The Unexpected Genius of a Two-Level Island

So have I ever told you it took nearly two years to plan and design our kitchen? And two notebooks of graph paper? I drew out plans like this...



...and this....



...and redrew them and erased them and crumbled them and redrew them again. Finally, from the dust, to cement, slate, hickory, granite, Mexican talavera tile, antiqued faux brick tile and stainless steel, among contractors to whom I could only speak in broken Spanish, and who thought if they spoke in very loud voices to me, using the same words, perhaps I could understand them better...

...emerged our dream kitchen.

I think what has to be my favorite part of our kitchen is the island. I'll show it to you in a minute. We chose a two-level design, like this...



(View from above)

I imagined myself standing at the lower level, preparing meals, while the kids did their homework or just sat and talked, perched atop tall bar stools at the upper level. I imagined friends sharing their lives with me as I made one of my weird health smoothies or rolled sushi (of which I will be posting a how-to soon).

The island was to be 8 1/2 feet by 5 1/2 feet, thus the need, in my opinion, for a two-tier design. I just thought that an expanse of granite that large would be too overwhelming and, more importantly, impossible to transport from the U.S. here to Mexico.

When we first designed our kitchen, I wanted it to be part of a great room that would be in plain view when one opened our front door. To me, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and I truly wanted to express that by making it visible to guests immediately upon entrance. However, my husband was somewhat against this plan. He said the kitchen would always be dirty and messy and that would be the first thing guests saw when they walked in. I promised him he was wrong, and that I would ALWAYS keep it clean.

That was before I knew I was pregnant with twins.

So yes, things changed. My kitchen isn't always clean, especially the island. In fact, we have to store many of the contents of the lower kitchen drawers on our island because we can't seem to find drawer locks the twins can't destroy.

But here's the unexpected genius...the reason you came here...

This is the view of our kitchen when you first walk into our home...



...and this is what you see when you enter our kitchen...



(Yes, I agree the island is a little cluttered, what with my mother's fruit bowls and my blogging paraphernalia, but at least it looks clean, right?)

This is the view of our kitchen when you enter through the side door from the family parking area...



...and this is what you see if you walk up to our island...



Not too bad, right? See, I was able to keep the kitchen relatively clean this day, even though I have a 3-year-old and 2 20-month-olds under foot at all times.

BUT...

If you were to walk around my island, to where the sinks are, THIS is what you might see...



Here you can view many of the items we have to store on our island, along with the recent tray of doughnuts I never got around to putting on a plate, various loafs of store-bought and homemade bread, dishes, and other miscellaneous kitchenware. There is also a laundry basket with a baby doll stroller in it on the floor. There must be a reason for this, but because I can't get into the mind of my 3-year-old, I will never know why.

Thus, the unexpected genius of a two-level island. It helps your kitchen appear clean and organized even if you have three kids 3 and under. Thanks for listening.