My DIY kitchen island round up

 I have completed the kitchen island makeover...it feels so good to check this off my list...I love this blue grey that tends towards teal sometimes throughout the day...it is huronia by Para...in melamine.

I seem to need an island in my kitchen..it just feels right, I am highly partial to a counter height island...it is most practical...but this one just wasn't my style. I knew I wanted to remove the extra cabinet door details and add ship lap and most importantly I wanted to add a furniture foot detail. 

the top of the island was built from the pews that were in the church...it was a very strong tone of orange...I am not at all partial to orange tones so I tried to re stain it but it didn't take well...it happens...so I flipped it over to the rustic side and I was able to stain it this grey brown stain...it is a mix of four stains and I am sorry I don't recall the particular mix. 

I love all the changes to the island and it really seems to update the whole look of the kitchen

it was simple enough to add v-groove ship lap style wood to this one side of the island.

I added easy to make furniture foot details to the base to give it a nice designer look

 it is a different kitchen isn't it? we really made very few changes but you can see just how much small changes can make a big difference

this is the island from our third house, the standard island consisted of two base cabinets and that seemed really tiny to me and I needed somewhere for the microwave so I expanded the island to house the microwave...

I made the functional and decorative modifications then I had an electrician come in and wire the island with power...I wanted an outlet so that I could bake at the island and plug in my stand and hand mixers.

I added bead board and stair posts to the island to add a large butcher block top

                                    this simple box cabinet was easy to create from plywood

paint always brings it all together

 this photo was taken on our walk through just prior to closing...this kitchen was nice and big but lacked any style and had no flooring...the flooring came after we moved in....that was fun... life of a diyer

this island is the first island I built, well the only one I ever built from scratch...it was one of my biggest and my first diy projects, I'm sorry I have no build deails on this

 this is how it looked when we sold the house, a soft blue, clad in bead board and with a solid oak butcher block top

so whether you want an island or want to update a current island, it is a pretty doable project even for the most novice diy builder...

do you need an island in your kitchen too...?

Christmas in September

What is this??? is it Christmas... it sure feels like it. Ryobi has partnered with me to sponsor my White Wood Studio workshops...so now I can offer even better workshops and more tools for more building and learning fun. Head on over to the Ryobi Power Tools Canada facebook page and give them a like so you don't miss out on any of the great things coming soon.

 I have been working on the workshop...we have done a lot of work since moving here in December...we insulated the garage, added more electricity to run all my tools, we also just outfitted the garage with a propane heater to keep us all toasty during those cold winter months that are on their way so we are ready for year round workshops...and how could I forget this shiplap I just installed...I didn't want to spend much so I went with 1/2" fence boards that I planed...I just wanted to clad the walls and this was the perfect solution...I do plan on painting the wood white.

As you likely know if you have been following my blog for any length of time I am a huge fan of Ryobi tools...they are always just what I need to get all my jobs complete around the house and for all my DIY and building needs...I am so happy to bring them to my workshop. 

Not only is this an amazing announcement but I have a second big announcement...I will be hosting the White Wood Winter Market here at our church house in Enfield Ontario just outside of Oshawa in Durham region...It will take place December 2nd and 3rd from 10 am to 3pm...follow my White Wood Studio facebook page to find this event in the events section where all the info will be...Don't forget to like the page so you don't miss out on anything...the market is an all handmade market to showcase some great local makers...more information will follow as I work out all the details....but it will be a fun event and the house will be all decked out for Christmas so come join us and do some Christmas shopping and support some talented local mompreneurs.