Monday, January 25, 2010

Kitchen Island Part 2: Making her Pretty

If you haven't seen Part 1, take a look! It's all about moving the island :)

When I started my kitchen redecorating project I bought a BHG Kitchen and Bath Special Issue.
Right away I noticed that custom, mismatched cabinets are all the rage.  Painted finishes are also super popular right now.

I love painted cabinets.
From afar.
Painting my own is incredibly daunting. The cabinets I have are quite nice, and I actually really like wood tones, so I'm terrified to screw them up.

Wood cabinets with a painted island, however, seemed do-able.
So I planned to do that.
I also decided to replace the granite counter top on the island with butcher block.

I considered cream paint, but the idea of green got me really excited.


I tested paints and researched butcher block...

and then I started to worry about losing the functionality of my granite.
See...
I put hot pans on my granite.
I cut (with sharp knives) directly on my granite.
I paint and stain my projects on my granite.
In short, I abuse my granite, and it always forgives me and looks lovely after (even if I do have to take a razor blade to it to remove paint.)

What kind of person would I be if I were to repay that type of loyalty by replacing it?  And with something sub-par?
I agonized for days.  In the end I decided to keep the granite.
I also went back to cream paint. Against the granite, it was much better than green.
So disregard all that about green painted wood and butcher block.

This is how my projects go. This is how my brain works. It's all about aesthetics...then reality creeps in.

Anyway, here's what I did...
beadboard on the ends


painted the whole thing cream.


A custom color mixed by the Home Depot to match (I know this is ridiculous...) my purse.  Do you blame me? Look at this girl! Isn't she beautiful?


I bought a sheet of metal and spray painted it copper. Then I mounted it to the wall under the island for the kids to use as a magnet board (alphabet magnets are in the works!)


Glazed the paint to give it a "custom cabinet" feel.


Framed the metal out with molding, painted dark brown.


Added these darling fleur-style wood medallions.


And new hardware...


And here's the end result.  Gorgeous, eh?





I really love how it turned out.  It's gorgeous from the other side, too. The copper really makes it look special! I can't share that view with you right now, though - it keeps showing too many other projects in the background! Soon :)


35 comments:

Lacie @ Creative Attempts said...

This is fantastic I love it and hello that purse is soooo pretty

Jenny @ DIY Newlyweds said...

Wow, the kitchen island looks great! Nice job! Where did you get the wood medallions? I'm trying to fancy up my kitchen and that medallion is just what I'm looking for.

Heather Henderson said...

love it! I bet those home depot guys were a little taken aback. I was going to vote for the darkest of the greens, but oh well the cream looks amazing. Wonder if we'll see green pop up somewhere else...

momof3girls said...

such a cute redo!! Thanks for sharing!

Ashley @ AshleysBusy said...

Oooh, it came out so pretty! Love that you kept the granite. I love me butcher block counters, but granite wins any day.

Kirsty said...

It looks great! Nice job.

Wendy said...

I love it! It looks so bright and fresh!

Maryann @ Domestically-Speaking said...

You did a great job... love that you matched the paint to your purse... brilliant! I've got a Power of Paint Party on Wednesdays... I would love for you to share your island... hope to see you there!

Tiffany said...

Love Love Love it! The copper was a stroke of genius!
Thanks for sharing with me!
-Tiff @ Making the World Cuter

The Denmark Family said...

Om my gosh I love it!!!!! love the copper and the beadboard!!!

Anny said...

I love that you matched that gorgeous purse :D

Tiffany said...

I featured this today! :)
Thanks for linking up!
-Tiff
http://makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com

Frugal Home Designs said...

That looks great. Good Job.

Lindsay said...

I stumbled upon your blog and saw your island and I absolutely love it! Great Job! You seem like a very craft person and I look forward to seeing what you come up with next.

Sincerely your newest follower! :)

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Laurel @ Ducks in a Row said...

YOur kitchen is looking amazing! The island looks awesome.

Unknown said...

This is such a good idea!

Anonymous said...

Do you have the formula for that color? It looks like the perfect cream!

beth said...

I LOVE it! Glad you decided to go with the cream. Green is so hard to get right. But white goes with everything! And if you ever do decide to go with butcher block, don't worry about the cuts, burns, and scratches. Those imperfections just add character. :)
Hope you have a great day!! Beth.

Its So Very Cheri said...

FAB-U -- LOUS.

It will be in my favs.

Cheri

extreme personal measures said...

I LOVE your kitchen re-do! Stunning!

Anonymous said...
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Anna Whiston-Donaldson said...

wowza! this is stunning. wish i had room for an island.

Embellished Bayou said...

Totally gorgeous, down to the last detail! You just got yourself a new follower!

DinettesUSA.com said...

Love the color! And no, I can't blame you for it. I'd probably do the same.

I'm in the process of redecorating my kitchen, and recently bought a breakfast dinette (http://dinettesusa.com/Color_1063498_B001H18DN2_Miranda-5-Piece-Espresso-Dinette-Set-By-Acme-Furniture.html). I'm using the color scheme to anchor everything.

Hildie said...

I feel the same way about painting my cabinets. Maybe I'll just do the island as well. I'm glad you kept the granite. My granite is so abused but still looks good.

Jaime said...

So freekin' wonderful. I love it and i love that you had the guts to do it. It looks awesome.

Sarah said...

Your bead board island is GORGEOUS!!! Thanks for sharing your hard work!
God's blessings,
Sarah :D

The_Idea_Gal said...

Hi Mandy, I'm just loving all your creativeness on kitchen Islands- from the medallians to the hardware. So much so, I have a blurb and link to your blog on my Squidoo page called Pendant Lighting for Above kitchen Islands. Please free free to stop by for more inspiration. Thanks!

Cyndi - YaYa said...

Stunning!!! I'd love to do something like that to my island.. I'm way to scared of paint to attempt that.. LOL

Kitchen Cabinetry Shop said...

Awesome job!! Love the craftmanship as well as the color of choice.



Stuart

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