Rustic Kitchen Island

Every now and then I post a photo of our little kitchen on Instagram. And when I do, I always get a ton of questions about our rustic kitchen island. This piece is actually very special to me and has a bit of a backstory, so today I wanted to share more about it and also give you the measurements in case you want to make one for yourself.

Back in 2009 my husband and I had just bought our first home. It was a foreclosure and most definitely a fixer upper. But despite all the work ahead of us, we were elated to officially be home owners. It was our first opportunity to really make something our own. And although we didn’t have much money, I thrifted and DIY-ed my heart out to make it feel like ours. One of our big “splurges” at the time was this rustic kitchen island. A local antique/home goods shop carried the most unique furniture made from salvaged barn wood. We desperately needed an island for our kitchen, so I contacted the dealer and asked if he would consider making us a custom island with his barn wood. I knew exactly what I wanted it to look like and thankfully he agreed to build it for us. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it worked for our small kitchen and I loved the fact that it was made just for us. Looking back, I realize this was the first time I really had a vision for our home, in this case our kitchen, and brought it to life. This piece was the beginning of it all!

It took the builder a few weeks to complete, but to an impatient gal like myself, it felt like forever. I can still remember the day the island was delivered to our house. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. It was absolutely perfect.

This was most definitely a splurge for us. It cost $100, which at the time felt like soooo much money. But looking back now I realize what a bargain we got for such a well-built piece. It was worth every penny. And even though it is simple, I adore this little island. It measures 3 feet tall, 40″ long, and 22″ wide.

I love the rustic, weathered look. And boy is this thing heavy. But my favorite part is the top. Since it is made with old barn wood, you can easily see that it’s covered in marks, scratches, dents, and lots of nail holes. You know I love that imperfection, I think it adds so much character and charm.

When we moved from that first foreclosure into our second home (which was actually another foreclosure) we no longer needed this because we had a built-in island at the new house. But I couldn’t stand the thought of selling it, so I used it as an extra table in another room and called it good. It wasn’t until we moved into our current home that I was able to use it again in the kitchen. It fits perfectly here. And I think it’s so cool that this little island from our very first house is now such a central piece in our dream home.