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For our latest lookbook, we take a look at eight kitchen interiors where veiny marble surfaces form hardwearing and decorative kitchen islands. Marble is a hard, durable material that is resistant to heat, making it a practical choice for kitchen surfaces. It is a metamorphic stone known for its unique veined patterns that come in […] More
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If you have a small kitchen that could benefit from having an extra work surface in it or a place for kitchen storage, then you may like the portable kitchen island I found and how I painted and styled it to fit the decorating style of my kitchen.
Last week I shared a post with you about the new kitchen island I bought to replace a metal one I previously had.
I told you as soon as I finished customizing it in my own style I would show you what I did to it. I finished it and I couldn’t be happier with how it came out.
This is what the very solid and sturdy wood island looked like before I added my style.
There are many ways to customize this wood work table/island from simply rubbing wood conditioner on it, sealing it with a clear poly to staining it a wood tone or painting it a color.
After looking at all these options, I decided to paint the base using Sherwin Williams Dress Blues paint.
How I Painted the Table/Island Wood Base
Normally I would have chosen to use Sherwin Williams ProClassic formula of paint, since I used it to paint the kitchen cabinets, but the guy at the paint counter told me the color couldn’t be made using ProClassic in a quart and recommended I try their Emerald formula.
I decided to get it made up in a semi-gloss finish so the base would be easy to wipe clean.
Here is what the back of the island looks like. This side is parallel to the sink.
How I Sealed the Wood Top
To seal the wood top, I went back and forth on how I wanted to finish it. Two readers mentioned they liked Waterlox for sealing Butcher Block and wood. A few others liked using food safe mineral spirits that is used mostly for wood cutting boards. Both are great options.
Since I am not going to use the surface as a cutting board as I have a Boos Board Cutting Block to cut on, I decided to try a new product from Minwax called Polycrylic Max in an Ultra Flat finish.
I love Polycrylic and have shared all the projects I have used it on over the years with you on the blog so I went for it.
I LOVE how well it went on and best of all how it sealed the wood with no sheen so it looks like bare wood. I followed the directions on the label. I wanted to make sure it was properly sealed and used two coats – sanding in between the coats to make sure the second coat adhered well.
How I Styled The Wood Island
The wood worktable/island has a drawer and two shelves under the drawer. The shelves can be screwed in at a few different heights depending on what you want to store on them.
The drawer had a plain wood drawer knob. I didn’t care for that so I replaced it with a brushed chrome bin-style pull that I bought at Home Depot.
How I Organized the Drawer
If you have followed my blog for a long time then you know I like to line drawers with pretty paper. I have used everything from fabric, wallpaper, book pages and even gift wrap to add a surprise pop of color where you normally don’t expect it.
For the my new kitchen island drawer I used gift wrap and then sealed it with Mod Podge in a matte sheen that I had in my decor supply stash.
I took my time to get this new island project done. First it took me quite a few months to find a ready-made one that would fit in the small space. Next I didn’t rush into choosing the color and styling.
I made it a point to look over the images and clippings I have taken from Pinterest and magazines to make sure what I ended up doing, would be just right for my kitchen as well as my own decorating style.
More Kitchen Project and Decor You May Like
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Today I will share six tips for how to organize under the sink and create a place for everything!
One of the areas that was on my “a place for everything and everything in its place” list for a really long time was to organize under the sink, so I am thrilled that I finally tackled it.
Empty the cabinet and declutter.
Begin by taking everything out of the cabinet and tossing trash or things you know you don’t use. It helps to consider what would actually be convenient to keep in that cabinet and what is just unnecessarily cluttering the available space. Once you’ve pared down to only what you use regularly, move any items that you know can be relocated.
Determine what will need a home.
Everything will need a home, so assess what you want to keep and what you will organize under the sink. We wanted a roll of trash bags, a small supply of the dish brushes we use, our smiling sponges, steel wool for cleaning pans, magic erasers and the dishwasher detergents and cleaning supplies.
Measure the space you have to work with and order organizers.
Before I ordered containers, I measured the cabinet space I had to work with in the cabinet (height, depth and width of the cabinet and factored in the limitations of pipes).
When I partnered with The Container Store over on Instagram recently (you can see my organizing video HERE!) I was introduced to the Everything Organizers! I love this system.
These organizers are clear which I think is so smart under the sink plus they are really simple to use as well as to clean. They are also very flexible in how you can use and arrange them so I was able to order options and then decide on the best configuration once they arrived.
Arrange organizers to maximize space.
Once you have your containers you’ll want to organize them efficiently in the cabinet to maximize space.
I only used containers across the front of the cabinet, leaving open space behind ours for any surplus or rarely used items.
This system is designed so you can stack shorter drawers on top of each other or pair short with tall to maximize the height as well as the width of the space. I stacked a couple of sizes of the clear drawers and added the Lazy Susan to create an efficient system that fit well in our space.
Since some of the items we keep under the sink were taller so we also left open space to one side. To create a tidy spot for them, we placed a tray style container on one side to hold spray bottles and handy roll of paper towels. I like that the container can be taken out to set up on the counter when in use and is easy to clean, too.
The Lazy Susan also has removable sections so you can also customize how you arrange items in it.
Group like items together.
The simplest way to decide how to organize each of your containers is to group like items together. Depending on your cabinet and organizer sizes, you may realize after grouping like items together that you still have too many items to fit comfortably. You might need to relocate a few more items or if you buy in bulk you could have backup supplies elsewhere such as a garage or pantry.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
No organizing system will stay organized for long if you cram too many items in or can’t easily maintain order in them. The key is to keep it simple, don’t make the system too complicated.
This is why I love the clear organizers as a dedicated spot for each type of item — it makes it easy to maintain a place for everything.
You may also need to pare down on the number of products you use in order to maximize efficiency and space.
For example, we use just our one toxin-free all purpose cleaner and a scrub for most things, so we don’t need to keep a lot of bottles under the sink.
Having a designated place for everything also helps us to easily see what you have on hand and when you need to replenish!
Ta da! A place for everything and everything in its place! Organizing is fun and rewarding once you get started! In fact, organizing this cabinet was so fun that I went on to organize my fridge and set up a cart for our dog supplies (which I’ll share with you in a separate post).
Shop the Everything Organizers here.
* Watch my under sink organizing video HERE! *
My home organizing books:
Make Room for What You Love Simply Home (two in one book for organizing and decorating) More
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here
A place for everything and everything in its place is my mission for this year, but the truth is I really got inspired for it last year with a few simple projects that I haven’t shared on the blog yet!
I started getting these cabinets organized last fall as a part of a fun cozy home challenge HomeBodies did in HomeBody Gathering Place.
In our renovation we had cabinetry designated in our dining area for our coffee making area and our Berkey Water filter. While we don’t have a fancy coffee station or water filtration system, what we have works great for us so I wanted to make it as functional and organized as I could.
I put up this adorable peel and stick wallpaper on the back of the cabinet, just for fun — it makes the whole experience of preparing coffee more charming. It was so simple to do!
Before I explain the organization, here is a list of some cabinet and organizing supplies I used:
This cabinet organizer shelf
This wood lazy Susan
This plastic tray under the coffee gadgets
Milk frother/steamer (love this one, it’s stainless steel instead of toxic nonstick coating!)
These blue and white buffalo check lidded canisters
Coffee grinder
Botanical coffee mugs
Blue and white geometric pattern coffee mug
Click here for above sources
This whole organization project took me less than 30 minutes to make the additions and improvements, so I wish I had done this ages ago! But I’m glad I finally did it. Now that this cabinet is extra cute, I am inspired to keep the cabinet more organized, too!
Organizing the Coffee Cabinet (a place for everything!)
I decided we should use the two upper shelves only for serving platters. I have no other cabinet for them so this made sense! Our shelves are adjustable so I can rearrange later if desired.
To make better use of the rest of the cabinet space, without making it feeling too cluttered, I added some tiered accessory shelves to elevate some of the mugs and organize supplies.
Cabinet organizer shelf // Botanical coffee mugs // Similar Homebody Mug (my mug is from here)
This cabinet now holds only the mugs we’ll be using often this season (this is key, we cannot keep EVERY mug in this cabinet!) We put the mugs on the Lazy Susan and a few others that will sit next to it on the tiered shelves. No more cluttered cabinet! Our extra mugs are stored in the cabinet below.
I also got a set of cute checkered canisters to hold coffee beans and spoons.
We keep this tray under our coffee grinder and the milk steamer/frother to make it easier to clean up the cabinet from the inevitable messes made while grinding coffee and steaming milk.
We still use this stovetop espresso brewer (someday we’ll get a fancier machine, but we’ve used this for years and it is so simple and makes good coffee)!.
Organizing Our Berkey Water Filter Cabinet
We used to have the Berkey sitting on a bench in our mudroom, but this was always my intended spot for it. It’s safe from little hands and puppies and so convenient for grown people to use. The drawer underneath the Berkey pulls out so we can easily fill it and we put a tray and mat under it to catch any drips or overflow.
We put our Berkey on this stand so we can easily get a glass under it to fill. Works great!
Someday we may get a whole house filter (or a new one at the kitchen sink like we had in the past) but we’re perfectly happy with this arrangement.
The cabinet shelves above and below the Berkey hold our pretty blue and green drinking glasses, electric hot water kettles (I have this copper and this blue kettle) and other handy items.
A Place for Everything
Even though it’s always been nice to have all of these cabinets to store stuff, having a place for everything and everything in its place means that now I really enjoy using these spaces as they are intended (and enjoy keeping them organized!) every day.
Small Space Tip
The doors on the coffee cabinet slide back in so they don’t stick out into the room — this is a handy small space hack if you are getting new cabinets :).
Now that it’s so cute I can even leave the coffee station open whenever I want to!
Our home may not be huge, but I wanted to make every space count. I pictured a cozy, comfortable, orderly place right here in the dining room where family and friends could gather around and chat while making coffee or tea. I’m happy to have created a pleasant experience for everyone!
Sources for above
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Our latest lookbook focuses on eight homes fitted with metal kitchens, from a flat in London informed by fish-and-chip shops to a 19th-century apartment with period details in Paris.
While stainless steel has long been a material associated with restaurant kitchens due to its durability and functionality, it can bring a sleek, modern feel to residential kitchens and many now opt to integrate metal kitchens into their homes.
Here, we spotlight eight homes that make use of metal in residential kitchens in various ways.
Included in this collection of projects is a fish-and-chip-shop-inspired kitchen in London, a live-work apartment space in a brutalist building in Quebec City and a 24-square-metre micro apartment in Melbourne.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, living rooms with autumnal hints of red and orange and members’ clubs with lavish interiors.
Photo is by Edmund DabneyHighbury apartment, UK, by Holloway Li
Local studio Holloway Li renovated this apartment set in a converted Victorian house in north London, creating a single-storey home with an open-plan layout for its co-founder Alex Holloway.
Designed to reference materials found in London’s many fast food outlets and fish and chip shops, its custom-built kitchen was clad in circle-brushed stainless steel with a curved splashback.
Find out more about the Highbury apartment ›
Photo by Maryse Béland, Maxime Brouillet and Antoine MichelBrutalist apartment, Canada, by Jean Verville
Metal surfaces were juxtaposed against bright yellow wall lamps within this live-work apartment space that architect Jean Verville designed for himself as a “creative laboratory” inside a residential tower in Quebec City.
Stainless-steel commercial restaurant furniture was used for the kitchen, blending in with the raw concrete walls of the 1970s brutalist building.
Find out more about the brutalist apartment ›
Photo is by French + TyeTrellick Tower apartment, UK, by Archmongers
Surfaces and fixtures made from industrial-style materials were paired with newly exposed concrete aggregate walls in this home renovation by London studio Archmongers in North Kensington’s Trellick Tower.
In the kitchen, speckled brown and cream terrazzo was incorporated alongside brushed stainless steel counters, white cabinets and matt-black linoleum flooring.
Find out more about the Trellick Tower apartment ›
Photo is by Giulio GhirardiHaussmann-era apartment, France, by Rodolphe Parente
Set within a 19th-century Parisian apartment, French interior designer Rodolphe Parente balanced cabinet finishes of stainless steel and pastel pink with a frame-like marble splashback for the kitchen.
During the overhaul of the Haussmann-era apartment, Parante set out to preserve and restore some of the classic features while improving the sense of flow by connecting the dining room with the kitchen.
Find out more about the Haussmann-era apartment ›
Photo is by Félix Dol MaillotUnivers Uchronia, France, by Uchronia
Named Univers Uchronia, this eclectic Paris apartment was designed by Uchronia founder Julien Sebban as his home, intended to be an extension of his studio – known for its bold application of shape, colour and reflective surfaces.
A metallic island was incorporated in the open-plan kitchen, topped with a blobby seaweed-shaped table lamp, alongside an array of contrasting materials and colours.
Find out more about Univers Uchronia ›
Photo is by Yevhenii AvramenkoStalinist-era apartment, Ukraine, by Mirzoyan Studio
Partition shelves and built-in furniture were used to distinguish open-plan spaces in Ukrainian architecture practice Mirzoyan Studio’s renovation of this Stalinist-era flat in the historic centre of Kyiv.
Fitted in the corner of the open-plan living and dining room, the cabinets and countertops in the primary working area of the kitchen were finished in polished stainless steel.
Find out more about the Stalinist-era flat ›
Photo is by Pier Carthew Kerr, Australia, by SSdH
Metal surfaces were combined with wooden cabinetry in this mezzanine-style apartment by local studio SSdH, located in a warehouse building in Melbourne that once housed a chocolate factory.
Part of an open-plan living space, the kitchen was fitted with geometric cabinetry made from local spotted gum timber, as well as brushed stainless steel and nickel fixtures.
Find out more about Kerr ›
Photo is by Peter Bennetts Microloft, Australia, by Studio Edwards
Australian architecture practice Studio Edwards remodelled this 24-square-metre micro apartment on the top floor of a 1980s apartment block in Melbourne.
A horizontal raw aluminium surface was used for the angled wedge-shaped countertops in both the kitchen and dining area, designed to seamlessly merge the two spaces.
Find out more about Microloft ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, living rooms with autumnal hints of red and orange and members’ clubs with lavish interiors.
Read more: More
