50 Wonderful Wood-Topped Kitchen Islands
Wooden island countertops add warmth and natural beauty to kitchens of all sizes and styles
A wooden countertop can be a workhorse or a show pony, depending on its construction, finish and style. But it’ll always add a warm, organic counterpoint to a kitchen’s hard, nonporous surfaces, and if the wood is sustainably harvested, it can be a green choice as well.
We’ve gathered 50 photos recently uploaded to Houzz that illustrate the beauty and versatility of wood when used to top a kitchen island. Take a spin, click on the pictures to see more of each project, then let us know in the Comments which is your favorite.
We’ve gathered 50 photos recently uploaded to Houzz that illustrate the beauty and versatility of wood when used to top a kitchen island. Take a spin, click on the pictures to see more of each project, then let us know in the Comments which is your favorite.
2. TVL Creative used wood countertops in this transitional-style kitchen to nod to the Denver home’s early-1900s roots. The island countertop’s waterfall style adds a contemporary touch. Click on the image and through the project album to get a better look at the counter’s inlay detail.
With edge-grain wood countertops, boards are placed on their sides and glued. A common choice for counters, they’re especially strong, durable and stable, but they’re more quick to dull knives. The wood strips may be continuous lengths or various-length pieces that are finger-jointed.
How to Care for Wood Kitchen Countertops
With edge-grain wood countertops, boards are placed on their sides and glued. A common choice for counters, they’re especially strong, durable and stable, but they’re more quick to dull knives. The wood strips may be continuous lengths or various-length pieces that are finger-jointed.
How to Care for Wood Kitchen Countertops
3. Designed by Blakstad, the rustic-looking wood island countertop in this Mediterranean kitchen in Ibiza, Spain, complements the rough-hewn beams and cabinet faces.
The countertop is face-grain, meaning it has boards that are laid flat and glued together. This style can get dinged up more easily than end-grain or edge-grain, but it really showcases the wood’s natural variations. And a little sanding and polishing removes most scratches and burns.
The countertop is face-grain, meaning it has boards that are laid flat and glued together. This style can get dinged up more easily than end-grain or edge-grain, but it really showcases the wood’s natural variations. And a little sanding and polishing removes most scratches and burns.
4. Durable iroko wood from Africa is often touted as a more sustainable and affordable alternative to teak. This transitional kitchen by Idesign Interiors (SW) in Somerset, England, shows off the wood’s rich color, which deepens over time.
When considering using any wood — especially tropical hardwood — look for certification from an organization such as FSC or PEFC that indicates the wood was sustainably and ethically sourced.
When considering using any wood — especially tropical hardwood — look for certification from an organization such as FSC or PEFC that indicates the wood was sustainably and ethically sourced.
5. When renovating this Craftsman bungalow in Seattle, Board & Vellum painstakingly restored and added period- and style-appropriate details while also ensuring the home suited its owners’ lifestyle. That approach extended to the kitchen, where an island is topped by a locally sourced madrone butcher block.
Also known as Pacific madrona, madrone is a finely grained, dense native hardwood with a pinkish-brown tone.
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Also known as Pacific madrona, madrone is a finely grained, dense native hardwood with a pinkish-brown tone.
10 Big Takeaways From the 2022 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study
6. Click on the image to get a closer look at the ingenious wood-topped island in this contemporary Seattle kitchen. Also designed by Board & Vellum, the island has a pullout table made from the same wood.
7. In Dallas, a traditional walnut butcher block and complementary shelves add a rich, chocolatey accent to a crisp country kitchen by Blackline Renovations.
Unlike maple, cherry and iroko, dark walnut gets lighter with UV exposure.
Shop for butcher block islands on Houzz
Unlike maple, cherry and iroko, dark walnut gets lighter with UV exposure.
Shop for butcher block islands on Houzz
8. In this kitchen by Alan O’Rourke Construction in Victoria, British Columbia, a huge book-matched live-edge wood slab tops the island. Glass spans the wood’s splits to create an uninterrupted surface.
9. This small but mighty transitional kitchen in Minneapolis got an update by Bluestem Remodeling that included a richly grained wooden countertop on an L-shaped island. Note the matching wood accent on the range hood.
10. In this wood-and-white farmhouse-style kitchen in Atlanta by Renew Properties, the island’s face-grain wood top is framed by a solid-edge band and mirrors the rustic beams above.
Wooden countertops can be varnished or soaped by the manufacturer, but if you’re going for ease of maintenance and want to use the wood as a cutting surface, an oiled finish is the way to go. Regular applications of food-safe oil, such as mineral, Danish or tung, keep it looking great.
Wooden countertops can be varnished or soaped by the manufacturer, but if you’re going for ease of maintenance and want to use the wood as a cutting surface, an oiled finish is the way to go. Regular applications of food-safe oil, such as mineral, Danish or tung, keep it looking great.
11. In this 1910 home in Minneapolis, Kate Roos Design expanded the kitchen’s footprint and installed a wood-topped island to make the room feel harmonious with the home’s history and functional for a modern family.
13. In Stevensville, Maryland, two islands float in the kitchen of a bayfront estate by Becker Morgan Group. One island’s wooden waterfall top invites guests to sidle up and rest their elbows.
In addition to being warmer to the touch than stone, wood is a more forgiving surface if you knock over a glass.
In addition to being warmer to the touch than stone, wood is a more forgiving surface if you knock over a glass.
14. In the kitchen of this house built by Scott Christopher Homes in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the island features a light-toned walnut top with a comfortable curved edge. The custom hood incorporates a darker walnut detail.
15. A butcher block island top is a handy prep surface in this Portland, Oregon, kitchen by Vicki Simon Interior Design. Vintage 1970s Pierre Cardin brass stools amp up the glam.
Wood has naturally antimicrobial properties. In fact, scientific research shows that it’s actually more hygienic than a plastic cutting board.
Shop for bar and counter stools
Wood has naturally antimicrobial properties. In fact, scientific research shows that it’s actually more hygienic than a plastic cutting board.
Shop for bar and counter stools
16. Elms Interior Design refreshed this Dutch Colonial in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The wood topping the island coordinates with the main cabinet bottoms, creating a neutral backdrop for the real star of the show: the vibrant green-painted island base.
17. In this Austin, Texas, farmhouse-with-a-twist, designer Kim Armstrong topped the kitchen island with a countertop made of floor joists salvaged from Pearl Brewing Co. Clear acrylic chairs add contemporary style without competing with the wood.
18. A handsome, live-edge walnut waterfall countertop adds warmth to this industrial-style kitchen by USA Cabinet Store in Washington, D.C. The wood’s rich grain echoes the veining on the stone backsplash.
It’s critical that a sink area surrounded by wood be kept dry, to protect the wood from rot, warping and discoloration. If the countertop has an oiled finish, that area will require more frequent oil reapplication.
It’s critical that a sink area surrounded by wood be kept dry, to protect the wood from rot, warping and discoloration. If the countertop has an oiled finish, that area will require more frequent oil reapplication.
19. For this traditional kitchen in Abington, Pennsylvania, Grothouse Wood Countertops made a flat-grain island counter in walnut with sapwood, staining it with black glaze to enhance the grain and finishing it with a waterproof permanent finish to add a satin sheen.
Countertops with sealed wood finishes should not be used as a cutting surface.
Countertops with sealed wood finishes should not be used as a cutting surface.
20. In Santa Ynez, California, two matching wooden islands (or worktables) double the pleasure in this Mediterranean-style kitchen by Urquidez Building.
21. Renovated by Christie Architecture, this 70-year-old farmhouse in Portland, Oregon, boasts a wooden kitchen island countertop with distinctive dovetailed edges.
22. Designer Beka Barski of Heartwood Kitchen & Bath Center paired a dark wood island countertop with yellow cabinets in this Buxton, Maine, farmhouse kitchen. Shapely wooden corbels are a traditional touch and provide support for the overhang.
23. Designed by Cosan Studio, this farmhouse is in Texas but would look right at home in the European countryside. Topped with rustic wood, the kitchen’s painted and distressed island looks like a centuries-old antique.
24. Slim-profile wooden countertops generally create a more contemporary feel than super-thick slabs, as you can see in this kitchen in Lyon, France. That said, they’re more prone to warping than thick countertops are, so professional installation and proper maintenance are key.
Find a custom countertop contractor
Find a custom countertop contractor
25. The wooden island top and matching floating wood shelving in this contemporary North Carolina kitchen by Sulaski & Co. add softness to the sharp gray-and-marble color scheme and enhance the connection to the home’s wooded setting.
26. Dutch Made Custom Cabinetry created this transitional kitchen in a 1929 Spanish Colonial in Beverly Hills, California. The curved cutout in the walnut island countertop opened the passageway between the island and a curved wall opposite it.
27. Between its huge live-edge wooden slab, the slab’s sculptural support and the dramatic chandelier above, this contemporary kitchen island in Charleston, South Carolina, is a true work of art.
28. The island in this transitional kitchen in Atlanta, which was designed by J Steven Kemp Architect, has a sweet robin’s-egg blue base that looks sophisticated paired with a dark wooden top.
8 Blue Paint Colors to Consider for a Kitchen Island
8 Blue Paint Colors to Consider for a Kitchen Island
29. Clean lines and a white, pale wood and black palette lend a Scandinavian vibe to this Kimberly Peck Architect-designed kitchen in the Catskill Mountains of New York.
30. In this Craftsman-meets-beach-style Texas house by Younger Homes, guests seated at the kitchen island can look out across a handsome wood countertop through the window to Lake Travis.
31. A reclaimed Douglas fir slab sits atop the island in this Seattle kitchen designed by Olson Kundig and built by Dovetail General Contractors.
Ample sunshine and reflective steel cabinetry lighten the mostly natural-wood design.
Ample sunshine and reflective steel cabinetry lighten the mostly natural-wood design.
32. There’s something so quintessentially British about this country kitchen in Berkshire, England, by John Lewis of Hungerford. The custom Shaker-style cabinets in hunter green contrast beautifully with the warm oak island top and herringbone-laid floors.
33. In this award-winning Austin, Texas, kitchen by Twelve Stones Designs, an island topped with a black walnut chopping block houses a drawer for knives and a double pullout trash unit. Measuring a hefty 4 inches thick, the custom, handmade butcher block has a solid wood chamfered (beveled) edge band.
A second island, which you can see if you click through the project images, has a Cambria quartz top and houses the sink, dishwasher and bar seating.
A second island, which you can see if you click through the project images, has a Cambria quartz top and houses the sink, dishwasher and bar seating.
34. Varying wood tones, worn timbers and dramatic wood grains give this industrial-style kitchen in Raleigh, North Carolina, by Sitzer Spuria Studios an honest, raw look. Stained concrete floors, exposed pipes, asymmetrical shelving and handmade ceramics reinforce a spirit of wabi-sabi.
35. In Wisconsin, design-build firm Bartelt. The Remodeling Resource used reclaimed pine floors and a distressed, clear-coated wood kitchen island top to give a timeworn look to a new barn home.
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36. Designer Heather Cleveland chose the green paint for this Lafayette, California, kitchen’s cabinets (Green Smoke by Farrow & Ball) to complement the live-edge redwood island countertop, which the client made from a tree felled on his land.
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10 Gorgeous Green Paints for Kitchen Islands and Cabinets
37. In this modern farmhouse in Montana, Black Label Custom Homes added a cool black metal detail to the kitchen island’s wooden waterfall countertop.
38. Madelene Ross Design Studio created this San Diego kitchen with its client’s love of France in mind, choosing details such as vintage French pendant lights, marble tile and a butcher block island top in walnut with a furniture finish.
39. This cottage kitchen in the Cotswolds region of England has an attached bookshelf built with the same wood used for the island worktop. The varied heights, light wood and open shelves keep the black cabinets from looking blocky.
40. In Indianapolis, Everything Home added a small, wood-topped kitchen island during the renovation, repeating the warm wood on a soffit and floating shelf. Letting the wood cascade over just one side of the island is an unexpected, luxe-looking design element in the relatively small space.
41. Comfort Remodel added extra function to a Kansas kitchen’s beautiful walnut island countertop by giving it a drop leaf.
42. This contemporary kitchen in British Columbia continues a slim wooden island countertop on an attached, stepped-down dining table in one seamless stretch. The gray-toned herringbone floor by Samurai Hardwood Flooring is a neutral but interesting backdrop.
43. Meanwhile, on the Emerald Isle, Shalford Interiors installed a thick, solid oak surface on an island painted in Farrow & Ball’s Railings. The counter’s overhang is smartly situated such that those seated in the stools can look out across the verdant Irish countryside.
44. This kitchen in a Toronto guesthouse designed by Wentworth Landscapes has a wooden kitchen island with a unique detail: an end-grain butcher bock cutting board that hugs the face-grain countertop. Not only does it protect the counter and provide a good cutting surface, it looks like a more intentional part of the design than a standard cutting board would.
45. Architectural Squared used a combination of wood tones in this Southwestern-style kitchen in Moab, Utah, including a light-toned face-grain island countertop.
Maple, which is hard and has a clear grain, is a popular choice for a light-toned butcher block.
Maple, which is hard and has a clear grain, is a popular choice for a light-toned butcher block.
46. In Seattle, this gorgeous Art Deco-inspired kitchen by Jennifer Gardner Design features a narrow wood-topped island that coordinates with a library ladder and narrow-plank floors appropriate to the 1908 home.
47. An inlaid pattern in a contrasting color of wood adds character to a butcher block counter, as you can see in this kitchen remodeled by United Firm Construction in a 1920s home in Pasadena, California.
48. From the distressed floors to the rough-hewn wood ceiling beams, this custom Pennsylvania house by Classic Colonial Homes is full of rustic beauty. The wooden island countertop helps capture the feel of an 18th century New England farmhouse kitchen.
49. Anna Butler Designs used a light wood butcher block island countertop to add contrast to the light gray cabinets and white perimeter countertops in this pretty Chicago kitchen.
50. Remodeled by Custom Creative Furniture, this traditional kitchen in Atlanta features a hickory-topped island.
A member of the walnut family (as is pecan), hickory is among the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods in the U.S.
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A member of the walnut family (as is pecan), hickory is among the hardest, heaviest and strongest woods in the U.S.
Tell us: Which kitchen island is your favorite? Share in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more kitchen stories
Browse millions of home photos for inspiration
Find home design and remodeling professionals
Shop for kitchen products
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This transitional-style kitchen in Calgary, Alberta, designed by Dependable Renovations has a 3-inch-thick maple butcher block island top and vibes that are a little bit French country and a little bit industrial.
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