6 Tips for Creating a Beautiful and Functional Kitchen
Between the many appliances for cooking and food storage, cabinets for dishes, and pantries for dry goods, our kitchens are the most function-focused rooms in our homes. Unfortunately, not all kitchens are taking full advantage of the many opportunities to increase functionality. Here are 5 upgrades or ideas for a beautiful and functional kitchen.
1. Extra Storage Space
Everyone needs a little extra storage space no matter how big their kitchen is. Many kitchens may feature small cabinets or lost space behind decorative elements like half legs or corbels. Instead of underutilizing or losing this space altogether, consider converting it into additional storage space. You don’t have to lose the leg or corbel, either! Installing a vertical drawer for a hidden spice rack, utensil storage, or cutting board storage behind a half leg or corbel can be the perfect solution to lost or underutilized space.
Best of all, you can order your island leg cut in half straight from our website! Start by choosing the leg you like and selecting the wood type you want it in. If the leg is one that can be cut in half, you’ll see the Rectangular Split Product option listed in the Services box. Check that box to apply the service! Note: For every 1 leg you order, the full leg will be cut in half so you will receive 2 halves for every 1 full leg ordered.
2. Electrical outlets in legs
Small countertop appliances like microwaves or coffee makers can only be placed within reach of an electrical outlet. This is especially important to consider if you’re renovating your kitchen or building it from the ground up. One possible solution may be to add electrical outlets in your island legs. By building in more locations for electrical outlets, you’re expanding your small appliances’ ability to move around your kitchen instead of being tethered to one or two spots. This can also be a great idea for more mobile appliances like waffle makers, griddles, or stand mixers. Best of all, you can order your island legs from us with the electrical receptacle service already in the leg.
3. Add casters to small islands
Have you thought about adding wheels or casters to your island? This can be a great option for islands in smaller kitchens where sometimes you need the extra counter space and sometimes you don’t. With a set of locking casters, it can be so easy to move your island around to exactly where you want it, then lock the wheels to keep it in place. When you’re done, you can unlock the wheels and either move it back to the center of your kitchen or store it nearby.
At Osborne, we offer a number of casters with wheels in varying sizes. With our casters, or any casters, it’s important to pay attention to the size of the attachment plate on the caster compared to the bottom of your island leg. You’ll want to make sure that you choose a caster whose plate is small enough to fit on the bottom of the size of leg you want. Ideal leg options may be plain square island legs or a leg that has both a top and bottom square block.
4. Lower shelf for additional storage
Another option for smaller islands would be a lower shelf for additional storage. This works especially well for open islands as it provides some additional storage space while maintaining the open, airy feel. We even offer a shelf notch service where we cut a notch into your island legs where you want your shelf to be installed. This service is available on any leg that has a square top or bottom block, such as the Massive Islander Island Leg (part #1752, shown), and is completely customizable based on your desired distance from the floor and thickness of the notch.
5. Corbels for added support on shallower overhangs
Some islands have large overhangs that require additional support from legs while others have a shallower overhang. In many cases, a shallow overhang can easily be supported with corbels instead of island legs, freeing up available leg room. We have a blog post available with guidelines on choosing the correct size and number of corbels based on what they are supporting. Once you know the size you need, then you can easily narrow down your search and choose the perfect corbels for your island.
6. Create unique dimension with moulding stacks
Carefully combining similar designs can allow you to further elevate your design. We have a huge selection of moulding and trim that can be mixed and matched into moulding stacks. For example, look at the stunning kitchen build to the right which boasts unique detail and dimension due to the use of moulding stacks. View our full how to guide of creating this kitchen to see which products were incorporated and learn how to combine your preferred mouldings together to create one extraordinary design!
Osborne Wood Products carries a diverse product line, including table legs, island legs, corbels, moulding, and more. Our products vary from simple Shaker and Mission styles to a lovely selection of turned or carved items. Our products are available in several different wood types, sanded to 150 grit, and ready to finish. These skillfully crafted items are sure to find a home in your next design.
Many of our products can also be customized to fit your needs with our various millwork and installation services. Work directly with a customer service representative to determine the milling or hardware needed to simplify your design process. Have your products shipped ready to install and finish with our variety of services.
Build Something Beautiful with any of our products, then send us a photo of your project so we can share your beautiful creation with other woodworking lovers!