Creating an IKEA Kitchen Island

Sabrina
by Sabrina
The kitchen was one of the first things we started here at The Mod House Project and probably one of the least talked about spaces on Pink Little Notebook. Little by little, I’ll be sharing some clever DIY projects that took place in this space and eventually showcasing one of our biggest transformations in the house!
To recap, we fully gutted our kitchen late last year and created a new layout with an IKEA kitchen. It’s a small space but we wanted to update and utilize as much as we could with an open concept. To create more counter space, we created a huge 7 -foot island that is also home to our kitchen sink and dishwasher.
Keep in mind, I bought my kitchen just before IKEA switched to the SEKTION line so all my measurements are based on the AKURUM cabinets. However, if you are creating your own island, you’re probably going to be using your own configurations anyways so adjust accordingly.
Specs.


We knew we had the room for a 7’x3′ kitchen island. We wanted to include three things: extra storage, sink and dishwasher. In order to accommodate the new location for the sink and dishwasher, we did have to relocate plumbing. Make sure you have that all set up prior to building an island.
Create a base.


When it comes to IKEA base cabinets, they come with plastic legs. Although I did use these legs for my base cabinets that were up against my wall, you CANNOT use them when creating a standalone island. It’s not sturdy enough to hold your island in place especially if you’re using a heavy stone countertop.


Instead, you need to create a wooden platform that is tightly secured to the floor. We used 2″x6″wood to prop our cabinets at our desired height of 36″
Back cover panel.


Once we did a dry fit and everything fit perfectly, we began securing each piece. We started with the back of the island using PERFEKT LIDINGO cover panel (H96″xW33″) which we trimmed to 84″. We secured the panel from the inside of the wooden base.
The panels were secure in place with heavy duty brackets which were placed inside the panel wall and along the floor hidden from view.
Once we complete our structure, we were quite happy with the results. It’s an extremely sturdy island and looked even better once we got our countertop and sink installed.


If you want to take this one step further, you could use the toe kicks to create box panels on the sides of the island simply by nailing them in place. Not only would the added detail look amazing but would pair up nicely with the shaker cabinets. Something we are considering for the future!
Sabrina
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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