Description: Kitchen islands are expensive! And they are not very cute. I took an old Hemnes 3-drawer chest (the bigger one) and re-purposed it into a kitchen island.
I took the backing off the dresser and bought a 4x8ft wainscoting panel which I cut into 3 sections. One large one for the back of the chest and 2 smaller pieces for the sides to tie the whole thing together.
Spray painted the wainscoting and used liquid nails and finishing nails to attach the back panel. Then used liquid nails to attach the smaller two side panels right onto the dresser.
I went on Craigslist and bought an old coffee table and took the top off. I looked for one that had the closest resemblance to a real butcher block to avoid doing extra work. Removed the top of the dresser and used screws to screw the new top on.
Then I bought some decorative scroll brackets to put under the overhang and decorative knobs to finish it off with a country 'kitcheny' feel :)
I saved about $200 by building this island myself and I'm super happy with the results. It's perfect for my size kitchen and decor. I also LOVE having the drawers for storage!
~ Joanne
