How to Build an Open Shelf Kitchen Island

Kitchen islands hold meal making essentials.

Kitchen islands offer an axis for your cooking tasks. They often hold essential cooking tools, such as cutting boards, mixing bowls, knives and serving spoons. Many kitchen islands are self-contained, having many drawers and cabinets to hide the pieces inside them. If you want to display a collection of designer mixing ware, however, or simply don't have the room to open and close doors all the time, an open shelf kitchen island may be for you. Fortunately, you don't have to shop for a special island. You can simply make one at home.

Things You'll Need

• Old dresser
• Screwdriver
• Handheld electric saw
• Sandpaper
• Spray paint
• Wooden boards

Instructions

1. Pull all of the drawers from your old dresser, removing any hinged doors and all hardware, as well. Choose a dresser with large, deep drawers for best results.

2. Look inside the dresser. Between each drawer is a slat running horizontally across the front of the dresser. Inside, there are also supports running from the front to the back of the dresser.

3. Saw through every other horizontal slat at the front of the dresser, starting with the top one. Remove the front slats and then yank on the supports until they come out. Some are metal and need to be unscrewed.

4. Sand the entire dresser, paying close attention to the places you cut. Spray paint the entire dresser any color you like. Let the paint dry for two hours.

5. Slip one wooden board onto each remaining set of supports, checking if they fit in the dresser. You can get wooden boards precut at the hardware store.

6. Remove the boards, spray paint them and let all of the painted pieces cure overnight. Slip the boards back into place and use them as the base for your open shelving.

References

• Apartment Therapy: 6 DIY Kitchen Islands
• Apartment Therapy: Reimagining the Dresser