Kitchen Island Makeover

March 23, 2015

My daughter and husband are amazing artists. They can think of something in their heads and then make it come to life on the paper in front of them. I, on the other hand, am sorely lacking in the drawing department. Trust me, you DO NOT want to be on my Pictionary team. I can totally visualize these incredible scenes in my mind but somewhere between thinking it and drawing it, my mind turns it into an image that closely resembles something either a toddler or a very drunk person would draw.

And I’m pretty sure it was this very same deficiency which led me to do more hemming and hawing (don’t you just LOVE that phrase?) about my kitchen island than about any other project I’ve ever wanted to tackle.

I knew I wanted it to look different. And I knew how to go about making it look different. I was just paralyzed when it came to actually taking that vision and making it a reality. I was so afraid that what I pictured in my head would never actually translate when it came time to take a paint brush (or sprayer!) to it.

I felt confident about the family room makeover. And super confident about the built-in cabinet makeover. But the kitchen island makeover? Not so much. You see, eventually (hopefully this summer!) the entire kitchen will be painted. (If you are questioning this decision I will direct you to this post.) In the meantime, though, I felt that painting the island would be a good way of tying the rooms together.

So, the day came when it was time to put an end to the hemming and hawing and trust that while I might never be an amazing artist, I can trust my instincts. And, after all, we’re not talking about some life or death decision.

It’s just paint. 🙂

Are you ready to see it?

Here is the BEFORE…

And here is the AFTER!

Prior to it being painted (we had this professionally sprayed when the family room shelves and built-in cabinet were done), we added these ready-made panels to the back and sides of the island for some extra detail.

Then I picked up two ‘feet’ in unfinished wood. I simply removed the screws with pliers and painted them.

I had to sand them down on the bottoms just a tad so that they would fit underneath but they are firmly wedged in there now.

I LOVE how it makes the island look more like a piece of furniture.

Originally I had planned to change out the bracket/corbels for something more decorative but those suckers are on there so solidly that it would have done major damage to the rest of the island to try and remove them.

In the end I’m so glad that I left them simple because with the other details we added I think it would have been too much.

This summer we will tackle the rest of the kitchen cabinets along with having the floors refinished.

Sometimes taking your time with something, pondering it, dreaming about it and saving for it really is the way to go. You know, it’s that whole delayed gratification thing.

And in a world where it seems like everything pushes us towards INSTANT gratification, including decorating our homes, sometimes a little bit of hemming and hawing can turn out to be a good thing.

If for no other reason than the fact that after years of hemming and hawing and then finally seeing it come to fruition, I’m pretty sure I appreciate the results even more!

Even if it has left me chomping at the bit to finish the rest of the kitchen! 😉

P.S. The paint color is called Neutral Ground by Sherwin Williams

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