One of the things I love most about my new kitchen is the island. I’ve always wanted more workspace, informal seating, and a place to prep a meal, while still interacting with the family and any guests that may be hanging around.

Our kitchen is small, so when designing it, I wanted to maximize space, while creating high visual impact. Of course, we did all of this on a budget, so I had to pick and choose where to invest.

Thankfully some of the design features I love most, came with a fabulously low price tag! (Like our deep, single-bowl, rectangle, granite composite sink. Lovingly referred to as “the black sink”.) We opted for an IKEA kitchen, as opposed to custom cabinetry, but upgraded the overall look with some luxe door hardware.

I’ve always loved the look of a waterfall counter, that cascades down to the floor. So when I had the option of incorporating that into my design plan, I was thrilled!

In order to create more counter space along the one-wall design of the kitchen, we opted to put the sink into the island. This creates the illusion of a larger kitchen since the counter isn’t broken up into smaller sections dividing the sink and gas range. It also allowed me to mirror some finishes from the one-wall kitchen into the island design. Like black and brushed gold.

To carry a streamlined look throughout the lower half of the kitchen, I chose deep drawers in place of a mixture of cabinets and drawers, and then created a faux drawer under the sink. (It looks like there’s two drawers, when in fact, there’s only one slide out that houses our garbage and recycling! Tricky tricky.)

Two things I’ve learned from living with this design so far.

• The black sink was one of THE BEST decisions we made! We were unsure about a single bowl sink, and not being able to use abrasive materials to clean it was a concern, but it has been fantastic! It’s a breeze to clean and it always looks clean (even when it’s not)! This is awesome since one of my biggest pet peeves in past kitchens has been how yucky a dirty sink looks. Also, it’s large enough to submerge an entire cookie sheet… nuff said.

• Having an island to gather around truly has created the atmosphere I was longing for. After living with a tiny kitchen for so long, being able to chat with friends while preparing food, has been wonderful.

I am so thankful that we were able to make our home a space that suits our personal style and lifestyle, while staying within our budget! When I think back to the years of debt, and inconsistent management of our finances, I am overjoyed at where we are today.

Now, back to prepping tonight’s dinner on this beautiful island!

xox,

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