Kitchen Island

We kind of randomly decided to start fixing up the kitchen & in doing so, we were brainstorming what we wanted to do. Although our kitchen appears to have a lot of cabinets/counters, there is not a lot of prep space on the counters. The kitchen is long & somewhat narrow so we couldn't really add more counter top space without tearing down walls & we were not about to get into that. So we decided an island would be the perfect compromise. I started to look online, but I didn't want something that looked new. I wanted something that looked worn & used. I knew I was not going to be able to find exactly what I was looking for without paying a pretty penny or waiting a while to find it at the right price & size.

Then one day while browsing Instagram, our friend, Matt from American Rustic Works posted a photo of a new TV stand he was working on & as soon as I saw it, I knew that was the kind of island I wanted. I wanted something that was old looking & very raw. Matt came through BIG time! This island is seriously gigantic & it's exactly what we wanted. He used white oak for the top & shelf on the bottom. I asked him not to stain the white oak because I loved the natural look of the wood. He did apply some poly onto the top & bottom so that they would stand the test of time.

Not only is this huge, it is heavy!! This thing is going to last for the long haul. We eventually want to get some bar stools so that we can sit around it & have meals. It will also serve as a great buffet table when we host parties. We can just picture our little kiddos gathering around this piece while we cook dinner, bake cookies, do homework, etc. It will for sure be the gathering space of the home which we so look forward to!

For now I have it styled with some of simple white dishes that we use on a daily basis for easy access. They are from the Aspen Collection at Crate & Barrel. I added my small collection (but growing) of ironstone to the top along with a simple white tea towel & glass jar filled with greens from our yard. The little cutting board we picked up at a local little wood working store in Pittsburgh last weekend! Love supporting small shops.

You can check out some more of Matt's work in our home here & here. He is local to western NY, but can ship certain things. Check out his Instagram for everything he does!

So what do you think of this kitchen island? How do you style your kitchen islands? Thank you for stopping by the blog today.

XO

-LA

{ As always, you can leave a comment in the comment section or find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest at @aratariathome }

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