As much as I love the holiday season, I am always excited to start fresh for the new year by clearing out the holiday clutter and get things in order. It seriously brings me joy!
After weeks of holiday baking, the kitchen seems like a great place to start, so I am super excited to share with you my Kitchen Island with Pantry Storage!!
Isn’t it fun!? I totally love it!
It is perfect for those kitchens that don’t have an island, but is also great any kitchen that needs some extra movable pantry storage!
*This post contains affiliate links to learn more
read here.
Look at all that storage space in the back! Since both sides are usable, having it on casters makes it easy to roll out and put away in just seconds. 🙂
I am excited to team up with Crates and Pallet to bring you this plan and a fun Giveaway!! Who doesn’t want a $50 gift card to Home Depot!?! I know I do.
My design uses several of their crates, saving a ton of time with the build process. In fact, you will be surprised how quick and easy it is to build this amazing kitchen island!
It even has a spot for a cutting board. It’s the little things people. 😉
My plan can easily be modified to fit your needs. If you need the extra storage on the sides using the Half wall crate and the Tall wall crate you can easily attach them, and fill them with spices and cookbooks.
Or, if you don’t need that extra storage, the plan works great with out them. You can see the screws still attached on the side, the wall crates are simple to remove and re-attach.
Here is a shot of me dry fitting the crates to create the kitchen island, using the idea of three separate sections all attached together. On the left you see the XL and medium crate section (the two medium crates are stacked on the back side), the middle section is simply three vegetable crates stacked on top of each other, and the right section is the shelf section which features two large crates (not shown) and one half crate. *If you have a keen eye you will notice I actually ended up switching the two end sections in my final build.
If you only wanted two of the sections or even one, simply omit or add the sections you want. You could even duplicate or triple a section. Or you could make it longer and create 4 sections duplicating your favorite!
Really the sky is the limit, make it to fit your needs using my basic plan as your guide! I seriously get giddy thinking of all your options! #iloveversatility 🙂
Since the vegetable crates were not as deep, I made a space for hanging kitchen towels, or even kitchen utensils. I also want to point out that as I was making this I realized that not only is this great as a kitchen island, but it could be a craft table, or garage/workshop storage…you name it. Oh the possibilities!
Let’s get on with the plans! Click Here for a printable PDF version of these Plans.
Supplies:
1 wood frame (optional)
1 sheet 3/4 plywood
Wood Glue
1 1/4’’ screws
5/8’’ finish nails
2’’ finish nails
Cut List:
2- 3/4 plywood @ 19’’ x 28 1/2’’ (sides for shelves)
2- 3/4 plywood @ 19” x 12 1/2’’ or 12 3/4” *see note on step 1 (shelves)
1- 3/4 plywood @ 19’’ x 40” or 40 1/4’’ *see note on step 1 (bottom)
6- 3/4 plywood @ 3/4’’ x 9 1/4’’ (drawer supports)
2- 3/4 plywood @ 19’’ x 1 3/8” *dry fit first then measure and cut (top supports)
1- 3/4 plywood @ 11 3/4’’ x 1 1/2’’ (shelf edge) *measure and cut after building
1- 3/4 plywood @ 13 5/8’’ x 2 1/4’’ (shelf edge)*measure and cut after building
1- 3/4 plywood @ 20’’ x 41’’ or 41 1/4’’ *see note on step 1 (top)
Here is an idea of how you could break down your plywood cuts, if you purchase a full sheet. For my project I used all scrap plywood I had on hand.
You can see I used pocket holes to build my shelves and as I said above I used scrap plywood I had on hand. I ended up having to piece together some of my scraps to get the correct sizes. And why am I building in the dark? I have NO idea. Maybe because I had light from the living room and just didn’t turn on the kitchen lights…and yes, I like to build in my kitchen! I am so weird!
For my bottom piece I used this old table top that was given to me for free. I took off the apron and cut it to the size I needed.
Then I simply glued and attached my shelves. I LOVE using my
Kreg Right Angle Clamp
. And here you can see how well my large crates and half crate fit on the shelves.
Attaching the vegetable crates was so fast and easy! I started by setting the first one in place and nailed it to the bottom piece. I also screwed it to the shelf side. Before I added the top two I moved onto step 4.
I used my
Ryobi Nail gun
to attach the drawer supports, making sure to use wood glue first.
I had pre-measured and marked where they needed to go first, and nailed from both sides.
Because I do not have a table saw, I had to get creative to make my drawer support strips. I used my
Kreg Rip-Cut
and
Ryobi Circular Saw
set at 3/4” then clamped my board at the top to start my cut. I stopped cutting when I got to my clamp, then clamped at the back to finish the cut. (It says not to cut this small in the directions…but hey, I am a rebel, please always use safety and caution when using power tools, I did not see this as unsafe in any way, but use your best judgement).
With only the bottom vegetable crate attached, I started adding the XL and medium crates to the end section. I obviously stained them first, using Rusteolum Kona (to match the bottom). 🙂 Again I used my nail gun to attach them together, to the bottom, and to the vegetable crate.
Then I added the other two vegetable crates. I used screws to attach them into both side sections. On the right there are two screws, one is attaching to the medium crate and one is for the XL crate.
Once all the vegetable crates were attached I made sure the medium crates were nailed together. This is what I had so far! It came together so fast.
The last step before attaching the top is to add the top supports and shelf edges. Here is a shot of me nailing in my top supports. This raises up my XL and medium crates section so It will be level with the other two sections. It also creates a nice little shelf for my cutting board.
In my plan I wrote it up using plywood, which would be nice with edge banding to cover the exposed edges. Since I was using scraps, I didn’t have enough plywood for a top, so I used these old shelf boards I had gotten for free off of Craig’s list. I cut them to size, attached them together with pocket hole screws, and sanded and satined them, finishing with 3 coats of poly.
I added casters to the bottom, and was almost done!!
Next up was my fun chalkboard frame, cause
I love chalkboards. I measured and cut some 1/4 scrap mdf I had to make chalkboard backing to the frame. I used small nails hammered in at an angle to secure the mdf into the frame.
With chalkboard paint and some twine stapled to the back I was done! Perfect for menu planning, schedule keeping, or grocery lists!
To finish things off I drilled holes for handles in my small crates. I spray painted the handles and hooks with rusteolum oil rubbed bronze, to unify them. I added some easy scrap wood chalkboard labels to both sides of my large and half crates. They were super easy to attach with carpet tacks, I just nailed them on. 🙂 I also added the screws for attaching the tall and half wall crates to the side. (not pictured)
It is amazing how much this food Kitchen island can store!
The pull out drawers are so fun, and great for hiding stuff! 🙂 And you can’t beat the vegetable crates for storing all your fruits and veggies!
The back is great for canned items, and you can see in the top medium crate I used a small crate as a removable drawer. You could do this in both medium crates or just add shelf edges to both like I did on the bottom. I also want to point out that I used a paint stick for extra support in attaching the hooks.
Phew! I think I am ready for a snack!
Now how about that giveaway…who wants to win a $50 Home Depot Gift Card?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for entering and Good Luck!
Oh, and I will be entering this project in Ryobi Nation’s Clear the Clutter Contest, I would LOVE it if you would vote for me! 🙂
Mindi
I will be linking to these parties and Savvy Southern Style
. And here you can see how well my large crates and half crate fit on the shelves.
to attach the drawer supports, making sure to use wood glue first. 
and Ryobi Circular Saw
set at 3/4” then clamped my board at the top to start my cut. I stopped cutting when I got to my clamp, then clamped at the back to finish the cut. (It says not to cut this small in the directions…but hey, I am a rebel, please always use safety and caution when using power tools, I did not see this as unsafe in any way, but use your best judgement).
wow, that's so smart and a totally unique idea.
b
OMG! I So need this in my life. Like. Right. Now. Living in an apartment in Chicago with a small kitchen! Seriously. Pinned!
I would love for you to join us at share each week at Brag About It link party on VMG206 (Mondays at Midnight).
~ Megin of VMG206
Love this so much, shared on Facebook–headed to go vote!
oh my gosh! Mindi, I love your rolling pantry storage cart! wow! It's so perfect for a busy family.
super job!
voting
gail
Beautiful! I love the fruit and veggie storage, I always need more storage for fruits and veggies 🙂
What an amazing project!
Thanks for Sharing Your Cup!
Wowsers Mindi, this has got to be the most functional portable kitchen island I've seen EVER! You thought of every little detail and incorporated it seamlessly. I'm impressed with your tutorial and diagrams too. Pinning this to share and wishing I had room in my kitchen for one of these!
Really wonderful! I love the extra storage. Great job!!!
What an awesome idea! I absolutely love this!
Mindi,
I love this idea and printed out the plans. I have a lot of recycled wood and pallet wood on my homestead and will be making my own crates for this project. As it looks now, I will only have to buy a sheet of plywood, But maybe not even that. As I should be able to cobble together what I need from the wood I have on hand. This will mean a longer build time, but when I am finished, The $$ I will not have to spend on wood is a big plus!
Awesome Thomas! Way to use what you have! I would LOVE to see a picture when you finish, I hope you share!!
Looks amazing! I love the practical and good looking piece. Thank you for sharing your talent Mindi. Tali
Mindi this is fantastic!
Great post! Looks amazing!
That is so clever, I absolutely love it! 🙂
What a fabulous project, Mindi!! Featuring you tomorrow at WIW – thanks for sharing it!!
Great job! You are a talented lady! I could totally use something like this in my tiny kitchen! Thanks for sharing at my Creative Ways Link Party! Hope you'll be back this week with even more inspiring posts!
Blessings,
Nici
I love this idea. I was thinking I could make one and use it as a garden table. Thank you for the inspiration.
Brilliant! This is too cool for the kitchen … would love to have one in my crafting area! Thanks for sharing. Cynthia
HI Mindi! I just wanted to let you know that you are this week's MEGA Rockstar from Creativity Unleashed! I will be shouting you out on all my social media outlets and will have tons of pins going up tonight on my biggest boards starting around 7:30EST. I'll also be featuring you in my weekly newsletter on Friday. I hope you get LOTS of love this week! You totally deserve it, girl!!!
Very creative! This would make a great outside party cart in the summer time. 🙂
I really love this idea! I could really use something similar. Stopped by and voted for your entry, good luck to you! You are very talented!
Wow love it. I was going to be building my kitchen island this weekend just different,but now I am going to make it this way. Thank you for the plans. Now just need Good Friday to be over so home depot will open.
How tall is this as I am short person and i have a cart now that is 32 1/2 inches i wouldnt want to go much higher than this
about how much did it cost to make this project…I was thinking bout making one similar but since we have an island already make one for a gardening work station =)
Nice)
Doing mental math and without the optional things, my estimate is that this will run around $130-150.
Going to do this fir my cabin, its great for small spaces, it can be used to prepare food and also used for a table. thanks for the idea 🙂
Do you think this would support a butcher block top, it would I need to do something extra? Thanks!
Hi. I want to make this for my home. Wondering if anyone has ideas on how to modify the plans to accommodate seating. Thanks!