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(847) 847-4148 contact@deltaremodels.com1212 Ranch Rd
Lake Forest, IL 60045
A custom kitchen island is built to fit your kitchen's exact dimensions, traffic paths and the way you cook. Nationally, custom islands run about $3,000 to $25,000. The countertop and any plumbing set most of the price: quartz runs $60 to $120 per square foot installed on the North Shore, and natural stone $120 to $300. An island needs about 42 inches of clear aisle on every working side.
Pre-made kitchen islands come in set sizes with a fixed cabinet layout. A custom built kitchen island is drawn for one room, so the length, depth, seating side, storage and top all fit the space and the people using it.
In most North Shore kitchens the island does several jobs at once. It is the prep counter, the homework table, the place guests stand and often the spot for the sink, dishwasher or cooktop. That only works when the island is planned with the rest of the kitchen remodel, not added at the end.
A custom island also lets the room take on more character. Many of our clients use the island as the one piece in a different wood or color, which is the easiest way to get a two-tone kitchen without the rest of the cabinets competing for attention.
Measure the clear distance between your perimeter counters. An island needs about 42 inches of aisle on each working side, or 48 inches where two people cook. A 2 foot deep island with 42 inch aisles needs roughly 108 inches between counter fronts, which works out to a kitchen about 13 feet wide. If you are short of that, a peninsula is usually the better fit.
A pre-made island is a freestanding cabinet with a top. It is quick and inexpensive, but it cannot take plumbing easily, rarely matches the rest of the cabinetry and comes in fixed sizes. A custom island is anchored to the floor, wired and plumbed as needed, and built to the same standard as the surrounding cabinets. If the island will hold a sink, cooktop or seating for a family, custom is worth it.
Three types of businesses build them: cabinet shops, furniture makers, including Amish-built and handcrafted island makers, and design-build kitchen remodelers. A shop or furniture maker supplies the piece. A design-build firm like ours also handles the floor, plumbing, electrical, countertop and permits, so the island arrives ready to use.
Yes, and many of ours do. A sink needs a drain path and a code-approved vent. A cooktop needs ventilation, either a ceiling hood or a downdraft, plus a dedicated circuit. Both are far easier to plan before the floor is finished. See our Glenview island cooktop kitchen.
National data from Angi puts custom islands at about $3,000 to $25,000. On the North Shore, the island's price depends on four parts, using the figures from our 2026 North Shore kitchen cost guide.
| Island part | North Shore cost | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Countertop | Quartz $60 to $120 per sq ft installed. Marble or quartzite $120 to $300 per sq ft. | Size, stone grade, waterfall ends, mitered edges and book-matching. |
| Island cabinets | Priced with your kitchen cabinets, which run 29 to 40 percent of the total budget. | Wood species, drawers vs doors, paneled ends, furniture-style legs and interior fittings. |
| Plumbing | Moving plumbing to the island: $5,000 to $25,000. | Basement access vs slab, vent route, distance to the main stack. |
| Electrical and lighting | Included in the kitchen electrical scope. | Outlets, pendants, a cooktop or microwave drawer circuit and switching. |
An 8 by 4 foot island top is about 32 square feet. At North Shore installed prices that comes to:
Cabinetry, plumbing and electrical are added to that, which is why we price the island inside the whole kitchen.
$40K to $65K, cosmetic refresh. The layout stays, so an existing island gets new cabinets and a new top.
$80K to $130K, standard remodel. Island expansion is common here, often with new seating and a prep sink.
$130K to $200K, full gut. Walls come out to make room, and the island can take the main sink or cooktop.
$200K+, estate kitchens. Islands often run 10 to 14 feet with several functions, or two islands share the work.
Removing a wall to make room for an island is a separate structural cost, usually $5,000 to $25,000 depending on what the wall carries. Compare the scope of a cosmetic refresh vs a full gut.
How the island is built and fixed to the room decides what it can hold and how permanent it is.
Base cabinets fixed to the floor with finished end panels and a stone top. The standard for islands that carry a sink, dishwasher or cooktop.
Turned legs, a deeper toe kick and furniture details, so the island looks like a freestanding piece. The custom kitchen island that looks like furniture, with plumbing and power still possible.
A single-level top with stools on one or two sides, or a two-level design that raises the seating side to bar height to hide prep mess.
The countertop continues down both ends to the floor. A clean, modern look that adds stone and fabrication cost.
Two islands split the work, one for cooking and prep, one for seating and serving. Suits large North Shore kitchens with room for three aisles.
A peninsula attaches to a wall or cabinet run and needs less floor space. Freestanding, handmade or Amish-built islands work where no plumbing or power is needed.
| Compare | Island | Peninsula |
|---|---|---|
| Space needed | Aisle on every side, about 13 ft wide room | Aisle on three sides, works in narrower rooms |
| Seating | One or two sides | Usually one side |
| Traffic | Moves around it in both directions | One entry and exit, can create a dead end |
| Best for | Open and larger kitchens | Galley, L-shaped and smaller kitchens |
Start with the room size and how many people use the kitchen at once. These are the recommendations we give most often.
For families who eat at the counter. Put stools on the side away from the cooktop and sink so prep and dining do not collide, as in our Glenview marble island kitchen.
For kitchens over about 18 feet wide where several people cook and entertain. One island works, the other serves. See the Lake Forest two-island estate kitchen.
For cooks who want to face the room. The island takes the sink and dishwasher, and the perimeter keeps the range and storage. Our Wilmette navy island kitchen pairs this with a waterfall top.
For kitchens under about 13 feet wide, common in older Evanston and Skokie homes. You get seating and storage without blocking the work aisle.
These are the planning standards we design to. A custom island lets us adjust them to your stools, your family and the room.
| Seating height | Counter height | Knee space overhang | Width per seat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table height | 30 in | 18 in | 24 in, 30 in for comfort |
| Counter height | 36 in | 15 in | 24 in, 28 in for comfort |
| Bar height | 42 in | 12 in | 24 in |
| Clearance | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Work aisle, one cook | 36 in | 42 in |
| Work aisle, two cooks | 42 in | 48 in |
| Behind seated stools, no traffic | 32 in | 36 in |
| Behind stools with a walkway | 36 in | 44 in |
Small kitchen islands still work at about 2 by 4 feet, but at that size they serve as prep space with one or two stools at most. An 8 foot island seats three or four on one long side.
The island is usually the most visible cabinetry in the room, so it is where clients spend on wood, color and detail.
Walnut and white oak islands against painted perimeter cabinets are the most common two-tone kitchen cabinets look we build. Fluted panels and brass hardware add furniture detail.
Shaker style kitchen islands in navy, blue-gray or green give color without darkening the room. See the Long Grove kitchen and the Lake Bluff navy island.
Deep pot drawers, trash and recycling pull-outs, a microwave drawer, a beverage fridge and open shelves or bookshelves on the end. Our Northbrook shaker kitchen uses open shelving on the island end.
Island tops can differ from the perimeter as well. A marble or quartzite island with quartz perimeter counters puts the expensive stone where it shows most. Pendant spacing and dimming matter here too, and our under-cabinet lighting guide covers the rest of the kitchen lighting plan.
We are kitchen remodelers first. An island touches the floor, plumbing, electrical, lighting and cabinets, so we design all of it together.
Design, cabinetry, plumbing, electrical, stone, flooring and permits run through us.
3D plans show island size, aisle widths, seating and storage before anything is ordered.
39+ years in older homes across Glenview, Wilmette, Highland Park, Lake Forest and nearby towns.
A 3-year workmanship warranty and a 4.9★ Google rating.
Every photo on this page is a Delta kitchen. Browse the full project portfolio for more.
Marble-topped walnut island with fluted panels and brass pendants.
Marble island with seating and a brass pendant cluster.
Navy island anchoring an open plan kitchen in a historic home.
Natural oak island with a Calacatta quartz top.
Plan on 42 inches of clear aisle on each working side of the island, or 48 inches if two people cook at once. With 24 inch deep counters on both walls and a 2 foot deep island, that means a kitchen about 13 feet wide or more.
At a 36 inch counter-height island, plan about 15 inches of knee space. At a 42 inch bar height, about 12 inches. At a 30 inch table height, about 18 inches. Stone overhangs beyond what the slab can carry on its own need hidden steel supports or corbels.
Allow 24 inches of counter width per stool, or closer to 28 to 30 inches for more elbow room. An 8 foot island with seating on one long side fits three or four stools.
Yes. An island sink needs a drain path through the floor and a code-approved vent, such as an island loop vent. On a first floor over a basement this is usually straightforward. On a slab it means cutting concrete.
It does not have to. Two-tone kitchens with a stained wood or painted island against lighter perimeter cabinets are common on the North Shore. Keep one element shared, such as the hardware, door style or counter, so the room reads as one design.
An island needs aisle space on all sides. If your kitchen is narrower than about 13 feet, a peninsula attached to one wall or cabinet run usually gives the same seating and storage without blocking traffic.
Sometimes. If the floor runs under the existing cabinets and the island needs no plumbing, an island can be added on its own. Most island projects we build are part of a larger kitchen remodel because the layout, flooring and lighting change with it.
A custom kitchen island earns its cost when it fits the aisles, holds the right job and matches the quality of the cabinets around it. Check the clearances first, decide what the island should do, then choose seating, storage, top and finish.
If you want to know what an island would take in your kitchen, we will measure the room, check the floor and plumbing, and give you a realistic range at the first visit. Opening the kitchen to the living space is often part of the same project, as in our Lake Forest open plan kitchen.
We measure your kitchen, check aisles, floor and plumbing, and give you a realistic budget range for the island and the room around it.
(847) 847-41481212 Ranch Rd · Lake Forest, IL 60045
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