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How to Detail a Kitchen Island with Legs
Turned, Square, Recessed or Flat? Find the Right Look for Your Island
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder of Design in a Bag.com and Houzz contributor. I'm a self-professed tile nut and believer in good design for all! You can also visit me at: http://kitchenlabdesign.com and http://designinabag.com
Rebekah Zaveloff, owner and principal designer of KitchenLab, co-founder... More »
There are so many ways to detail an island with legs that it can be a bit overwhelming — and if I think that as a kitchen designer, I can only imagine how a homeowner feels while flipping through ideabooks. Square or turned, recessed or freestanding, profiled or flat, large or small? How do you figure out the right style leg and detail for your kitchen?
Some of you might ask, "Why put legs on an island at all?" Many people like the furniture-style look that legs give an island or that they help bring the cabinets off the floor, making the kitchen feel more open. I hope some of these ideas help you to narrow it down — sort of like a wine tasting of islands, it allows you to compare a bunch of them all in one place.
Some of you might ask, "Why put legs on an island at all?" Many people like the furniture-style look that legs give an island or that they help bring the cabinets off the floor, making the kitchen feel more open. I hope some of these ideas help you to narrow it down — sort of like a wine tasting of islands, it allows you to compare a bunch of them all in one place.
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by RLH Studio
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| I call this a semi-recessed square leg. Even though the legs technically project from the panel, it creates the illusion of them being semi-recessed into the panel like a pilaster column in a wall. There's a panel connecting the two legs at each end, and this panel is slightly recessed from the legs in order to give the legs a three-dimensional look. If you set you panel flush, it defeats the purpose of having legs.
These legs are wide enough to simulate the door style, and they also have a bit of molding at the top and a base trim that projects a bit from the face of the leg. The stone countertop has been designed to follow the projection of the leg, and has a profiled edge, adding another level of detail that makes this island feel like a special furniture piece. Tip: There's no rule to how much you should recess the panel, but I typically do 1/4" to and 1" max. |
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Here's another similar size and shaped semi-recessed leg, however in this case the leg is flat. Again, you can see the additional molding along the top and the furniture-style base trim rather than a recessed toekick where the panel and legs meet the floor. This countertop runs straight across and doesn't follow the projection of the leg. Legs like this vary in size from 6" to as large as 9".
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Large square column-style legs are connected by an open shelf cabinet in this case, rather than by a panel, but all the same details apply.
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These semi-recessed legs are simpler, smaller and less ornate. Typically seen as 3"–4" legs, this style is square all the way to the floor. There's a little bit of detail at the top that reminds me of something you might see on the exterior of a craftsman style house.
Tip: The open toekick valance along the bottom might seem light a small detail, but it makes all the difference!
Tip: The open toekick valance along the bottom might seem light a small detail, but it makes all the difference!
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These turned, semi-recessed legs create a furniture-style feel to a closed island. The addition of the profile on the marble and the lack of seating or overhang influence the overall look of this island.
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Here the turned pilaster-style leg it truly semi-recessed in the corner, while transitioning to a square top and bottom. The shaped corner valance-style feet are an usual detail.
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These legs are a combination of shaped and square detailing, and are simply pushed up against the end panel rather than appearing to be semi-recessed into the panel. As you can see, there's a bit of air space between the leg and panel that translates to a shadow line.
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This semi-recessed, tapered metal leg is a bit more modern and nicely mixes with the traditional dark wood cabinetry. The lack of embellishment and the fact that the leg goes straight to the countertop give this a more modern feel.
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Another tapered leg but this time in dark wood. This detail is a bit more traditional due to the dental style molding between the marble and the leg — what I refer to as a table-style apron that helps to make islands look more like pieces of furniture.
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| Contemporary round metal legs are semi-recessed into a wood island in this kitchen. Here the legs appear to lift the cabinets off the floor and make this island feel more airy and less heavy. |
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| Very simple semi-recessed legs with a subtle furniture bevel along the edge make these legs look square at the top and notched as you move downward. Here a beadboard recessed panel rather than a door-style panel helps to maintain the modern country simplicity of this kitchen. |
This completely open island allows the legs to be seen three dimensionally. The apron along the perimeter underneath the marble makes this island look and feel like a piece of furniture, as does the shelf along the bottom.
Tip: This style leg could also work in a semi-recessed fashion, but you have to be careful when transitioning shaped legs into square panels - if you're thinking of doing this, ask you cabinetmaker or designer for a 3-D sketch or detail so you can see what it will look like.
Tip: This style leg could also work in a semi-recessed fashion, but you have to be careful when transitioning shaped legs into square panels - if you're thinking of doing this, ask you cabinetmaker or designer for a 3-D sketch or detail so you can see what it will look like.
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Afraid to do your entire island open? Then just do a small one and push it up against a closed cabinet island. That way you don't have to worry about the transition between shaped legs intersecting with square panels.
Tip: In order to fit that drawer in, the top flat section of the leg is extended down a bit, allowing for a good transition between cabinet and leg.
Tip: In order to fit that drawer in, the top flat section of the leg is extended down a bit, allowing for a good transition between cabinet and leg.
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The nice thing about completely open islands with legs is that you can pull stools up to them as if they were tables. Larger, straight square profile legs are tied together with an apron along the top and a shelf along the bottom. The apron is really just a flat piece of wood that's slightly recessed back from the leg and cabinet.
Tip: It's really important to recess that apron and shelf to create a furniture style look and to make the legs feel like legs.
Tip: It's really important to recess that apron and shelf to create a furniture style look and to make the legs feel like legs.
If you don't want to give up the storage of a completely open island on legs, have your cake and eat it too by doing a combination. The shorter turned legs get this island up off the ground. They're smaller in profile than many of the ones seen so far.
Tip: The important detail to note on this island is that small piece of molding along the bottom of the cabinet; it helps to give a transition between the furniture-style legs and the boxier cabinet.
Tip: The important detail to note on this island is that small piece of molding along the bottom of the cabinet; it helps to give a transition between the furniture-style legs and the boxier cabinet.
Another partially open island. Here the leg goes all the way up to the countertop, but because the flat panel of the cabinet needs a place to intersect, the top section of the leg is flat and the bottom section is shaped. Again, notice how the panels are recessed significantly, making these legs stand out visually.
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A simple, square leg is connected to the island base cabinets by using an apron again both here and across the overhang above the stools. This simple detail gives this island a very distinctive look; if this island had corbels instead, the entire style would be altered. Because there's a sink on the side of this island, it's a good thing there's a recessed toekick rather than a flush, furniture style one — this way you can get closer to the tap.
| This island is similar to the previous one, but it has three legs on the side elevation — two flanking the recessed door panel and a third supporting the overhang (also connected by a apron). |
by suzanne pignato
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A simple square leg with a recessed detail is used here to hold up the extended overhang of this traditionally-styled island. In this case, there's no apron connecting the leg to the island cabinets.
by Nicole Hollis
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Here's the same principle as the ones shown above but in a modern kitchen with sleek, metal-legged island. The addition of the small apron makes it look like a table.
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| The shaped apron below the countertop connecting the simple, square legs on this island really makes a statement. This is the sort of detail you might find on an old farmhouse table and I love it on this island. I also love that the cabinet section is still held up off the ground and legs flank both sides of the cabinets — this is the sort of design choice that might eat into the storage a few inches, but well worth the sacrifice. |
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by Emil Lansky
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| Large, simple square legs are unembellished on this island, except for the furniture base trim along the bottom of both the legs and the island cabinets.
Tip: Proportions are important to consider — the size of the leg should complement the size of the island. There's no fixed rule to this, but I find that most legs fall between 3" and 7". When they get into the 8"-12" size, the island needs to be very large and the legs will look more like columns. More kitchen design inspiration |
Comments
Suzy Pierce So many fantastic ideas. Thank you so much for the inspiration!!
2 years ago · Like
Karen Ho Fatt I used 2 kitchen cabinets underneath a 3'x 9' island I installed recently. They served double duty as storage and support. I think they visually weighted the space better as well as oppsed to just legs that may have appeared more spindly.
2 years ago · Like
ANAUT Done......thanks....felix 
2 years ago · Like
Jennifer Jones This is the post I've been waiting for -- so helpful. Thanks Kitchenlab
2 years ago · Like
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Kyle love every shot....amazing collection of photos! Thanks a million.
2 years ago · Like
tonyvelente Omg just great ideas one after another......awesome
2 years ago · Like
Dena Thank you Rebekah for editorializing each image with details, design principles, and tips. Very helpful and much appreciated. Mille grazie!!
2 years ago · Like
Danielle Fantastic ideabook, thanks!
2 years ago · Like
ryan600 Excellent entry. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this topic.
2 years ago · Like
Mona Amazing ideas!
2 years ago · Like
robynl GREAT idea book - gives an entirely new meaning to "island style!"
2 years ago · Like
Ideabook updated on March 11, 2011.
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