Craigslist / Repurposed / Kitchen island possibilities.
I have three competing design ideas for the kitchen. More or less the same layout/concept but depends on THE THING.
THE THING is defined as:
• thing that will simplify/infinitely complicate all decisions because I MUST have it.
• thing that will dictate layout/design because I MUST incorporate it.
The first option is to keep a traditional kitchen design along the perimeter walls and have the island be the repurposed/unexpected accent.
Doing just a repurposed island is the most practical of all three ideas. It lets us have an interesting workspace, but doesn’t force us to reconfigure the sink or dishwasher.
The could-be-island-things I have looked at could easily incorporate a sink but the dishwasher has been an issue on every single one.
Also bonus— if some future owner hates it, it will take them all of five seconds to remove it.

Last week I showed you inspiration photos of repurposed islands. As with all inspiration photos, they have the benefit of being professionally styled/photographed/lit.
Whereas all of these photos are taken with my phone, and are surrounded by piles of furniture/junk at either the auction or salvage yard. So they look way less fancy– please use your imagination.
If I want something that feels authentic and not reworked, I am going to have to go with furniture. Something like the buffet below would be a great workspace – it was 6 feet long, plus the drawers/storage would be great… But I have to say that I do NOT love the idea of having an unfinished side. Something about that bugs me.
The front was beautiful… and then the back was just— blah.
I don’t need it to look amazing from all angles, but there was too much contrast between the fancy feet/columns and the unadorned backside.
It is possible that I could find two similar and place them back to back, although then we are talking about a really wide island. Probably too wide for our room.
Pros of using furniture:
- Already standalone.
- Minimal chance of having to paint.
- I think an unusual piece of furniture repurposed into an island, and topped with a piece of Carrera marble would complement a more traditional layout around the kitchen perimeter.
- The contrast between a dark wood antique island, and white cabinets would be nice… and would alleviate some of my box-issues.
I really like dark wood, and I would prefer not to have to paint something. If we are repurposing/reworking materials, chances are we will be frustrated trying to match new stain to old patina or veneer and be forced to paint.
Most of the furniture I have looked at so far is either not really long enough to be a good-sized island, or height is an issue, or price is an issue… or it’s just not THE THING.
My preference is for Eastlake, or late Victorian period— about 1870-1890… Without wandering over to anything Federal, Gothic, Rococo, or Oak… although an exception could be made in order to own something with monster paw feet.
The most obvious island would be some kind of old, general store countertop: practical, generously sized, about the right height… But the problem with general stores is that GENERALLY they weren’t very fancy.
Plus, it would be easy to slide from repurposed into rustic… And I am not a rustic kind of gal. I mean, I could be, at my country house, but until I get one of those I am sticking with my preference for Versailles.
Although, I will say that a good way to wish you had bought something is to see it show up, looking pretty in Miss Mustard Seed’s workshop.
Here is where she cleaned it up and added a glass top… Below is a photo from her studio tour (which is full of other furniture on my list of things to steal.)
I have no transition for this final option, but I was SUPER into this FANCY! White porcelain enamel over cast-iron! Item of island-shaped-interest!
I said to Paul – oooh, look! This is unusual! AND the height is adjustable! AND there is room for barstools underneath!!
If we went more vintage-y, this would be SO FUN with retro/steel kitchen cabinets… they show up on Craigslist all the time!
Paul said – I am pretty sure that is for cadavers. We should get it. Whomever wins the next argument can put it to good use.
Then we had to go straight home so that I could soak myself in bleach, because I could not remember if I had touched the thing.
February 11, 2015 @ 11:24 am
What about having seats on the ugly side of the island- having an oversized countertop that extends further on that side and stools underneath that? Also adding a couple fancy corbels to fancy it up.
February 11, 2015 @ 11:32 am
MIRRORED THING! MIRRORED THING! MIRRORED THING!
February 11, 2015 @ 11:33 am
I love that first piece. I can see where an unfinished back would be an issue. Darn. You are certainly on the right track though. I love the idea of a beautiful piece of furniture turned into an island.
xo,
Karen
February 11, 2015 @ 11:33 am
I’m currently in pursuit of an Eastlake or Renaissance Revival marble-topped walnut dresser for the centerpiece of my kitchen. The ones with drawer pulls carved like fruit and an overhanging top drawer. Really fancy! I will put it on castors and roll it under the counter beneath the kitchen windows. Then I can roll it out into the center of the kitchen when I need extra workspace (2 or 3 times a year for big parties). Thanks everybody for the idea of embossed tin panels on the back! I may also add an old table leaf, hinged across the back, to tip up (like a gateleg table) to give still more counter space. Looking ahead to my dotage, I’m leaving the middle of the kitchen wide open to make sure there’s room for a wheelchair to maneuver. Actually, I have friends who already use them. Therefore I’m designing my house so everybody I love can come visit (and admire…).
February 11, 2015 @ 11:46 am
Forgive me if someone already mentioned this, but have you considered some kind of Victorian-y bar, drink-serving thingy? It would be finished on all sides. likely open in the back (hello, dishwasher!) and be perfect to use with stools.
I bet you could even find one with a marble top, so even though it would likely be more expensive than, say, the bank table, think of all the money you would save by not having to buy a slab of marble. Win-win!
February 11, 2015 @ 11:47 am
The bank table lacks the extra storage but it WOULD be super easy to sweep under. Or send the Roomba under.
I love them all. They are magnificent and I can see why you are having a hard time deciding. For sure, you should have monster paw feet. I think that is a must-have.
For the piece with the unfinished back, would there be a way to put a gorgeous piece of finished wood on it, something that can hide the different wood a little, like the grooved pattern or an intricate carving, and then when you get a big piece of marble, have extra for a good long lip on that side for counter seating. It might hide that side enough to pass.
February 11, 2015 @ 11:53 am
I believe you’re overthinking this decision. I say that because I tend to overthink some choices, sometimes to the point of ignoring the obvious. If the measurements & price fit (kitchen & budget), I doubt you’ll find anything better than the buffet/counter in photo #1 or the one in the 4th photo from the bottom. Situate the island with the ‘pretty side’ facing the public, & add veneer to the ‘ugly/plain side’, along with appropriately-scaled towel bars. If you do need to insert an appliance on the plain side, it won’t interrupt the original design. No paint, no need to butcher an antique. But if you’re not installing an appliance or sink, you can take the island with you when you move.
February 11, 2015 @ 11:54 am
I like the giant claw feet server/chest. it would be beautiful in the center of a kitchen. Islands do not need to be bars with stools, just wonderful work spaces for the cook. As for the back…I am sure it could be reworked in some manner. Honestly if you restain it I do not think the color matching would be a problem or an issue if it is off. Go for it!
February 11, 2015 @ 12:57 pm
They all look fabulous! I’m gladdened to hear you sounding almost practical. I can also see the huge buffet with the massive claw feet as an island. What else could you use it for?
February 11, 2015 @ 11:56 am
Oh, if you decide not to top an antique with marble, there is a product made for wood-topped islands that is both food safe & durable. I saw it on This Old House, & also found a product on Amazon that’s supposed to be a once-&-done type finish—not like mineral oil or other finishes that have to be reapplied periodically to protect from water stains, etc.
February 11, 2015 @ 11:56 am
I’m with Tracee and Sunnie: the enameled table appears to have neither a drain nor a blood gutter, so probably no dead bodies in its history. We came close to incorporating a nine-foot long, 30″ wide stainless steel behemoth autopsy table into our kitchen remodel, but when we chose not to move the kitchen into another room there wasn’t enough space for it. I am kind of glad, now…though you could have dismembered a dozen chickens on the thing with room to spare. It was incredible. My suggestion for the unfinished back of a piece of fancy wooden furniture made into an island is a sheet of 16 gauge hot-rolled steel sheared to fit and trimmed out in wood. My kitchen walls are hot-rolled–I love the dark gray color–and I stick all sorts of magnetic things onto them. I wax it, and the mill scale finish does not rust. It has a nice resonance with my douglas fir wood cabinets, and doesn’t look industrial, just rich. It’s relatively inexpensive, and easy to work with.
February 11, 2015 @ 8:14 pm
I had to google hot rolled steel and wow, you totally just found me my kitchen solution. All thanks to our mutual love of VEB!
February 11, 2015 @ 11:57 am
I love the old bank table. Totally impractical and beautiful!
February 11, 2015 @ 11:59 am
Bank Table will be my first furniture splurge post Powerball win.
February 11, 2015 @ 12:21 pm
Think back-to-back! A beautiful furniture piece facing out,back side shelves or bins or drawers for onions, potatoes etc.. Dishwasher facing back with cookbooks shelves facing out. Cover whole thing with marble top as desired.
February 11, 2015 @ 12:23 pm
OK, I’m sure you’ve considered this. Maybe it’s even in another comment. But I don’t have time to look/read. Anyhoo, you could build a half wall to butt up against the unadorned side. Finish it off with paint. Or bead board. Or a recessed panel wainscot. You could mount corbels there so you could add enough support to have a marble slab that extends far enough to allow for seating on that side. OK, that doesn’t solve the $18,000 problem, but I am not a miracle worker . . . .
February 11, 2015 @ 12:42 pm
I love the Victorian buffet server, which would look gorgeous facing the public side of your kitchen. (Is it peculiar to refer to parts of a house as “public”?) Wouldn’t do for a dishwasher, of course–do you have a place for one next to your sink? The price is right, and your commenters have wonderful suggestions for the unfinished backside. A white kitchen with a big beautiful repurposed dark wood island is something to behold. I have a more rustic lighter wood bakers cabinet on one wall of my white kitchen, and even that looks pretty terrific. I too love Miss Mustardseed’s incredible furniture finds, but they always look a million times better after she’s painted them. Which you don’t want, of course. You’re doing the right thing by exploring a lot of options. I spent a year on research before finally settling on a kitchen design and the kitchen centerpiece, a blue Lacanche range, and I have no regrets about anything.
Although I never quite got around to considering a cadaver table.
February 11, 2015 @ 12:46 pm
Hi Elizabeth,
I really think the Victorian Buffet is the only choice for you. You can still use the VB by adding shelves on back side(perfect for displaying more pretties and essentials), and leave space for bar stools as well. you can get a larger marble slab for the top and support this with some FANCY corbels. It is not as hard as you think to match a wood stain, even an old patina. You just have to test some colors, possibly mix them to get the right shade and you may have to use an “antique” glaze over this to mimic the patina. It can be done. I think this is the easiest option.
We remodeled our kitchen last year and added cabinets (found at Home Goods!) to the back side of our original cabinet peninsula. We built an open shelf on the end, and these both created a larger work surface and more storage. it added such character. We had to match the color of the new HG cabinets for trim and shelves and it turned out perfectly.
February 11, 2015 @ 1:16 pm
Well, I completely understand your dilemma. I finally found the piece that I want for my kitchen island (huge buffet with dark wood top, crazy hand carving, double lion face scrolled handles and double paws all on wheels), paid all of $50 for it, schlepped it home, painted it up in the style I want and now my hubby HATES the idea. Doesn’t want to get rid of our traditional cabinets with marble top island that I can’t stand. I think murder is still illegal in my state, but must admit I’m now plotting his untimely demise….of course, it will look like an accident.
February 11, 2015 @ 3:04 pm
I feel your pain. My parents died a few years ago and their home of wonderful family heirloom antiques was divided up by us three kids. Unfortunately my husband decided he no longer likes antiques and certainly doesn’t want to feel like he’s living in my parents’ home, so thankfully I have a room all to myself and there they all are, waiting as a small consolation for that aged day I may live alone and can free them to join the rest of the house again.
February 11, 2015 @ 1:29 pm
As an antiques dealers I have sold several items for use as a counter. My suggestion: find something in oak or walnut and then remove the blah backboards. cover that area with old an panel door (turned horizontally) in a stain that is a close match! Easy – Peasy. Looks amazing! Any bit that protrudes out too far at the top can easily be covered with a strip of nice molding. Just something to think about.
February 11, 2015 @ 1:31 pm
Haven’t read all the comments and perhaps someone has already suggested what I’m about to, and am not really sure you need any additional suggestions but, the idea of THE THING having big claw feet is awesome (the bank table is pretty amazing too), so, you could use molding to create some visual interest to the blah backside of any one of the amazing buffet options you showed above (think wainscoting). The marble would then be large enough to hangover the buffet to create a bar. Put bar stools in front, ’cause you know people are going to be in the kitchen and want to sit and chat! You have then masked the blah side of THE THING of awesomeness.
February 11, 2015 @ 1:47 pm
My Dear Mrs. Barnes-
I have a hard time believing that you are incapable of matching stain to any piece of antique furniture. You can do this!!!! It takes a bit of trial and error, but you have a super eye for this kind of thing and you can make it happen. I am looking at the buffet above (with the plain back). How about using a piece like that but taking an old paneled door and cutting that to fit the plain back? As I write this I am looking at my circa 1896 pump organ, made from mahogany. Those show up all of the time and can be disassembled to use for just this kind of thing. I love the things you find when you are out and about.
Sincerely-
Mrs. Macdougall