How I Realized My Kitchen Island Dream without Spending a Fortune

My first kitchen island, made of solid wood, lasted over fifteen years. We bought it from Cost Plus for roughly $200, including a coupon that kind nuns pity-gifted me when they spotted me checking out the island. “You look like you could use this,” they said as they handed over their coupon. It was divine intervention. Over the years, we used the slender island to serve snacks, as a desk, and a storage area for extra dishware. The island was functional but began looking dated as the 2010s closed out.  

This year’s kitchen renovation provided a good excuse to start anew. I budgeted thousands of dollars because I wanted a beautiful island that I could actually prep on or use to shoot photos or video. With all the kitchen island options available, you’d think that it would be easy to buy a ready-make island. 

I commissioned a custom-built island. Guess what? I also saved money. With the project delays (pandemic included), it took about a year. You don’t need to spend that much time. Hopefully, my experiences will help you make decisions for your home kitchen. 

Assess Your Space for Size and Style

Our old island was slender and too small for our largish space. We’d planned to put a hutch and pantry into that area to enlarge the kitchen, so it’s not exactly like we could have an island the size of a king-size bed. 

Expert kitchen designers advise that you ideally want a 36-inch clearance from the edge of a kitchen island to the counter, fridge, or whatever that will be nearby. That allows you to avoid mishap as you move freely to and from.

Given that, I cut a mock-up from cardboard, put it atop the old island. We looked at it and walked around it for a few days to see how we’d live with it. It felt good.

After establishing size, we considered aesthetics. In our home, the island would be within viewing of our dining room where a large reclaimed pine table prominently sits. The island and table may compete if the island was too big. They’d look awkward if the kitchen island was too modern or crazily steam punk in style. 

Style-wise, we’re eclectic, transitional. We’re not locked in. BUT, I did want the new kitchen to inspire calm, creativity and productivity. 

Kitchen Island Styles & Budgets

I initially shopped in person and online at Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and Restoration Hardware. Additionally, I checked out islands in kitchen studios I visited for work, for example, Munchies, Food and Wine, and Better Homes and Gardens.

What I wanted in size was a fat rectangle — with a ratio of roughly 3:4. That kitchen island proportion fit the size of our space and complemented the dining table. 

Most high-end pre-made islands are unfortunately long and some are huge and/or chunky. The drawers often didn’t open and close smoothly. After taxes and delivery charge, the price ranged from $3,500 to (gulp) $8,000. I made a Pinterest board.

I also checked out modestly priced (less than $1000) kitchen islands at Wayfair, Joss and Main, Lowes, and Home Depot. Alas, they didn’t have what I wanted. Meantime, my husband suggested we get an island with wheels so we could artfully or functionally move it. He likes it at an angle. I need it for photography and/or video. 

With all the cupboards going into the kitchen, we didn’t want or need a fixed solid block of storage in the middle of the room. Our dream kitchen island fulfilled these objectives:

• Largish, not huge
• Mobile with sturdy wheels that won’t hurt wood floors
• Have some storage drawers but have space for artful display
• Look somewhat rustic yet modern
• Complement the kitchen cabinets and dining table

Draw and Mock up Your Idea

I first had a crazy idea that I could glean the kitchen cabinet catalog to assemble my own kitchen island cart. We ordered Kraftmaid cabinets through Home Depot, so I spent hours reviewing the catalog and drew up this design based on my Pinterest board and their cabinetry.

My kitchen designer put the parts together as an order, but wasn’t sure it would totally hold together. I was forging new territory, sort to speak. I was also limited to the so-so leg designs that Kraftmaid offered. In any event, it was going to cost over $3,000 without assembly or a top. 

I decided to find someone to build the cabinet to my specifications. 

Finding a Custom Cabinet Builder

One local bid with the island made from elegant maple was $6000 (excluding the top). I didn’t need (or could afford) fancy maple and kept looking.

Out of curiosity, I ventured onto Etsy. That’s how I found Vintage Millwerks, a family-owned furniture maker in Corona, a city located in Southern California. Their pieces evoke Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, and Crate and Barrel. They've shipped out of state and seemed trustworthy.

They answered my many questions, and told me that I could use their styles and legs to commission my own kitchen island. I started out with their Jamestown design but wanted different legs and corner trims. 

Their glide-less drawers concerned me, and I wanted to make sure they opened and closed well. Last year, a few days before Christmas, en route to visit my parents, we stopped at their facility for a tour.  We brought our Kraftmaid cabinet door samples. They fortunately had a Jamestown (below) in the shop.

We got to see and touch the wood, visit with owners Carrie and Todd, and test the drawers. The drawers were old-fashioned and pulled out well without modern glides.

The island was an investment piece for me, and I wanted to make sure that Vintage Millwerks was the right entity to collaborate with. The staff was friendly, the organized shop hummed with production, and the crew was diverse. If you go with a custom cabinet builder, it’s an opportunity to build a relationship with the people whose hands will craft furniture you’ll live with forever. Find a builder local to you or used email and phone calls to establish a rapport.

Todd used to build furniture for Pottery Barn. He and his wife Carrie and their staff of Nicole and Lori worked with me to refine and execute my design. They suggested combining the Jamestown with the Connor island designs, and using Douglas Fir to lend a rustic elegance. The wood turns greyish brown as it ages, so we decided to retain its natural color via a natural wax finish. (The above island is finished with a natural wax.)

Drawers, Pulls, and Wheels

Most kitchen islands have drawers on one side or the same number of drawers on both sides. I wanted to mix things up for efficiency. If it’s custom built, how custom can it be? 

So I asked: Could I have 3 drawers on one side and 2 drawers on the other side? Would it still be functional? Of course, they said.

Vintage Millwerks included the drawer pulls and casters in their quote. So I sent leftover drawer pulls from other custom cabinets in our house. The bin pulls (below), a closeout from Restoration Hardware, have an arts and crafts charm; there were 3 of one kind and 2 of another. Given that, I had the 2 bigger ones installed on one side and the 3 smaller pulls on the other. Then, I shopped for special casters (see below). 

Yes, there was extra cost associated with my tweaks but it was negligible in the scheme of things. The island would truly be mine! (Splurge a bit on the hardware since you don't need that many.)

Kitchen Island Top

Vintage Millwerks installs a lovely thick wood top on their kitchen islands, but I wanted our top to match the kitchen countertop and backsplash. They agreed to prep the kitchen island top with plywood so it would be ready for the Caesarstone honed Statuario Nuvo installation. I opted for a mitered finish on the edge to give the island a rustic chic appearance.

More importantly, the finished island bridged the kitchen with the dining room.

Sourcing Kitchen Island Casters (Wheels)

Making a long-lasting island means having good wheels to support it. The wheels — technically called casters, are akin to supportive shoes for your feet. I devoted a lot of time to casters this past year. 

Finding good casters (wheels) was where I really made this island better than prefabricated kitchen islands. I’ve used plenty of kitchen islands with wheels that busted easily over time (they stopped locking) or scuffed up wood floors. My caster education included this caster primer.

Constructed of varying materials, casters are made in different sizes, depending on how much weight they have to support. Also, they come with different kinds of brakes (locks). 

If you have a custom mobile kitchen island built, ask the countertop fabricator for a weight estimate. Ask the kitchen island maker for an estimate. Then, add those figures together to determine how much weight your island will support.

With a rough understanding of casters, I asked for help at Caster Depot. A quick conversation in the chat box yielded my solution — Softech casters made by Shepherd. Designed for medical equipment, they are non-marking, gentle and durable. They came in grey, and looked chunky but not awkward. The pedal brakes are easy to manipulate too. Each of the 4-inch Softech casters supports 225 pounds, plenty for my needs.

I had Todd at Vintage Millwerks to review and approve the casters. Given the square leg design, he suggested plate casters over stem casters. I had them sent directly to Todd, who then calculated the island’s height to fit the casters and my 36-inch finished height specifications. 

Here's the island in action! (If this video doesn't show, try refreshing your browser. I use Chrome, Edge and Safari.)

Yes, a lot of coordination happened to realize the kitchen island dream. I went into this thinking I’d buy off the rack. It took about six months but I got to interact with craftspeople, family-owned businesses, and helpful online vendors. I got exactly what I wanted. The price? About $3300 total.