Design Ideas for a 12x16 Kitchen Layout With an Island

Inspirational ideas to make the most of your 12x16 kitchen layout design.

Are you dreaming of a modern, inviting kitchen with enough space for gathering together and enjoying a meal? Well, here’s some good news—a 12 foot x16 foot kitchen design layout with an island can give you the perfect balance between style and functionality. With the right planning and design elements, you can create a kitchen that is both fashionable and functional.

When we started designing this house my number one priority for a new kitchen was open space where people could gather. Our last home had an L-shaped kitchen. It was a large kitchen for the house size. The majority of our time was spent there, whether it was baking or doing an art project. However, this time around, incorporating a white kitchen with a large island in the center of the room was on the checklist.

Island Design for 12x16 Kitchen Layout

A large island was central to the functionality of our living space in the kitchen. Islands are a great way to create more storage space while giving the appearance of an open gathering space.

White Oak Kitchen Island

My island is natural quarter sawn white oak. No stain, just a top coat to protect the wood. My island is 9'4" long x 5'4" wide. All of my kitchen cabinets are custom made by Foxwood. I went with their custom line so I could get exactly what I wanted for my interior design. Plus, their custom line also included slow close doors and drawers. Not hearing doors slam is a beautiful sound.

I went with this size as it was the biggest I could get out of one slab of stone. I didn't want to have a seam in the countertop space.

Quartzite Countertop

My countertop is quartzite - not to be confused with quartz. Quartzite is a very hard natural stone. I wanted a light countertop with movement and my husband wanted to be able to put a hot pan on it. This was the perfect compromise.

Our slab is called White Macaubas from Daltile. If you are in Utah make sure you take a trip to Daltile's slab showroom in Salt Lake City. They have so many options. You can walk through their warehouse and look at all the slabs. That way you know exactly what you are getting.

Accent Countertops did the fabrication for it. And WOW, it was one big piece of stone. It weighed around 1200 lbs and took 6 guys to get it in here. Accent did a beautiful job on our countertops!

Kitchen Sink in Island

I have loved having my sink in my island instead of an exterior wall. I went with a big farmhouse sink from Sinkology. It is a fireclay sink. In our last home I had a cast iron sink with a porcelain coating. It held up well, but it did get a few scratches. So I did a little research and found that a fireclay sink is much harder to scratch or chip than the porcelain coating on a cast iron sink.

Island Kitchen Hardware

All of our faucets are from Great Western in Ogden, Utah. They have an amazing showroom, so if you are local and looking for something make sure to check them out. However, if you are not local I will link up my faucets as well.

Our kitchen faucet is by Brizo and it has the touch sensors. My kids think it is so cool that they just have to touch it to make it turn on. I have to agree, it is nice to be able to just touch it when my hands are all dirty!

The smaller faucet is for our Reverse Osmosis. We had it in our last home as well and I have missed it so much since we moved. Reverse Osmosis filters everything out of your water. Add some ice and you have some amazingly cold, taste-free water!

Barstools for 12x16 Kitchen Layout

When you have an island, it's important to have a good seating area in addition to seating at the kitchen table. We opted to go with barstools. For barstools I really wanted them to be different colors of a dark palette to pull the charcoal and black accents from against the wall. I don't think these barstools from Safavieh could have been any more perfect. The charcoal grey matches the fireplace accent wall perfectly.

However, after a year I decided to go a different route with the barstools to bring in more texture.

Barstools for a White Kitchen with Quartzite Countertop

Appliances for 12x16 Kitchen Layout

Fridge

This is my husband's department. He does a lot of the cooking and cares more about the functionality of the appliances. I just care about how they look. Our fridge is the Cafe series by GE. It is 48 " wide x 28 ½ " deep. Since it is along the walkway to get to the garage and mudroom I didn't want the fridge sticking out into needed floor space.

White Oak Pantry Doors | White Oak cabinets | White Kitchen

Stovetop

I am pretty sure my husband is most excited about our ZLine stove though. There are 6 gas burners on top and one griddle. He ordered 3 more griddles so he could turn the top into one big griddle!

Black pot filler | Kitchen gadgets | Kitchen Design |start at home decor

Hood

Vent hoods can be a fun design element in your kitchen. The hood and stove create the perfect focal point against this back wall. Our hood insert is also from ZLine. And does it pull a lot of air! This is super helpful when I am in the kitchen because when I burn something now I can hurry and suck the smell out before anyone knows!

Oven

We opted for a unit instead of wall ovens to make sure we had enough cabinet space. The oven is electric and we have loved the ability to cook more than one thing at the same time. The small oven can fit a casserole dish perfectly. I love that is pretty too. We have also really liked having our pot filler.

Dishwasher

Wondering where my dishwasher is? It is in my island next to our sink. We ordered this panel ready dishwasher from Zline. A panel ready dishwasher allows you to put a panel of your choosing on the front. Our cabinet builders made us a panel to match our cabinet doors. It fits in well with the color schemes. It was surprisingly easy to install as well.

Kitchen Layout Lighting Options

There are no windows directly in my kitchen. But, we have several big windows on opposite walls that provide a lot of light during the day. I wanted my kitchen to be light and bright at night too! We added 9 can lights. One tip for can lights - when installing them, keep them in a line. You will be able to tell they are not uniformly lined at night.

Cottage Style Kitchen | Start at Home Decor | Pendants | Wood Island

Since my island is over 9 ft long I went with 3 larger pendants to cover the work area. These glass lights are great for not obstructing the view. However, glass can get very dirty so a good way to help with that is choosing seeded glass. The seeded glass is a beautiful accent for our cottage style home. View them here

Progress Lighting | Seeded Glass | Kitchen Pendants

For under cabinet lighting we found these really cool outlet strips that also had lighting options. I love these strips for two reasons! One - you can't see them on my backsplash tile. And two - they are customizable, so I can add things down the road if I wanted to. The only problem is that my electrician got them for me from his supply house so I don't have a link.

Storage Solutions

Spice Racks | Kitchen Design | Start at Home Decor

For a 12x16 kitchen layout, good storage options are a necessity. We considered more open shelves, but opted to put that into our pantry instead. Spice racks were a must on my husband's list. Foxwood even had these really cool pull out spice racks that also hold my spatulas and a universal knife storage block for my knives. Talk about having everything in one place!

I organized my spices a few years ago and I have absolutely loved it. They are so much easier to find now instead of bottles of all different sizes. I use these jars. The shorter jars are sold out, but here are some similar ones.

Kitchen Drawer Storage | Start at Home Decor

Instead of cabinets I went with big deep drawers everywhere I could. Good drawer storage is essential! See that snapware? They are my favorite. Not only do they seal really great, but the lids stack together and stay!

Hidden garbage cans | Start at Home Decor

Our garbage cans are also hidden in our island. Whoever came up with this good idea is a genius! Not only does it hide them, but my dog can't get into them. Plus, it is nice to have a garbage situated directly in your work spaces within arm's reach.

Kitchen Pantry | Extra Kitchen Storage | Start at Home Decor

Next to the fridge we did a big pantry style cupboard for easy access to cookware. I love the shelves that pull out for their convenient wall storage, it makes organizing our bowls and random appliances so much easier.

Decorative Elements for Kitchen Layout

Backsplash and Counters

My backsplash is Light Grey Arabesque Lantern porcelain tile from Daltile. I used white grout for a slight contrast. I love the soft curves it adds to the space. My back countertops are Silver Pearl granite from Daltile with a leather finish. This is more of a matte finish and it does have a slight texture to it.

Hardware

For my drawer pulls I wanted them to be a flat as possible. We have ruined way too many pairs of pants getting stuck on hardware. I went with round knobs this time around. I had square at my last house, and while I loved them, they were never straight.

Kitchen Island Ideas | Modern Kitchen | Modern Cottage Kitchen | Start at Home Decor

Pantry Doors

Let's talk about those beautiful white oak doors in my floor plan. Jaron at Northern Edge custom built them for me. I wanted glass ¾ of the way down to match the rest of the doors in my home. I used the same knobs on them as the rest of my kitchen. Those doors lead into a separate pantry.

Flooring

My flooring is Vintage Beige from ADM flooring. It has a wire brushed oil finish with a slight texture to it. So far it has cleaned up really well and I have loved it. Truth be told it hides the dirt really well too! View how we installed it here.

Wood Beam

We wrapped the wood beam with white oak as well to help tie all of the wood tones together with the architectural design.

Dining Room

The dining area is right off of the main kitchen. It's nice to have an extra space specifically for the dining table, but also have extra seating at the island close by. Throw in an area rug under your table to help define the space and make clean up easier.

Adding Decorations to Your Kitchen Layout

Keep decorating in your kitchen to a minimum. It is very inconvenient to have to move decor around in order to make something. So I keep it simple, and use kitchen items as part of decor.

Greenery is always something that can be added to any space, so I make sure to have a touch of green decor in all of my rooms. Learn how to style faux branches in a vase. This is the perfect accent for your table or counter in your kitchen layout!

The Ideal 12x16 Kitchen Layout

A 12x16 white and wood kitchen layout with an island is an excellent choice for those looking for the perfect balance between style and functionality. This layout gives you the flexibility to cook, entertain and enjoy a stress-free meal preparation.

With added storage, increased workspace and the ability to customize your cabinets, it is the perfect design for any household. Investing in this kitchen layout will not only make your kitchen look more appealing and inviting but will also increase the resale value of your home.