We can't stop staring at Reese Witherspoon's uniquely shaped kitchen island – designers say it 'optimizes' her room's layout

One year ago, in May 2023, we spotted a uniquely shaped kitchen island in Serena Williams' Miami home – and, at the time, we said it was unlike anything we'd ever seen before. Twelve months later, however, Reese Witherspoon has just given us another reason to get re-excited about this kitchen essential.

Unlike conventional kitchen islands with a rounded or straight rectangular corner, Witherspoon's feature (like Williams') has a geometric cut-out that turns the essential feature into a dramatic focal point.

In Williams' case, the patterned cut-out makes space for a wooden dining table that slots into the piece. However, in the actress's kitchen, the cut-out is left free – creating a unique island countertop shape (that Witherspoon uses to hold her coffee mug). It's a look that feels bespoke and daring – but will it stand the test of time? As we hinted, unconventionally shaped islands have already impressed for a year, but designers say this movement is just getting started.

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'An unusual or irregular-shaped kitchen island could be a great way to add a unique design to any home. When designed to a specific need and kitchen style layout or the homeowner's needs and wants, an irregular or non-uniform kitchen island stands out from a standard kitchen island design,' comments Arizona-based designer Rasha Rizwan from Mackenzie Collier Interiors.

While the island's statement aesthetic is perhaps its biggest asset, tapping into this emerging kitchen trend also has its practical benefits. For Witherspoon, it was the perfect coffee cup holder (per the footage, at least), but we can make it work in any way we need.

'An unusual island can be perfect if designed to accommodate any specific functions, such as additional storage, seating, or workspace,' Rizwan says. 'If you don't have a rectangular-shaped kitchen layout, an unusual island helps to optimize the kitchen's layout and make the most out of the available space.'

Plus, alongside the option of generating extra kitchen storage (and additional countertop space), Rizwan explains that this feature allows us to 'get creative' with an unexpected focal point. And if it's good enough for Reese Witherspoon, it's good enough for us.

'An unusually shaped island is unique and visually appealing and is also an immediate focal point of any interior. The regular square or rectangular kitchen islands are safer options, but thinking out of the box and combining functionality and getting creative with a unique island could be a great way to add interest in design,' she says.

'There are several ways to add a unique touch to your kitchen with a non-geometric island design. A rounded edge island can be an inviting focal point in the kitchen and helps to create separate zones for seating to eat, a surface to prep food, and also a cooking area. A multi-tiered floating kitchen island is another irregular island design that creates a unique touch to kitchen design. Each level could be used to create a zone for cooking, eating, or preparing food.'

Shop the marble kitchen edit

Islands aside, we can buy into the marble kitchen look with these picks below.