nearly doubles your dining or prep space. On the other side, this island has three soft-close drawers with black stainless steel hardware as well as four open shelves for cookbooks, appliances, and more, and the whole unit has a solid hardwood construction that will stand the test of time.

Buy on Ikea

You can keep pots, pans, utensils, and more within arms reach with the Vadholma Kitchen Island, which features a unique built-in overhead pot rack. The unit is 35 x 49 x 31 inches, but the rack extends up to a height of 76 inches—so make sure you have room in your kitchen before you buy!

This unique island has a black base with a wooden top, and it features two open shelves on one side and an opening for stools on the other. Its overhead rack is made from steel, and it includes a full-length shelf where you can stash all sorts of kitchen essentials and attach hooks for your cookware and cooking utensils.

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