How to Redesign Your Kitchen Island to Take Advantage of the Space

How to Redesign Your Kitchen Island to Take Advantage of the Space
Kitchen islands can be very useful as a spot to hangout, do homework, or even eat breakfast. Most people place some bar stools at the island, and presto: the perfect eating space. But if your kitchen island is never used, it just becomes another thing taking up space that could be better utilized.
Instead of using the space for seating purposes, Amy from Eleven Magnolia Lane came up with the best way to redesign her kitchen island. With the help from IKEA shelving units, she redesigned her unused island into a built-in bookcase.
As Amy wrote on her blog, “I loved the idea of having some storage right next to the kitchen table and really wanted some shelves for my cookbooks.”

She began her project by purchasing a bookshelf from IKEA, which she painted before assembling.

 
While the paint dried, she prepped the back of the island, preparing it for the makeover.

Then, she began to install the shelves. She did have to shorten them by about a ½ foot in order for them to fit under the countertop of the island. With a few extra holes and the help of a drill, she managed to fit all the pieces together.

The bookcase began to come together, thanks to some help from Amy’s dad.

After the shelves were installed, the paint was finished.

Amy said ““The possibilities to store things are endless, and since our kitchen table is right there, it is so nice to have dishes and other things we use all the time right by our table.”

She loaded her new shelves with cookbooks and dishware, utilizing a few baskets and a plant to add a little flare.

Plus, this project didn’t make the space feel any smaller than it already was. Instead, it utilized empty space in a really effective way.

To view more photos from Amy’s project and learn more, here.