DIY Kitchen Island Cart With Plans

As we worked through our "new" kitchen renovation we often wondered if we would indeed have room for an island in our U shaped kitchen. After a few weeks of trying out boxes and such in the center of the kitchen as place holders, we decided that functionally, an island was a great solution for storage and convenience in our freshly updated kitchen.
If you look closely at the photo above you'll notice there are no drawers next to the range. I found that to be very disruptive to the way I cook. While the cabinet to the left is a handy sheet pan rack, there's no other function there. To the right is a hinged door for the corner cabinet and it is very cumbersome to open and close. The more I worked in the kitchen, the more I knew I needed a handy drawer close by for spatulas and larger cooking utensils.
Initially, we thought the top slot you see above would be taller, but as we worked through the building process of the island we let design trump function in this one area. The addition of decorative, chunkier legs gave more substance to the piece. Turns out this smaller shelf is still super handy for pot holders and cork trivets, which were previously kept in the awkward corner cabinet and hard to reach.
The core or base of the island was a cabinet we recycled from our kitchen renovation. We removed this cabinet that was initially part of a kitchen desk space, opting for a different configuration . Any single unit cabinet could be used in it's place. They can be found rather inexpensively at your local Habitat Restore or home improvement center.
With the use of simple tools we added shelves made from scrap wood, two support legs, some decorative feet and wheels to make it a fully mobile island.
Of course, after the main cart was built we tricked it out with as much function and storage as possible.
Be sure to visit my site for the complete, step-by-step how-to instructions and FREE plans to build your own. I can't imagine my kitchen without this handy island! I know you are going to love it!
Deeply Southern Home
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Bec90097564 Bec90097564 on Sep 22, 2023

    What paint did you use... brand, color and type? Also, where did you find the cart legs? Thanks!

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