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victorianbungalowranch IKEA has some nice and inexpensive butcher block, and cabinets similar in style to those pictured, and some freestanding ones that would blend in. Or you could go stainless steel. A movable island is usually cheaper than an permanent one, and they do come large enough for some seating and such at some furniture stores. Or you could make your own with some reclaimed wood.

olldbobbi victorian has a great idea! Maybe a butcher block to match your floor?

Dytecture Here is an example with a more commercial stainless steel rolling island which works with a variety of kitchen styles.

houssaon I like the idea of a stainless steel one. Another option is a counter height table with stools. A neighbor of mine has one like this and it is so practical.


Rather sit at this for informal meals than a regular table. Makes for a good work surface, too.

Amanda Mahoney Thank you all very much! I'm excited to try some of these ideas in the HDS. Thanks for helping me crack the creative block!!!

ejly I like your colors! I think a rolling island or high table would work nicely.

Amanda Mahoney I think I settled on an Island, which is totally different then the suggestions, but I think is a funky, eclectic one. Our home is a shell-stage build, but the floor plan showed an island roughly shaped like this one, and I added the trash/recycling storage to the middle section with baskets on either side.

Joanne Jean Are you going for a modern or more traditional look?

Amanda Mahoney Joanne, we are eclectic. I like mod/clean and my hubby loves traditional/shabby/cabin-in-the-woods. We settled on 1920's bungalow meets eclectic ranch house with ultra modern appliances (the house is going to be on a hobby farm so it sort of fits).

victorianbungalowranch A sizeable recycling bin is nice to have. Will you have a built in compost container too? The baskets might be nice for potatoes and onions and fresh produce from your farm. Is the overhang wide enough for stools? I would check the standards to make sure.

I am curious what the rest of the house looks like. I have a real bungalow turned ranch (well, ranch casing, water table trim, hollow core doors, pink bathroom and kitchen). It actually dates from about 1890, nence my name.

Amanda Mahoney Victorian, I think I'd love to see your place! The biggest challenge for us at this stage of our design is injecting the charm into an otherwise boring floor plan. The only architectural feature we have to go off of is the vaulted ceiling, and it's crazy hard to add charm without either overdoing or under-doing it! I'm so glad I have my HDS program because I'm not that good at envisioning things without "seeing" them!

victorianbungalowranch Maybe I should invest in that program! I have lots of ideas for my place but not the skill or the money at the moment, and really the unfun structural things need to be done first. I'm always better at visualizing other people's places than my own!

I'm not sure how much I want to committ to this place because we are unsure of our plans once our son graduates high school, and the real estate values are so low here we will recoop next to nothing whatever we do. Kind of depressing. My kitchen is cute but not too practical and not having a table or decent sized work surface and a place to sit while stuff is simmering or enough storage is driiving me nuts.

That said, better check on dinner....A big U through the whole house to the kitchen!

Here's the outside. Inside is still a big work in progress and I haven't been too motivated lately. Here is the kitchen before the stove and microwave was moved, and the hallway which is just about the only original part left of the bungalow. The painted house is a rendering of what I want to do next summer with paint and stencilling (not diamonds but a sort of stylized Arts and Crafts pattern(..

judyg

Something Craftsman style to go with your great house.

victorianbungalowranch Oh I wish I could do something like that, but my kitchen is only 8 x 10 and is wedged behind a stairwell and a fireplace. I can always dream, but it isn't in the cards right now. At least it is cute and the pink has grown on me.

Amanda Mahoney The potential is there, Victorian, but I can see where you need things done. Love old houses, but sometimes the architecture can drive you nuts. We're more geared toward family units being together in our living spaces, whereas back then you or I would be segregated to the kitchen. Your place has curb appeal though! I love the outside; it's so achingly charming!

victorianbungalowranch Thanks! I can always see the potential, but getting there is another matter.:) I'm going to have to remember the achingly charming comment. Never thought of it that way!

So got any tips on what to do with gold shag carpet the boys insist on keeping? Not the worst I've ever seen, but there is so much of it! Tried painting the yellow walls sage green (now I wish it was more olive) and adding some turqoise accents because it just was so drab and I love color. Working with the granny gold in the inherited couch and whatnot too, and a yellow wall and ceiling because we ran out of energy to to paint everything, and it took quite a lot to cover. Maybe will do the ceiling and wall after the holidays, but wondered if the yellow makes it feel a bit warmer in the winter.

Well, I just need to get motivated, and perhaps your comments will help! Too embarrassed to post anything right now--still sorting many boxes of books into the new bookcases. And we read do read them.

Amanda Mahoney I have seen that yellow shag culprit in some of the Victorian style houses here around where I live in Grants Pass, Or. I have seen people do denim blues with the gold, and a sort of orange colored trim. It looks really good, and your boys would appreciate the color. The gold shag is more of a 70's thing, so you could add a bit of Hollywood glam to your style. (I love old Hollywood, but it wont go with bungalow style). Behr paint (at Home Depot) has catalogs on faux finishing with their glazes, and our paint department people here are very knowledgeable and it might help to consult them. You could use a medium glaze and a squeegee tool to make your sage walls look more refined.

You should check out www.sherwin-williams.com and use their paint visualizer tool. You snap a photo of your room, upload it, and can virtually paint it to see how it will look. Home depot has a virtual kitchen design tool on their web site as well.

Marcia If you want to add storage, maybe pick up a couple of cheap cabinets at a big box store, build a pedestal and add the counter top of your choice? I just built a house 2 years ago and it came with an island but I'm guessing it would look about the same....

victorianbungalowranch Well, my interior ifirst floor s more mid-century modern in feeling, but my furniture isn't. I've grown to appreciate mid-century, but not ready for a do-over. 70's glam is more my Dad's style, I'm more traditional with some modern and ethnic touches. But I've moved around with the miltiary most of my married life, so you end up with eclectic yardsale. Plus I lived in Germany for many years, so I have quite a lot of traditional folk stuff and old prints and stuff like that.

rpl814 I am doing my kitchen also. My wall cabinets are white with dark countertop and my island is black with a white countertop. Either direction would work for you.