How to Add a Microwave and Extend a Kitchen Island
February 26, 2015
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How I extended our kitchen island and almost doubled the size!
I transformed our small kitchen island to one that with a board and batten design, a built in wine rack, extra storage and a microwave in the island:
Oh happy day, the kitchen island is done! I busted my butt yesterday painting for hours to get it finished up so I could show you this week. It’s so freaking awesome, I love it! Love it love it love it.
I’m always proud of what I create in our house but this one may be one of my favorites. I keep looking at it thinking, I DID THAT. And it wasn’t crazy expensive either. It’s a wonderful feeling.
If you remember, last year during the family room renovation we pulled up the island to patch the floors. I wanted to move it away from the cabinets a little bit and we had to fix the floors to do that. They had to tear it apart to take it out of the kitchen:
And my “art” project was created. ;) The squiggles are just old glue from past island projects. If you’ve followed along over the years you know this little island has undergone a LOT of redos. This is the last one. I’m not touching it again. Ever.
I used the original island and built off of it – first by making a wine rack out of scrap wood:
I’m sure at this point some of you were like, uhhhh…OK…
You need to TRUST! :)
Next came the cabinet at the end of the island that will house a microwave eventually:
I just built a basic box with screws and wood.
It sat like this for a while – I hosted a party, had friends over…all with the interesting island on display. The best part of it so far was the new size and the butcher block countertop – I LOVE having a larger island. It is fantastic my friends. I added about two and half feet to it in total.
Next up came the supports I built on the side:
I know some of you have mentioned that the chairs are close together – there’s actually five inches between them and it’s plenty for us. I didn’t want to make the island any bigger – that space at the end where the table used to be has grown on us and we love having it open now. (Before it felt massive, so funny.)
Also, in the 11 years we’ve lived in this house we’ve never had two grown adults sit down at the island next to each other anyway (when it was just a two seater). When we have parties one person sits, one leans, and our last party I actually pulled one of the seats off to the side by the new cabinet and sat there so I could talk to people. So the spacing works fine for us – but if you try this you will have to figure out what works best for you!
I planked the whole thing with the same cheap underlayment I used on the fireplace in the family room. And to tie to two areas together even more I painted it the same color – Peppercorn by Sherwin Williams. It ties the whole space together beautifully!:
I’ll take you on a tour of my island. ;) The cabinets were part of the old island, obviously. Everything past that is new. The wine rack is seriously awesome and I need to go buy some more wine to fill it up. (I may have celebrated with a glass last night.)
The new cabinet at the end will have a shelf eventually – I won’t install that until we get the microwave that will go in here. I’m not sure what I’ll do with the bottom shelf – for now it holds cookbooks and I love that we have extra storage!:
I still need to pick up a cover for the outlet, but otherwise the part is done for now. I used plywood for this cabinet since it is cheaper -- you can see the grain of the wood but eventually most of it will be covered with the microwave:
Yes, our Valentine hearts are still up. ;)
I told you more about the stools and how I cut them down here. I was originally going to keep the original color of our island, a lighter blue/gray, but the stools looked awful with it. So I went with the darker and I love it!:
All of those cabinets will be built up to the ceiling and will be painted eventually. In the full light like this the Peppercorn color goes a little blue in pics but in person it’s more gray. There is a definite blue undertone though.
I’ve been trying to figure out a good accent color to use in the kitchen -- I realized in the family room and our bedroom (where I have a wall painted the same color) that I love green with it. So green it will be…with some blue mixed in – I’m loving blue against all the white on the new window seat:
The plan is to take down those cabinets (the microwave will be replaced with a hood) and do shelving in that spot. I think this view will be pretty incredible when that’s done:
I have another idea for that wall that came into my head the other day. I’ll have to see if it will work. That’s like phase six out of ten phases of this kitchen, so it will be awhile. :)
But for now we are enjoying the first two phases that have come together better than I could have dreamed – the window seat and the island:
The new larger island makes me want to cook and bake all the time! I may have to make some brownies to celebrate. It’s so wonderful and turned out even better than I could have hoped.
I found this super old picture and had to share, just because it’s fun to see the changes over the years:
Want to know more?
See all the details of this island redo here.
The completed island with microwave is here.
WOW!!! That's beautiful... love love the color. Everything looks so pretty. Very nice. :)
ReplyDeleteI love it! Wish I were handy with tools like you.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I totally LOVE it! Nice work.
ReplyDeleteWow! Just wow!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love all of it! Everything looks so beautiful, but so does everything you do ;) I'm thinking about painting our kitchen cabinets... I can't wait to see what you you do with yours!
ReplyDeleteAmazing transformation! Can you please share how you got such a smooth professional finish on those cabinets? The kitchen cabinets in the house we are about to buy desperately need painted and I am so worried I will screw them up! HELP!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'd love to know this as well!
DeleteI share a little more about that in today's post but the big how-to is here: http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-paint-cabinets.html
DeleteIt's not hard -- just so time consuming! This time it didn't take as long since I've painted them before. :)
It look fantastic! I can't wait to see the different changes in your kitchen. So fun to watch the transformation of your house over the years.
ReplyDeleteWow you did an awesome job!!!! LOVE!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! The colors are beautiful! I love the touches of green with the grays and blues! It's come a long way from that first picture, you should be proud!!
ReplyDeleteOH wow!!!!! Love it! this inspires me to change mine but I have a big ol slab of granite on top, so not sure how to add on. Love what you've done!
ReplyDeleteIt's so weird to see it without the squiggles! LOL It looks gorgeous and great choices (plywood) to save money on places no one will ever see.
ReplyDeleteSo happy the squiggles are gone after seven long months!!
DeleteThis is AMAZING! I love that you are taking your time with this. That's REAL life! I know you said you liked the open space near the window seat but it could be cool and cozy to put a small white table and chairs up against the seat so you would have another seating area? It looks great no matter what but could be another fun project :)
ReplyDeleteWow. Just wow. That looks so amazing. I had serious doubts about that wine holder, but it came out so professional looking. You are very talented. Great job!!!
ReplyDeleteWow! You are so talented! The first two phases look amazing!
ReplyDeleteIt's beeeeuuuuuutiful.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous! I love looking at what you have done to your home. You inspire me!
ReplyDeleteWOW, it really looks so, so good! I love that you chose the same color as the fireplace and the frame on the mirror across the room, and green is the perfect accent color. I would love to see a wider shot of the whole kitchen/family room to see how it all ties together!
ReplyDeleteI was one of those that was wondering... uh... what??? But you did an awesome job, Sarah! It is beautiful and very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteAWESOME!! I so wish I could make my island bigger, but it just can't happen with the way my kitchen is laid out. So, I will live vicariously through you instead. :-) I could repaint it though... That Peppercorn color is beautiful! Great work, as always.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love it!! It looks awesome and I am sure you are enjoying the extra space!!
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful, I love it!
ReplyDeleteAny chance you could share where you got the various pulls and towel rod on the new island?
ReplyDeleteIt all looks great, and can't wait to see the next phases, especially painting the cabinets and how to bring them up the ceiling (with wood trim??). I am also wanting to not have that space above mine and am feeling almost ready to paint the cabinets.
The pulls were from HD or Lowe's, I can't remember! But the towel rod is the Fintorp from IKEA -- I'm sharing more about that on today's post.
DeleteLove, love, love and sharing! Bravo. It's gorgeous and you've got to feel so proud! You killed it :)
ReplyDeletegorgeous!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks good! Just curious why the ends of the supports aren't planked? Or does it just not show?
ReplyDeleteNo I didn't plank them or the insides of the columns. I felt like it was going to get too busy so I left them as is. And less work. :)
DeleteDo you hire out??!! LOL The island looks beautiful, great job!!
ReplyDeleteThat looks amazing! We just took out our above stove microwave. I wish I had your gift of a vision and going with it. I think I'm going to like what we're doing...I hope!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I love your blog. It's my favorite and am inspired by you all the time. I used your tutorial to frame or my windows all by myself. Yay! I would love to know, when you get to this point, what you think of having the microwave down low. Is it annoying to bend when you use it etc. Thanks so much!
ReplyDeleteI will share for sure! I think I'm going to love it…hopefully. :)
Deletelooks so good! We have big plans to expand our kitchen island soon (? I hope), too, so it's great to see how beautifully this turned out!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous I love it! Great work :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what's next on the list!
Lauren | LB Designs
xx
This project turned out amazing! I love the transformation.
ReplyDeleteLove it! I'm definitely jealous of your sink-less, range-less island. SO much counterspace to work with! Love the color too. I'm a big fan of blue and green. If I could re-do my kitchen, I would do white cabinets with blue and green accents. Actually our pendant lights are green!
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love it Sarah!! It really is amazing!! It looks like it was meant to be that way from the start :) Great job!
ReplyDeleteit looks great!! Great job!!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to comment earlier on the post where you built the wine cubbies but thought I'd wait until you posted about the whole island. I wanted to let you know as something to think about, you might want to check if the microwave you are eventually going to put in place won't heat up the back wall that the wine storage shares. I work for a wine distributor and there's is nothing worse then HEAT for wine. Just something to think about! I know you said you won't have bottles in there that long but I wanted to just let you know! :o)
Yes, good to think about. The wood is so thick I think that would help but I will check that out!
DeleteIt's amazing!
ReplyDeleteKLEI KLIS
That looks amazing!! I can't wait to see how the rest of the kitchen comes together.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job! I can't wait until you start above your cabinets as we are doing the same thing to ours.
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I'm so glad you have showed the whole process and not just a "oh hey, I just sneezed and out came this gorgeous island".
ReplyDeleteOh, my goodness, Sarah, your new island is GORGEOUS!!! What a difference it makes to your kitchen, love it!
ReplyDeleteIt all looks beautiful! Especially the towel rack! Green is my favorite color....
ReplyDeleteGreat job! Love that you put your trash compacter in the island. About three years ago I enlarged my island and built the trash compacter in also. Have a window seat in my kitchen too! Love your blog. Keep up the great work and ideas!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that is amazing. Here I have been bragging about my little cross stitch project. Great job.
ReplyDeleteWell I'm sure it's beautiful! I used to LOVE cross stitch.
DeleteSarah, you are such an inspiration to me! Over the years I've bookmarked, downloaded, Pinned ... you name it, I've done it ... so many of your images. Now that I'm renovating a home, I'm finally getting to put some of the ideas to good use. :-) I can't wait to share what your projects have inspired in our new-to-us home! :-) I love your island, and I've loved watching you transform it!
ReplyDeleteCan you share the dimensions of your island-I would love to know what you had before and what the size is now--tia
ReplyDeleteYes, it was three by four, now it's three by six and a half. :)
DeleteThat turned out beautifully!!! I am so inspired to start ripping the quarter round off my island today :-) I love the color and putting the microwave inside is fabulous! Great work!!! I have enjoyed watching your living area/kitchen evolve over the years.
ReplyDeleteSo happy for you Sarah, it couldn't be more fabulous!! You're going to love your microwave at that level, before you know it your little guy will be making himself all kinds of breakfast and lunch and thinking he is quite the chef! :)
ReplyDeleteIt looks wonderful! I can completely picture what you have in mind for the rest of the kitchen. For now, enjoy your wine in that great window seat!
ReplyDeleteYour entire Family Room/Kitchen renovation is so incredible!! You are so talented & I enjoy all of your projects. Can't wait to see what you do next!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great! Wow, so many changes - it's a wonderful space!
ReplyDeleteGreat job. I love your flooring. We are going to take up linoleum and replace. BUT I do not know weather to go hardwood or engineered wood flooring. I need durable. Any advice? I would appreciate feedback Thanks Carrol
ReplyDeleteI can say that I absolutely love our on-site hardwoods. I'm not sure if they cost more than engineered or not, but they are more of a pain at install. (You have to remove everything for a few days for the process.) Our floors are super durable but we only have one kiddo at home and a small dog. The cats and the dog haven't put a mark in them though. My one recommendation is to do a SATIN poly if you do them on-site -- you don't see footprints or anything else really. It's awesome. (We had shiny laminate before and it drove me crazy.)
DeleteWow Sarah! I have loved watching you piece this island together and turned out incredible! I love the planks, detailing and color. Not to mention the grand size of it now! I wish I could teleport it to my kitchen! :)
ReplyDeleteSarah, your island looks stunning! Job well done! Your blog has inspired me many times and I'm also using the colors you have in your home - Analytical Gray and Agreeable Gray - in my home. Great colors! I do have a question regarding your island. Do you plan on putting corner round on the island or is the trend to not do this any longer or do you not want to? I was wondering your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYou know I really like the look of it without lately. I didn't on the island because I wanted the stools to be pushed in as far as possible. I am weird about that though -- I like to be able to push furniture right up against the wall. :)
DeleteThank you for answering my question. That's what I love about your blog - great content, advice and you reply! :) Again, great job on the island. I'm looking forward to being inspired by your next project!
DeleteGorgeous and amazing! I almost didn't want to read this post because I don't want the island updates to end! I have loved this whole process and you did an amazing job. You are very inspiring and my husband and I may tackle your fireplace project as our first!
ReplyDeleteI love how your island turned out! You did such a great job! The space for a towel is brilliant! Your whole living room/island/breakfast nook reno is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteSarah, Beautiful job!! We have a microwave issue and I love the idea of putting it in the island. Will you go with a built in Microwave or can you use a countertop one?? I would love the built in ones....BUT sooo expensive.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I covet your island! lol.... Sadly, my kitchen does not have enough clearance between both sides to put in an island. Something I would love!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, your island (& entire kitchen) is absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait until I have a kitchen big enough to have an island like that!
ReplyDeletexoxo, SS
The Southern Stylista