We’ve all heard the saying that the kitchen is the heart of the home. The phrase might be overused but it rings true! We all gather in the kitchen whether we are entertaining a crowd, or just waiting on dinner with the family to be served. At the center of this all-important, go-to room is the kitchen island.
Our kitchen islands are the hub of life at home, whether it’s preparing your grandfather’s favorite rhubarb pie for his birthday, baking holiday cookies for the neighborhood cookie exchange, or just making your favorite dish of macaroni and cheese for the kids, the kitchen island is where it all happens. Even when we aren’t cooking, we are hanging out at the island, doing homework, going through the mail, or dropping our keys and purses.
Most new home floor plan designs include an eat-in kitchen with a kitchen island or peninsula. Browse the plan library of any new home builder and you are likely to find that the vast majority of kitchen designs include countertop seating. The floor plans offered by Eastwood Homes are no different. Our homeowners love the functionality of built-in kitchen seating. Large kitchen islands with seating are a must-have in spacious kitchens, but even smaller spaces can make use of an eat-in peninsula space, which offers additional seating similar to a free-standing counter island without the perimeter walkway requirement.
While there is widespread consensus about the attraction of kitchen islands, there are two distinct types of kitchen islands with seating, and the right choice can cause debates during homebuying. So, which is better: kitchen counter height islands or bar height kitchen islands? Both options have their own advantages!
We’ve chatted about this with our team, and we are torn. Many of us have lived in homes with both types of eat-in spaces. There is no hiding the fact that the bar-height islands or peninsulas do a great job of hiding those dishes in your sink and that bottle of dish soap that is sitting out. But the beauty of a large piece of an uninterrupted quartz countertop is hard to ignore! Examples of both styles can be found in our photo gallery.
In recent years, we have experienced more and more of our homebuyers who have requested the counter-height island or peninsula. This has become such a common request that we have actually begun offering counter-height peninsulas in our most popular floor plan, the Cypress, which previously only offered bar-height peninsulas.
We don’t have concrete proof, but we think the design trends are weighing in favor of the counter-height eat-in space, but that shouldn’t sway you from choosing what’s right for your home! So, which do you prefer? Which is right for your home and your lifestyle? What other pros and cons can you think of for each style? We would love to read your comments!
Our various floor plans and homes are built by us but designed by you. Take a look at our many home communities throughout our 8 divisions: Charlotte, NC, Raleigh, NC, the Greensboro Area, NC, Charleston, SC, Columbia, SC, Greenville, SC, Richmond, VA, and Atlanta, GA.
We opened our Columbia, SC division back in 2017. Since then it has seen tremendous growth with lots of new land deals and plenty of communities to choose from. One of those being Woodleigh Park at Lake Carolina, located in Richland County which features beautiful lakefront homesites with private dock permits.
When you step into one of our gorgeous model homes, you may want to take note of the furniture, the color of the walls, the decor, etc. for inspiration when it’s time to decorate your own Eastwood home. But have you ever wondered how our model homes became so cozy and inviting? At Eastwood Homes, we collaborate with local interior designers and home merchandisers to achieve this lived-in feel. For many, a model home could be our potential buyer’s first impression of Eastwood Homes, and we want to ensure that impression is positive. Our designers take our model homes to the next level – making sure the homes are stylish enough for you to feel inspired, but approachable enough to where you can picture your family on move-in day. We recently spoke with one of the interior designers we are lucky to work with. Noelle Graves is the President and Senior Designer at Builders Concierge and the mastermind behind our brand-new Watermark models. Below, you’ll find a Q&A from our conversation about her process in designing a model for Eastwood Homes.
Buying a townhome for a college student can be a smart financial move that offers numerous benefits for parents and students. Besides ensuring your child has safe and reliable housing near their college campus, one of the most significant advantages is to potentially save money on housing. How could buying vs. renting be the more affordable option, you may wonder? Investing in a townhome for your child can save you money in the long run compared to the cyclical costs of renting or moving each year. Instead of pouring money into temporary housing arrangements, investing in property provides stability and the opportunity to build equity over time – for you AND your child.
