Electric wiring Your Kitchen Island
Your kitchen is the heart of your home and at its center is your kitchen island. More than additional counter space, a kitchen island is often the landing pad for school projects, small home repairs, bill paying and other household activities.
These days, a kitchen island is where you:
- do your menu and cooking prep;
- stand up a cookbook or a tablet with recipes;
- watch TV or listen to a podcast while you’re working;
- spend time with friends and family;
- store your pots and pans;
- sit and enjoy a morning coffee
- sort through the mail;
- plan your day, your week or your life.
That’s a lot for one multi-tasking piece of furniture.
Function and Fashion
Today’s designers are creating kitchens that are smart, streamlined and automated. A long-lasting trend of kitchens that resembled professional culinary sets, today’s kitchens are the hub of family life.
Keeping with this trend, kitchen islands have become larger as they serve more purposes. In open-design homes, you might even see them extending into the family room or dining room. They’re usually outfitted with storage space including drawers and roll-out cabinets. Many families use the island as a table, enjoying quick meals or an after-work drink with friends.
Because they’ve become so central, islands have to look good and work hard. They’ve become integral parts of the home’s décor and they’re central to your family’s daily life.
In keeping with this multi-function style, electrical wiring is critical. In fact, according to the National Electric Code, a large kitchen island is required to have its own electrical outlets.
Start Smart
If you want your kitchen to have all the futuristic touches that will make life easy, consider getting a smart hub for your home. You can start with smart lights and automatic sensors and progress all the way up to having your coffeemaker turn on at the same time your alarm clock goes off, a refrigerator that reminds you to buy milk and juice, motion-activated faucets and even stoves that can switch to self-cleaning mode all by themselves.
As the center of your kitchen’s life, your island is the ideal spot to place the hub. It’s also a good location for the electronic device you’ll be using to program and control all your technological advances.
Electrical Needs for Islands
Lighting. Kitchen islands need outlets for kitchen appliances as well as electronic gadgets. They also need their own lighting, whether it’s bright lights for small, focused tasks or soft ambient lighting for those late-night or early-morning talk sessions.
Getting smarter. Smart technology has become another central aspect of today’s homes. That includes kitchens. New homes will often be wired for automation of the refrigerator, lights, water and air temperature. If you have an older home, you may have already upgraded with sensors that control faucets and appliances.
Cooking. Preparing food is a more “wired” event than it was even 10 years ago. Today’s cooks often have several complex appliances, from programmable slow cookers to bread machines to juicers. These all eat up energy and need a robust electrical system to keep working properly.
Running the Wires
Decide where you want the electrical source. You can install an electric box under the floor and run wiring from it to the island. This gives a cleaner look and it’s safer. Another option is to run a cable from the panel in the ceiling or attic to the island, attaching wires to a decorative pillar on the island.
Happy Island, Happy Home
A well-designed kitchen island is more than just a place to chop vegetables or grab breakfast as you run out the door. It’s the hub of your family’s daily life.
If you’d like your kitchen island to mix form and function, call SESCOS and ask about wiring for a new, old or planned island. We’ll take a look at what you’ll be using it for, which appliances you’d like to run there and any ideas for smart automation you’d like to include.
When it’s time for wiring, it’s time to call SESCOS.