I’ve found mobile kitchen islands to become more and more popular in recent years. As “open floor plans” continue to be in higher demand, a permanent obstacle if you will, such as a kitchen island, tend to be on the fence of home owner wants and don’t wants.
Keep in mind, this is specific to center islands in which there is no oven or microwave hook up. I’m talking about the basic island in which you cut, prep, or set out food, not the ones anchored into the floor or gas line hook ups.
The permanent fixture of an island can be seen as a bit of an obstacle for some buyers. Which is might be why I’m seeing recent kitchen remodels including these mobile islands as part of their builds.
Often times they double over as a coffee nook or side table when not in use in the center of the room. Though not uncommon in the past, more modern builds don’t include wheels, but instead use foam or padded sliders to easily glide them over kitchen flooring.
You can buy islands at Home Depot or Lowe’s that utilize the aforementioned wheels, but options are also available to either purchase sliders, or you can always swap out the wheels for the peel and stick, soft touch furniture pads. Personally, I feel keeping the wheels attached makes it more of a kitchen “cart,” whereas finding a way to make it look more anchored into the ground, sliders or otherwise, would give the appearance of an island.