This post is sponsored by Home Hardware. We are thrilled to be working with them throughout our entire renovation process.
Let me tell you about my absolute favorite part of our new kitchen. I mean, beyond the fact that it’s a functional and gorgeous space.
Remember when I said that I only wanted to do the kitchen renovation if I could have an island space for baking and prep?
We used to have an old kitchen cart and it worked okay but I never liked how rickety it was and that the storage wasn’t truly functional. The drawers were only 2.5” deep and you couldn’t fit ANYTHING in them.
And then we discovered that even with the wall taken down, there wasn’t enough clearance to build a fixed island? (Hey #smallkitchen problems!)
Well, the creative solution workaround is basically my favourite customization ever. Instead of building a fixed island in the middle of the room, the Home Installs team built us a custom island on wheels.
Unlike the old cart situation, the new island is on heavy-duty, industrial casters that are hidden behind a custom toe kick – meaning when it’s pushed back against the wall, it doesn’t look like it’s on wheels. It just looks like base cabinets.
However, I can wheel it out and around the kitchen to suit whatever needs I have! We have already used it for epic cookie decorating days, gift wrapping, crafting, and cake cooling.
To make it feel and function a bit differently from the rest of the kitchen, we opted to have the island topped with a solid hickory butcher block top and I love how it adds a bit of warmth to the space.
Beyond that – the full depth cabinets offer us plenty of additional storage for those odds and ends that never seem to have a place – like the giant bag of dog food, paper towels, and some of my baking pans and overflow ingredients.
The two drawers are also actual drawers, so I use one for all our oven mitts and pot-holders and the other is strictly for measuring cups and cookie cutters! (#MostFunDrawer)
Other Creative Solutions for Small Kitchens
Here’s what we learned from this process, know what you want in your kitchen and be ready to get creative to make it happen.
If there’s a ‘must-have’ item on your kitchen or renovation list, then you can consider a bunch of ways to bring it to reality.
- Putting it on wheels – this will give you more flexibility in a small room.
- Hanging it on the walls – frees up counter space and can look super cool too! This is a great solution for things like mugs or kitchen utensils.
- Hanging rails or a rack from the ceiling – I’m a fan of a good hanging pot rack!
- Adding a cabinet in otherwise dead space (like what we did with our new corner cabinet).
The point is that there’s usually a way to get what you want if you’re willing to think outside the box.
Make sure you check out the other posts in our renovation series!
All about the demolition of the old kitchen (and why we moved out), and more about the custom design features we added into the space.
