No it's not what you think. We're not talking about buying an island of the Warren Buffett or Bill Gates magnitude. All we need is a kitchen island. For those who are not familiar with it, it is basically an unattached counter that you place strategically in your kitchen and permits access from all sides. The top of the island can be used for various functions--cooking, cutting food, rolling dough or even as a dining area. Some islands can be fitted with a sink. Others have a butcher's block built in.

Islands come in many sizes, dimensions, materials and designs which are sure to blend in with your kitchen's look. Adding an island is not at all difficult but you must first determine the size of your kitchen.

The rule of thumb is that once an island is installed, you should have about four feet of free space around it. Once you know the dimensions of your kitchen, line up some chairs or small tables or boxes on the spot where you intend to install the island in such a way that it forms a square or rectangle and you still have those four feet of moving space around. You'll basically be able to visualize how the island is going to look like.

As for the height of the island, it shouldn't be too tall that it becomes uncomfortable for you to perform whatever tasks on top of it. Keep in mind though that the taller the island, the more storage space you can have under it. So try to estimate the right height where you can be comfortable working while at the same time getting ample storage space. No sense going for the additional storage space in favor of your personal comfort while performing your kitchen tasks.

For smaller kitchens there are portable islands that you can easily roll in and out. In fact you can even buy them unassembled and put it together yourself. The main drawback of buying a portable is that they may not come in the design that you prefer. Most tops are made of either wood, metal or tile.

So as you can see, an island can be many things to different people. For an item with a rather exotic name, it does serve a lot of basic purposes. And as we always say, no kitchen can do without an island.