Friday, May 29, 2015

On An Island



This is a story of a simple little project that has taken me months to accomplish. When the kitchen renovation was done we lived happily in the new space.  We loved the finished product but as time wore on we realized that we really did miss my little square butcher block on wheels. It used to sit in the middle of the room before the renovation but it was long gone to some lucky Craigslist shopper. Rats.

I wanted something that doesn’t compete with the cabinets but also doesn’t try to match them.  I did find something on line. It had a marble top. The price was right so I ordered it. It took two weeks to get here. Patience is not one of the virtues that I have spent time to cultivate, yet. When I opened the package the top was broken in two! The “all wood” pieces were so awful and thin.  I packaged it right back up and sent it back. Lesson learned.

We were back at square one.  Mr. suggested we find something we can recycle/upcycle. What!?!?! “Who are you and what did you do with my husband?”, I asked. Of course, I did that as I was grabbing my keys and purse- sprinting for the door! I did not want to give him a chance to question what had just come out of his mouth. A flood of ideas started springing from my brain as we drove. "We could...what if...I want... or we could...". I am beginning to think this why the music is always so loud in our car….. He says it is because his hearing is poor (he does have bad hearing) but I wonder if he isn't trying ignore me......naw!

We stopped at a favorite haunt, Bernat Antiques  and it yielded that piece we were looking for. It was an old dry bar. “We can fix it”, he said. Really? I like this new husband! I don’t know what happened to my old husband but I am sure I will miss him.



Here is the piece we bought. Pretty 1970’s, eh? That was in October.

We took off the top and ordered a piece of granite to match our existing countertops. It came in November. We took the chunky base molding off and replaced it with something a little more slimmed down. ( I hope you are understanding that “we” means “he”.) I also had Mr. put it on casters to move about the room freely.

A frame was made first to attach the new base molding to.

Not pretty construction but it got the job done. We are not furniture makers!

The corners were beefed up to make room for casters.
By the time Christmas had rolled around I had painted it white to match the cabinetry. We cut the doors up and replaced the chunky wood with galvanized metal sheeting. It still is not right, I thought. Still no drawer pulls. Functional, but not right. I was second guessing all my choices. Pinterest was confusing me even more. And, so it sat…….waiting.

I did not take pictures at this stage, really. Not sure what the strange coloring on the side is.??
A trip to another store in March introduced me to a paint product called Maison Blanche. I selected a lovely shade called Confederate Gray and scurried home. After two coats it sat. Functional, flat gray but not right. The paint did go on easy and covered well.

April brought the idea of adding molding. That idea did not come to fruition until May. And finally it was making sense-seven months later.
With chalk and a yard stick measured where I wanted the molding to be.

Mr. cut the molding for me. (And nailed it in place.) I set the nails and filled the holes.

Before painting molding. You can still see my chalk notes.

 Everything need another coat of paint. A coat of Annie Sloan wax and some sweet little drawer pulls from Target and finally finished it off. And now it is "just right"…..for now.





Linkin up:
French Country Cottage, The Shabby Nest, Craft Dictator, Just Us Four, The Cottage Market, The DIY Village, DIY Vintage Chic, Miss Mustard Seed, Chic on a Shoestring, My Romantic Home, Craft-O-Maniac, I Heart Naptime, The Girl Creative, Pieced Pastimes, DIY Showoff, Dwellings-The Heart of Your Home, Finding Silver Pennies, Thoughts From Alice, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Huckleberry Love, Creatively Living, Karen's Up On The Hill, Create With Joy, Mad In Crafts, Carrie This Home, Coastal Charm, Skip To My Lou, Grace Langdon Art, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, Sand and Sisal, Cupcakes and Crinoline, Snap Creativity, Home Stories A to Z, AStroll Thru Life, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Our Home Away From Home, Cozy Little House, Tip Junkie, Julie's Lifestyle, Intelligent Domestications, The Pin Junkie, Between Naps On The Porch, Elizabeth and Company, DIY Dreamer, Just A Girl And Her Blog, Savvy Southern Style, Simply Designing, Gingersnap Crafts, DIY by Design, Crafty Allie, The Turquoise Home, The Dedicated House, Lambert's Lately, Common Ground, From My Front Porch To Yours, Joyful Homemaking, Sweet Bella Roos, Crafts Alamode, Blesser House, Imparting Grace, Too Much Time On  My Hands, AKA Design, Must Love Home, My Repurposed Life, Craftberry Bush, Pin Junkie, The Charm of Home. Life with Lorelai, Funky Junk Interiors, VMG206


Grace at Home     Welcome to Think Tank Thursday #99 The Dedicated House

grab button for The Cottage Market  

49 comments:

  1. Hello there! You are so creative and your photos are perfect! It would be amazing if you would stop by our party, and share your favorite posts with us. We are trying to grow our link party and I believe that our readers would love to be inspired by your ideas! Join in at the Friday Favorites Link Party, live every Thursday at 7PM at mustlovehome.com....I hope I see you there - Christine @ Must Love Home

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by, Christine. I will be sure to head over to your party on Thursday. Thanks for the invitation!

      Delete
  2. First of all, your kitchen is beautiful! And I love this piece! What a great idea. In my opinion it's just perfect and looks fantastic! Great job!
    Thanks for sharing at Something to Talk About!
    Pinning!
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen! Glad you stopped over and happy you like our work!

      Delete
  3. Oh my gosh...this turned out SO cute! :)

    Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J Link Up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So happy for your visit, Jessica. Thank you for the kind words.

      Delete
  4. You did a great job Jolena! Love the island... And your white kitchen! Would love to invite you to link up with us in Thursday morning please... Hope your week is great!
    Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you stopped over, Kendra. Thank you for the lovely compliment and for the invitation. I will be sure to stop by Thursday morning!

      Delete
  5. Wow! I LOVE this island and LOVE your kitchen! It looks amazing!
    Brooke Riley~Re-Fabbed

    ReplyDelete
  6. WOW! What an amazing transformation! Love all the details you added, like the drawer pulls and trim. Your whole kitchen is simply lovely. :) Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for sharing this at Merry Monday! This is going to be one of my features this week. Hope to see you again Sunday night!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! and thanks for the visit. I am excited to featured on your blog and enjoy seeing what everybody else is up to.

      Delete
  7. Wow that looks great!!! Your kitchen is amazing :) Thanks for sharing this with us at Friday Favorites!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great project. Your island turned out so nice, and I love those cabinet knobs! Please come share your blog posts over at the Home Matters Linky Party! We'd love to have you for a visit. The Door is OPEN. http://lifewithlorelai.com/2015/06/04/home-matters-linky-party-40/ :)

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, thank you, Lorelai! I hurried right over and made myself at home. Thank you for the invite!

      Delete
  9. I love your new and improved island! It is wonderful and goes perfectly in your kitchen!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks, Buttercup! What a fun name! Thanks for stopping by.

      Delete
  10. Your Island is Absolutely Beautiful and I love your kitchen. Tell Mr. that the two of you did a fantastic job working together. I love the shelves that you hung up to the right of your sink. Very pretty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your visit, Sandra and thank you for the kind words.

      Delete
  11. Okay, this is such a fantastic idea! Thanks so much for taking the time to link up with us over at the #HomeMattersParty - we hope to see you again this Friday!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jolena, the island and the kitchen are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features today at The Round-Up from the Before & After party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link so you can check out your feature. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/06/the-round-up-from-before-after-wednesday_9.html Hope to see at Before & After Wednesday tomorrow! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    ReplyDelete
  13. It turned out beautifully! Love the color you painted it. Thanks so much for linking it up!

    ReplyDelete
  14. That is beautiful! I love the kitchen with the dark floors! Thank you for joining Home Sweet Home!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Jolena, thank you for sharing at Friday Favorites! This looks fantastic! I just love your kitchen makeover!! Can you come help me with mine? LOL Your post has been pinned,tweeted and shared on Facebook! Your post will be featured this week on the Friday Favorites Link Party at Mustlovehome.com. Come by and see your feature and share another of your favorite posts! The party goes live Thursday at 7PM. I hope to see your there...Hugs - Christine at Must Love Home

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Christine! I would happily help with your kitchen if you were close. I am excited to be featured on Must Love Home! I will definitely drop by tonight!

      Delete
  16. Beautiful job on the kitchen island!!! I love everything about it, great addition of the trim.

    gail

    ps catching you

    ReplyDelete
  17. I looks SO good, and your whole kitchen is lovely! Thank you so much for sharing this at Grace at Home. I'm featuring you this week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay! I am so happy to have our kitchen island featured on Grace at Home! Thank you for visiting.

      Delete
  18. Hi Jolena! The Weekly Feature Series is live on the blog where you are being showcased. Pop on over and take a look when you have time. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/06/weekly-feature-series.html Have a lovely weekend! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kathryn! I love looking at all things you put together from the many talented people out there!

      Delete
  19. What a clever pair of people you and your husband are!!! This is so stunning and simple, but the results are quite amazing... this is truly genius!!!! I have just found your blog, so I will be back and see what other amazing ideas you have had!!! so inspirational, hugs from across the pond... J

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Welcome, Janzi! I am glad for your visit and again flabbergasted at just how small the internet has made our world! No passports required. :)

      Delete
  20. Wow you really did a wonderful job transforming that piece into an island. I will be featuring this tonight at my Swing into Spring party. Please stop by and pick up an I've Been Featured button. Thanks. http://diybydesign.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! Thank you for featuring our island and for visiting my blog, I really enjoy seeing all erthe things you gather each week from the linkups.

      Delete
  21. Wow! Beautiful job and a GORGEOUS kitchen! Love your light over the sink :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kristine. The light over the sink is my favorite thing about my kitchen.

      Delete
  22. Great project! Does the wheels lock in place?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Fernando! Thanks for the visit and question. The wheels do not lock on this piece as the base molding completely covers the wheels-no way to reach them. For the most part this does not prove a problem for us as we know that the piece moves. We have had guests lean against it and they were surprised when it moved. The granite top makes it a heavy piece so it does not move without some effort. Thanks, again for the question.

      Delete
  23. Great project! Does the wheels lock in place?

    ReplyDelete