The Kitchen Island That Works Around You: Handmade & Bespoke Kitchen Islands
A kitchen island can completely change the way a kitchen feels and works.
It can provide extra preparation space, much-needed storage, somewhere to sit with a coffee, a place for children to perch while you cook, or simply become the beautiful centrepiece that brings the whole room together.
But not every kitchen - or every family needs the same thing.
That's why at Frank & Pig, we make handmade and bespoke kitchen islands designed around the way you live, rather than asking your kitchen to work around a standard-sized unit.
Whether you are looking for a traditional farmhouse kitchen island, a rustic country island, a more contemporary wooden island or something completely unique, we can build it to suit your space, your style and your budget.
Why choose a bespoke kitchen island?
Off-the-shelf kitchen islands can be a great option if you happen to find one that is the right size and has exactly the storage you need. But kitchens aren't usually that straightforward.
Perhaps you have an awkward wall, a particular amount of space between your existing units, a low window that needs to be considered, or simply a very specific idea of how you want your island to look.
A bespoke kitchen island gives you the freedom to decide.
You can choose the length, depth and height, the number of drawers and cupboards, the position of shelving, whether you want seating, the style of legs, the timber, the finish and even whether you want us to supply the worktop.
In other words, we build the island around your kitchen - not the other way around.
Kitchen islands with seating
One of the most popular features of a kitchen island is an overhang or inset for kitchen stools.
It turns the island into much more than a preparation surface. It becomes somewhere to eat breakfast, enjoy a glass of wine, help with homework or chat while dinner is being prepared.
We can design an island with seating along one side, at one end, or even incorporate a deeper overhang depending on the layout of your room.
For a breakfast-bar style island, we can design the seating area so that stools tuck neatly underneath, keeping the overall look clean and uncluttered.
And if you don't need seating, that's absolutely fine too. The island can instead be designed around maximum storage and preparation space.
Drawers, cupboards, shelves and clever storage
The beauty of a handmade kitchen island is that every part can be considered.
Perhaps you need deep soft-close drawers for pots and pans.
Maybe you would prefer cupboards for larger kitchen equipment, open shelving for cookbooks and baskets, or a combination of drawers, cupboards and a lower shelf.
You might want a dedicated space for your favourite serving dishes, a shelf for baskets or somewhere to keep everyday essentials within easy reach.
We can even incorporate practical details such as a towel rail, giving you somewhere useful to hang tea towels without adding another piece of furniture to the room.
Classic drawer and cupboard furniture can be chosen to complement the style of your kitchen, from simple and understated to traditional country-inspired detailing.
There really are very few rules.
With a worktop - or without
Some customers want a complete kitchen island, including a beautiful solid timber worktop, ready to install.
Others already have a worktop in mind, perhaps in stone, quartz, marble, granite, timber or another material, and simply need a beautifully made island base underneath it.
We can make your island with or without a worktop, depending on your project.
This makes a bespoke Frank & Pig kitchen island particularly useful when you are renovating an existing kitchen and want to introduce a new island without replacing everything else.
Choosing the right timber for your kitchen island
The timber you choose can completely change the character of an island.
At Frank & Pig, we can make kitchen islands from a range of solid timbers, including solid oak, solid ash, solid tulipwood and pine.
Solid oak kitchen islands
Oak remains a classic choice for a kitchen island.
Strong, durable and naturally beautiful, solid oak works particularly well in traditional farmhouse kitchens, Shaker-style kitchens and more contemporary spaces where you want the warmth and texture of natural timber.
The grain, natural variation and substantial feel of oak make it a timeless choice that should become even more beautiful with age.
Solid ash kitchen islands
Ash is becoming increasingly popular for handmade furniture.
It has a beautiful, distinctive grain and a density and strength that makes it a fantastic alternative to oak.
For customers who love the look and feel of oak but are looking for another solid timber option, solid ash is well worth considering.
It has a naturally lighter appearance and a lovely open grain that works particularly well in contemporary country kitchens.
Solid tulipwood kitchen islands
Tulipwood is another timber we are increasingly being asked about.
One of the reasons for its growing popularity is its appearance. Compared with traditional pine, tulipwood is less yellow in tone and can have a softer, more neutral appearance that works beautifully alongside painted cabinetry and natural stone or timber worktops.
It is also a strong and versatile timber, making it an excellent choice for a painted or natural-finish bespoke kitchen island.
Pine kitchen islands
For a relaxed, rustic or traditional country kitchen, pine remains a brilliant choice.
Our reclaimed pine options have a softer, more lived-in character, with natural knots, marks and variations that give the finished island a sense of history.
A reclaimed pine kitchen island can be particularly beautiful in a farmhouse or country kitchen where you want the furniture to feel as though it has always belonged there.
A kitchen island made for your home
We don't believe a kitchen island should simply be a big box placed in the middle of the room.
The best islands are designed around how you actually use your kitchen.
Do you need somewhere for the children to sit?
Do you want somewhere to prepare food while still being part of the conversation?
Would deeper drawers make your kitchen easier to organise?
Would open shelving make everyday crockery more accessible?
Do you want a traditional farmhouse look, something simple and contemporary, or a mixture of old and new?
These are the details that make a bespoke kitchen island feel as though it was always meant to be there.
Our current collection includes handmade kitchen islands in both solid oak and reclaimed country pine, but our bespoke service allows us to go much further, creating a piece around your exact measurements, timber preference and requirements.
Handmade in Devon, delivered across Mainland UK
Every Frank & Pig kitchen island is made to order by hand in Devon.
We are a small family business, so when you contact us, you are speaking directly to us about your project.
We can talk through your measurements, timber choices, storage requirements and ideas before anything is made.
For customers outside the South West, our standalone bespoke kitchen islands can be carefully delivered across Mainland UK by our professional two-man delivery team.
Our delivery service is heavily subsidised at just £95, making it easier to order a substantial handmade piece of furniture from us wherever you are in Mainland UK.
Let's design your kitchen island
If you have been searching for a bespoke kitchen island, a handmade wooden kitchen island, a solid oak kitchen island or simply something that doesn't look like everything else on the market, we'd love to hear from you.
You don't need to have every detail worked out.
Send us your measurements, a photograph of your kitchen, an Instagram inspiration image or simply tell us what you have in mind.
We'll help you work out what could work best for your space.
Because the best kitchen islands aren't simply made to fit a room.
They're made to fit the way you live.
Explore our kitchen islands
Handmade in Devon. Solid timber. Made to your measurements.
Frank & Pig - built for everyday life.
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