Do you remember this outdoor picnic table? It too had a well/gutter/trough running down the middle of it. That same idea has now moved inside, and to the kitchen island!
In this case, it looks like the built-in trough holds herbs, wine, and oil and vinegar... which is a bit of an odd grouping, actually. It seems it'd work best when used to store items you want quickly at hand when you're cooking (utensils, oils, spices). I do like the look of the wine bottles sticking out; I'm just not sure of its practicality. Might be great for an informal party, though, with guests milling about and serving themselves.
What do you think of this look? Would you ever do it? Have any other creative ideas for how to make use of a countertop trough?
Related: Outdoor DIY Wine Cooler Idea: A Picnic Table with a Gutter!
(Images: Houzz)
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OH! I just did this in a cocktail bar I built! It's insulated and it's an ice bin, saving me having to have a (always too small and melty) ice bucket on the counter:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/splatgirl/8343122400/
Not an odd grouping really. Herbs, wine, oil and vinegar are fairly essential when cooking for most, as much as say the utensils ;)
I would guess the herbs are the chef's most used, or favourite 'spices', oil & wine is used for cooking, and you can make a great vinaigrette with oil & vinegar paired with some fresh herbs :)
That said, I personally could swap a few bottles in the pics for a couple utensils :)
Herbs, oil, vinegar, and a single bottle of wine = totally fine. It's the multiple bottles of unopened wine that threw us.You're right about swapping some of those bottles for utensils. Then it'd probably be perfect.
If it had a slide-out bottom panel so that you could easily clean out crumbs (like a toaster tray), I'd love it. If not, I probably would not want this.
A friend has something similar, but smaller, in a coffee table -- a removable metal trough. During parties, it's used to chill beers and vodka. On an everyday basis, I think she keeps a potted plant in it.
@RachH, I think that is a brilliant take on this idea. If it had a removable bottom for cleaning (or draining melted ice) it seems like it would be so much more practical.
@lynell: It looks to me like this is just a hole cut into the countertops to hold drop-in metal bins, maybe with support underneath. In that case cleaning would be as simple as removing the bins and rinsing them out as needed.
I would love this, but only if a countertop material 'blank' could be fashioned to drop in over these relief openings (after removing the bins) to make the counter smooth and flush again.
This looks like a mise station, which would be pretty useful for home cooks who do a lot of advanced prep. Store prepped ingredients in hotel pans and just pull out what you need that night. Downside is those bins take up a fair amount of fridge space for a home cook, but as the picture shows, the trough has other uses. I like it!
I would like it in my house right now! and the outdoor version too!
Very interesting idea. We're planning an island in our kitchen redesign and I wonder if this wouldn't be a good way to portion off the seating part of the island from the prep area.
We just did that in our kitchen renovation. It is great for when we have parties. It has a steel liner inserted into the trough which is made of the same material as the counter (quartz). Our steel liner has handles in the bottom that allow it to be lifted out. We use the water from the melted ice for the plants. It is kind of a pain to dump it, but since we only use it on special occassions, we are not having to lift it out that often. The butcher block cover is used to serve food when it isn't covering the trough. Pictures here: http://www.quadrilleblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/kitchen-renovation-final-reveal.html
I actually love this! While I would put more commonly used items in the trough, rather than wine bottles, I think it would definitely have a place in our home!
Looks really amazing. I am planning to have my counters installed in a month. Cooking will be more fun having these kind of counters. I am learning from this site http://www.myinstalledcountertops.com