Saturday, January 30, 2010

New old kitchen island

I have a nice sized kitchen.  It's not one of those ginormous open kitchens but it's a good size for us.  It had plenty of room for a smaller kitchen island and I really wanted one.  I've been looking for the right island for years.  I wanted something not too big, not too new, preferably white, multifunctional, a little chipped up, and really cute.  So, Jennie and I take a little trip to a small town in East Texas to hit a couple of antique shops.  There I find the perfect table.  So, perfect that I think about all the possibilities of how I could use it; all the possibilities except a kitchen island.  It was only about $30. so I get it.  We put it in the kitchen and left it there until I could decide what I wanted to do with it.  After living with it in the middle of the kitchen for a couple of days, I realized it could be my perfect kitchen island.  Here's what I did.

Here's the table.  It's solid, not wobbly like most. 

Love the old nails.  Even though it appears a little rough, it's actually quite a smooth surface.  It's just so worn down to a soft, smooth finish.  We found an old metal paper towel holder for $10. at the same shop and attached it to the side of the table.

Here's a close up of the holder.  Notice anything?  Look closely.  My husband attached it upside down.  The little raised lettering says "Scottowels"...upside down.

We found a large cheap galvanized gate handle at Home Depot and attached it to the front.  It's the new hand towel holder.  We always have a  little red kitchen towel on it that's easy to use for a quick dry of the hands.  This is the one and only time we had those ugly paper towels in the holder.  Now, we only have plain white paper towels on the holder.

I also found an interesting bread box and sat that on top of the table.  Love the little latch.  This holds so much bread, rolls, muffins, etc. so our lovely lab, Bella, can't get them for a mid-day snack when we're not home.  She often helps herself to something we have forgotten to put away or up high.

I added a couple of old ladderback chairs I got years ago at DAV (disabled veterans thrift store).  I got a set of 6 without seats for under $100., painted them and replaced and covered the seats.  Then added a small red rug from Pier One (which is so cute but I didn't get a good picture of it) and there you have it...a great kitchen island!  There's plenty of room to put a great large basket under it for more storage. 
Total costs for my new old island: table $30, paper towel holder: $10, bread box $15, handle $5
for a grand total of  $60. 

16 comments:

  1. Really really love this... and it's just perfect for your kitchen. And yes... to answer your question about our kitchen - I'd make that more of a b-fast knook if we get the large farmhouse table... eventually! Man... I better get busy on all these projects! Ha! ~ kim

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  2. Great island, love the details you added.

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  3. Thanks so much for sharing--this is a beautiful piece!

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  4. Very cute! I made my island out of an old porcelain topped table from LONG ago. My aunt gave it to me before she died and I built around it to make the cutest little island! I put in two shelves to hold baskets and a door next to the two shelves to hide all my stuff like sodas and large boxes of cereal etc. Don't ya just love having an island! It's been quite a help with storage for us........not to mention a great place to make a sandwich. :)
    Happy Weekend!

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  5. Looking over your blog. You have some really neat things.

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  6. i want a kitchen island soooo bad, and i've got a piece of furniture that i've been turning into an island in head for over a year now,, maybe in few months i'll get around to it.. i love your table island.

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  7. Nice job! I've been looking around your blog and I love it!! Mine is fairly new. Check it out if you have a chance.
    http://3sunkissedboys.blogspot.com/

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  8. I've never been on here before but I'm in love!! Oh the table... We currently live in a 12 year old prefab w/ just a bit of character but I have plans for it. Now THIS table would fit wonderfully in our "retirement" property (trust me it sounds far more glamorous than it really is....) an 1840's farmhouse. That is once we get new plumbing (someone stole our pipes), septic, and a new well!!

    I will have to come back when I have more time to peruse!!

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  9. This is a darling kitchen island...love that big ole handle for your towel...

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  10. Love it! Super cute...the paper towel holder and the handle towel rack are the perfect touches!

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  11. I love your unique island! Great find!

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  12. What a SCOOP! Love the raw chippy details and nails to this one. Loads of fun character you simply cannot get brand new. How fun!

    Donna

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  13. What a great old table. I love the big handle you added to it for the towel. Also, the big bread box is very cool!

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  14. Super purchase and transformation. Isn't it great when you find something you like, don't know where to put it and Bam, it's perfect for an unfulfilled idea. Love the look of the old wood and the neat breadbox. .
    Ginger

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  15. This is a darling kitchen island...love that big ole handle for your towel...

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