Using What You Have

Guest post from Alison

I have been wanting an island for my kitchen since we moved into this house (five years ago). My kitchen has kind of an odd layout and while it is a decent size, it has small counter spaces to work on and shallow small drawers for storage.

I thought an island would be a great way to add counter space and storage — if I could find one with drawers. But, budget was a big factor: a kitchen island isn’t a need, so I really needed to keep the cost down ($150 was what I was thinking).

I started looking at antique butcher blocks and discovered they are very pricey! Then I went to IKEA thinking I could go with something more modern and budget friendly. All of the ones I found were either too big or too small with no storage.

I was so frustrated.

However, a couple weeks ago, a friend was at my house for a playdate and said, “you know, that table in your living room is counter height and would be the perfect size for a kitchen island.”

Suddenly, it was so obvious that the table I had walked past for years was the perfect kitchen island — I had just never considered it. The best part, it is an antique, and has two big drawers! Plus, I didn’t have to buy anything.

But then I realized that it was completely unfinished in the back, exposing the back of the drawers and quite a few dust bunnies. So I put on my thinking cap and $26 later, I brought home some plywood and chalkboard paint to give the table a new look.

My husband and I painted the wood, attached it with wood screws, and now we have an amazing new kitchen island that I could not have afforded if I had found it this way in the store!

We both love it and the kids love having the drawers to store all of their art supplies in and the chalkboard to write on. And best of all, it only cost $26!

The moral to this story? Shop your house first and keep an open mind about ways to re-purpose items.