Kitchen islands and kitchen carts are functional kitchen furnishings that offer many benefits for home chefs. Food preparation tasks can be performed on their counter tops, and the needed utensils and equipment for such jobs can be kept within the many storage options available in today's models. In the right styles, kitchen islands and kitchen carts can function as seating areas and make excellent serving stations when you're having large meals.

Although most people choose to purchase kitchen islands and kitchen carts because of the many functions they can play within a home, the appeal of kitchen islands and kitchen carts doesn't end with their usefulness. Manufacturers create kitchen island and kitchen cart styles in a variety of looks that add beauty to the spaces where they are placed. Variations in the styles of the bases of kitchen islands and kitchen carts are one of the major differences between today's models.

We created our Buyers' Guide to Shopping for Kitchen Islands and Kitchen Carts by Base to introduce you to the features that set the base of one kitchen island or kitchen cart apart from another. By reading over the guide, you'll be able to determine what type of cart will look and function the best in your home. You can even bookmark it in case you have questions while you shop.

Getting Started

To get you started with shopping for your new kitchen island or kitchen cart by its base style, you'll need to think about your kitchen and how you will use your new piece. Ask yourself the following questions to begin.

Will the place where you use your kitchen island and kitchen cart be the same place where it will be stored? If not, will you be storing it in a different area in your kitchen or will you be keeping it in another room?

Do you intend to use your kitchen island or kitchen cart for any purposes other than food preparation? Will it ever be used for seating? Will you ever set food on it to function as a serving station? Will you ever transport food to the table with it?

What do you need to store in the table? How many items are there? Are the items big or small? What do the items look like? Will they detract from the appearance of your kitchen if they can be seen?

Will guests see your kitchen island or kitchen cart frequently? If it will be stored in your kitchen, is it in an area where traffic passes? Is it visible from the door?

What is the overall decor of your kitchen? What colors are dominant in its design? What type of wood do you have on your cabinetry and anywhere else in the room, such as on your trim or your floors? What color are your appliances? What tone is the hardware on your cabinetry?

Overall Style

The first determination that you'll need to make when choosing the base for your new kitchen island or kitchen cart is whether you want an open or a closed style.

For kitchen islands, open styles look more like tables and usually have storage in the form of shelves. These styles are excellent if you want space for seating as the open area provides ample legroom to make your guests comfortable. Closed kitchen islands are more traditional in style and usually feature two cabinets with two drawers above them. Kitchen islands in closed styles usually offer more storage space than their open counterparts.

The classic kitchen cart style is open at the base and looks like a counter top mounted on four legs. The open space makes the cart lighter weight and easier to roll, so that the styles are more mobile. Closed carts often look like cabinets on wheels. Most offer more storage space than open styles, but are less easy to move. Typically, if you want a cart that you can use in one room and store in another, an open style will be preferable. Some home chefs prefer closed styles for carts that will be kept in the kitchen all the time, as they can look more like furniture.

After deciding whether or not you wish to have a closed-in or open base, you'll need to decide what type of material you prefer. There are three primary choices: wood, stainless steel and various colors.

Wood

Some kitchen islands and kitchen carts have natural wood bases that show off their unique colors and grains. These islands and carts may be paired with stone or granite counter tops or have wood or butcher blocks in matching or contrasting colors. The wood type for your kitchen island or kitchen cart will affect its appearance and also its durability. If you'll be moving your kitchen island or kitchen cart into another room frequently, a more durable wood that can resist bumps against walls and furnishings may be preferable.

Types of Wood

There are six types of wood commonly used by kitchen furniture manufacturers as well as some less commonly used types. The most commonly used types ranked in order from hardest to least hard are:

• Maple wood has a light beige color and coordinates with many looks in kitchens. Rock maple is the most commonly used species among the acer or maple genus.


• Birch wood looks similar to maple, but has a slightly more yellow undertone. The wood is generally less expensive than rock maple because it is not as hard.


• White oak has a golden color and makes for a sturdy kitchen island or kitchen cart.


• Red oak comes from a group of oak trees that are known for their gold-red wood.


• American walnut has a striking deep brown color. It is the darkest of all of the hardwoods that are commonly used for kitchen islands and carts.


• American cherry has a highly recognizable auburn or red-brown color. It is the softest of the hardwoods that are usually used to make kitchen islands or kitchen carts.

A small number of manufacturers offer kitchen islands and kitchen carts in other wood types, including:

• Teak


• Ash


• Basswood

Stainless Steel

As an alternative to wood, you can select a stainless steel base. Typically used for open rather than closed styles, stainless steel brings a silver tone look into your kitchen space and looks nice with matching appliances and with cabinets that have coordinating hardware.

Stainless steel is a heavy-duty material and is commonly used as bases for work surfaces that will be in commercial settings. In homes, stainless steel is perfect for a piece that will be used for very rigorous tasks, but can be used anywhere that it will enhance the existing decor.

Colors

Kitchen islands and kitchen carts with painted colored bases are an attractive complement to many decors. Often, the counter top shown in these styles is in a contrasting color to create an appealing look. White and black are the most popular colors for painted bases, as they can coordinate with a wide variety of color palettes. Many manufacturers produce kitchen islands and kitchen carts in other colors as well.

Using a Color Wheel

If you're unsure what paint colors will best suit your existing decor, you can use a color wheel to hone your focus. Color wheels are used by artists and interior designers to develop color schemes. The wheel has all of the primary colors as well as secondary and tertiary colors arranged in a circle.

One strategy for decorating is to use contrasting colors, which are those that appear opposite of each other on the wheel. These colors are different enough from one another to create a dynamic look without clashing.

You can also choose an analogous color scheme for your kitchen by picking three colors that are in a row on the wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow and yellow-orange. Analogous colors share a common shade, so they work together nicely.

For another dynamic three-color scheme, you can opt for a split complementary system. With this, you select a dominant color, usually the paint for your walls, and then pair it will the colors on either side of the color directly across from it. An example is orange with blue-green and blue-violet.

Other Considerations

After you have determined the materials for your base, you're ready to make a few more decisions regarding its style. If you're shopping for an island, you'll need to choose whether or not you want casters mounted to the bottom of the piece. This creates a rolling island that is easy to shift to make more space or access the floors beneath it.

For both kitchen cart and kitchen island styles, you'll need to make decisions about what types of storage options will be included in your base. Shelves and cabinets are the most popular options, but you'll also find items like towel racks, drawers and wicker baskets built into some models.

In addition to choosing the base style for your kitchen island or kitchen cart, you'll also need to choose its counter top style. You'll also have to determine what size will best fit into your home.