There are few options for a functional and affordable kitchen island for a small kitchen like mine. I tried to make one by hacking IKEA shelves to create a narrow island but I finally found the right option that fit my decorating style.
I have “a fact” about some things… like pom poms and polka dots. But I also have for furniture with wheels. When I started blogging, I made a crafting cart on wheels and a rolling table that I made for a BHG furniture hack competition. In my previous house, I added wheels for a bifold door.
Since the beginning of this year, I have been searching hard for a small island that I can buy or make for my small kitchen. The above picture shows the size of my kitchen island in my former home.
I took the additional counter space my kitchen island gave me in my old house as a given. It was the ideal place to create a bar, buffet or party for family and friends. It was great to use when I was baking or cooking and needed to keep a large number of pots, pans and dishes from exploding on the stove.
I miss having an island and didn’t think it would work in my small kitchen. But I needed more counter space so I had to find something.
After looking at all the options, I realized I wanted a small kitchen island with wheels, not a built-in one.
It is versatile and portable, so it can be moved easily when necessary. It also had to be white. I also wanted it to contrast with my white kitchen cabinets.
While browsing the Home Depot catalog, I came across this image of a rolling table in stainless steel. It was beautiful, and I thought it would make a great island in my kitchen. It was right in style and price but too long for my kitchen space – it measured 60 inches.
After reading more about the description, I realized that the rolling tables were available in different sizes. They were 36” and 48″ long, respectively. However, they were out of stock. I was so excited to get it.
You have two options: add the wheels like I did, or add stationary feet. The locking mechanism on two wheels prevents the table from moving. You can move the table by simply pressing the metal lever on the foot.
The island was 3 inches higher than my counters due to the addition of the wheels, so we modified the legs/metal poles.
The cart has become a very useful kitchen island by having the second shelf and open basket storage underneath. It’s a must-have in my kitchen.
This post on how to create spaces that function and look exactly as you want will provide more information.
How to cut the metal poles to lower a rolling table to an island counter height
We had to trim the legs/metal poles to be the same height as the kitchen counters (35 inches tall).
To bring the table to 35 inches when it was assembled with wheels, we cut off 2-5/8″ of each pole.
My husband cut the poles in 15 minutes. To smoothen the edges, he used a metal filing.
