This Arts and Crafts style kitchen with Austin Patterson Disston Architects is lavish to say the least.

Family-Friendly Hot Spot Once cramped and dated, this kitchen comprised in HGTV Magazine received a entire overhaul to open it up to the remainder of the home and make it the household's favourite room in the house. To make a spot for assignments and everyday household meals, a Restoration Hardware furniture bit was topped with a durable zinc countertop to serve within an island. A wide stainless steel kick plate across the base protects it from shoe scuffs.

Old is New Again Design diva Sarah Richardson gave this kitchen a trendy industrial border with a island clad in retrieved barn boards installed in a herringbone design. Topped with expensive Calacatta marble and fitted with a sink, the island functions as both a handy prep space and also a convenient place to enjoy a snack.

Work Hard, Play Hard House to the dishwasher, sink tv mounts toronto . trash and recycling bins, this glossy black island works hard for your family during the week then plays hard on special events -- the 7-foot by 3-1/2-foot island offers plenty of serving room for entertaining. See more photographs of this kitchen which was featured in HGTV Magazine. Design by TerraCotta Properties

Harness the Power of Paint The bright blue island in this predominantly white traditional kitchen shows paint's power to totally change the mood of a space. Designer Susan Manrao used just a splash of the joyful colour to make the whole room feel much more formal and more on-trend.

Sarah's Cottage Charmer To cosy up her farmhouse kitchen, designer Sarah Richardson painted the large island at a buttery yellow shade to set it apart from the surrounding walls of white cabinets. For added charm, she struck salvage stores to find things like the turned newel post used to encourage one corner of the breakfast bar.

Fit for a Chef Any chef would be delighted to call this kitchen home. The large industrial-style island comes with a heat-resistant concrete countertop and pro-style gas stove with lots of counter space to spare. An open wire rack below keeps pots and pans within easy reach. Photo courtesy of Place Architects. Photo from Aaron Britton

Build It to Suit Your Lifestyle When planning a custom made island for your kitchen, really make it habit so that it fits your household to a T. This cheery kitchen, featured in HGTV Magazine is dominated by a huge workhorse of an island. In 8-feet long and 38-inches high it is two inches taller than a standard island to better suit hubby James, who is 6'7" and likes to help with meal prep. Rather than have the children sit on tall barstools at the staircase, the homeowners decided instead to attach a small table into the island's side so the kids are at a safer height.

Old World Elegance This Arts and Crafts style kitchen with Austin Patterson Disston Architects is lavish to say the least. Custom features and high-end fixtures were used throughout but the kitchen's real star is that the massive burled wood island that was plumbed to include a small prep sink.

Construct In Functionality Sophisticated -- however unexpected -- spaces are designer Sarah Richardson's claim to fame and this chic-but-user-friendly kitchen is no exception. When designing the island Sarah worked in conveniences like a grab-and-go drink chiller, under-counter microwave and a small second sink so more than 1 individual could prep meals at precisely the exact same moment.

Make the Island Fit the Space If you think that an island just works with an open-concept design, this galley kitchen designed by TerraCotta Properties is proof positive that an island may operate in a more compact kitchen. The crucial thing is to customize the piece to match the space and allow for traffic circulation -- around 36 inches -- on either side.

Make Every Inch Count You can not have too much storage -- especially in the kitchen. Drawers and pipes for a sink installed on the opposite side of the island created a few inches on unused space. Rather than waste valuable storage area, it was set to work as shallow inset shelves.

Large and In Charge With serving room for a crowd, this 16-foot-long island in the 2014 HGTV Dream Home is clad waterfall-style in granite. On the kitchen side, the island provides up a pro-style gas range and lots of storage room in black, Shaker-style closets.

Make It Really Custom Certainly an outside-the-box thinker, Sarah Richardson designed this island together with three distinct elevations as opposed to as standard boxy cupboard. Each altitude has its own purpose: the short segment holds interesting essentials and can function as an impromptu bar, the principal section houses a microwave, even longer storage and a small sink and the tall section is a counter-height breakfast bar.

A Food Guru's Kitchen Hub Professional caterer Peter Callahan gave HGTV Magazine a tour of his redesigned house kitchen that includes storage and organizational tricks he's learned over 20 years working in the food biz. He put them all to function when designing the kitchen real workhorse: the 5-1/2-foot by 6-1/2-foot island which has open shelving at one end for pots and pans and stacks of drawers for entertaining essentials: linens, flatware and serving pieces.

Go for a Joyful Hue Just a brief distance from the coast in Jacksonville, Fla., this HGTV Smart Home kitchen's watery color scheme certainly puts you in a vacation state of mind. Designer Linda Woodrum let the beachy locale inspire the island's tropical turquoise shade that she contrasted with crisp white at the wall cabinets, quartz countertops and glass subway tile backsplash.

Make It a Focal Point A wood-toned island warms up this cozy, cabin kitchen by designer Tobi Fairley. As opposed to paint it white to match the rest of the cabinets, she chose a chocolatey blot to show off the wood's rich grain. A clever, shallow recess permits a set of barstools to tuck neatly beneath the island when not in use.

Create Your Own Storage Central A kitchen this large leaves lots of space for a huge island and the homeowners, Alison and Paul, took full advantage, designing a custom made island big enough for several people to prep food simultaneously and to serve a whole bunch buffet-style. Completely top of this line, this kitchen island houses plenty of storage room, a wine rack, bookshelves and an additional sink. Picture courtesy of Allison Amon.

Consider Functionality When designing a kitchen island, consider traffic flow through the distance and how the island will connect to adjacent rooms. The designers cleverly shining an area to allow the barstools to tuck under so they did not impede on the adjacent dining room or block traffic flow into the terrace door. Photo courtesy of William/Hefner Architect, Inc.. Photo by Laura Hull

Sleek and Streamlined For all those loft lovers on the market, this kitchen provides some serious inspiration. The designer chose a compact and open island to accommodate the large space. Its clean lines and subdued color prevent the island from competing with the loft's architectural features. Photo courtesy of Jessica Locke. Photo from Niles Harrison

Best of Both Worlds What a fantasy area. Designer Rebekah Zaveloff mixed traditional-style closets with industrial-style light fixtures and barstools at the kitchen's sleek black island to create a look that's an instant classic.