Kitchen Island | DIY Kitchen Island with Built-In Refridgerator

We're finally getting settled into our new house.  While we still have some work to do on the outside (finishing the patio, landscaping, new grass, etc.), we have completed one of the biggest projects we had planned - The kitchen island. 

Originally, kitchen looked like this : 

  

The kitchen is a good size for this size house... but, it just wasn't quite big enough for everything I needed (wanted). I needed more storage space, a bigger work surface and a place for in-kitchen dining. 

My handy-dandy husband whipped up this amazing island this weekend.  You might remember, he also built the hutch that holds our white dishes and platters.  I love how the island and the hutch make the once bare kitchen feel complete - almost like a brand new custom kitchen.  And the best part is...

It houses our refrigerator, microwave and storage for all of my All-Clad pots and pans.   We only had one open wall that could have been used for our refrigerator, but I wanted to use that wall for the hutch to have extra and open storage.  So, we decided that this built-in undercounter refrigerator would work great for us.  I read that the Barefoot Contessa uses undercounter refrigerators in her NYC apartment - I figured if she could make it work, so could we.

We had a full size refrigerator installed in the basement (the stairs are just through the door in the kitchen) to use for over flow, beverages and parties.

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We created this wooden counter top out of stain-grade wood planks that were laminated together (similar to butcher block).  We framed out the board with 1 x 3 wood pieces to create a very thick looking counter.  Everything is stained in Dark Walnut (as you might remember from the hutch).

These lilacs were picked from our yard - this pitcher was my Granny's.  I can remember her putting lilacs and peonies (when in season) in this pitcher, so I do the same thing.   I found a larger version of the same pitcher at a tag sale - they make a great pair.

I used the same framed botanical prints that I used in our old house - I like the white flowers for the kitchen.

I'm in the market for some more interesting stools - but for $20 each from Target, these will do for now.  I would like some vintage wooden and metal industrial looking stools - does anyone have any leads for me??

I am so excited that all of my pots and pans have their own spot.  I lined the shelves with cork - I like how it protects the bottoms of the pans from the paint and they slide easily.  

I like to keep these small pots of herbs on the windowsill by the kitchen sink because it helps me to remember to water them... Here I have my favorite (left to right) Rosemary, Thyme & Basil. 

I've propped up this cow platter with my marble rolling pin.  It kept rolling away, so I put these adhesive rubber stoppers (typically used on the bottom of furniture as 'feet') in front of it.  They stick right to the counter - works great.

This is our 'stuff' corner - where I can drop everything when I come in the door... and where Mr. Darcy's food bowls are.  Ideally, this chalkboard would be full of my to-do list, but I haven't made it to the hardware store for some chalk... guess that should be the first thing on my list.