apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have a kitchenette and after struggling with the lack of counterspace for a couple of months, went to Ikea and got a Varde island. More expensive than the one featured here, but it is incredibly stable and the storage and counterspace is invaluable.

I'm very happy with it. The only difficult thing about it was putting it together myself without a drill.

That's great, if you have the space.....

I bought this one from Amazon and it is nice and solid, made a big difference in my counter starved kitchen.

http://www.amazon.com/Home-Styles-Natural-Wood-Kitchen/dp/B0000DI5RZ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1257967060&sr=8-7

i got mine off craigslist and could not live without it

We had this a couple apartments ago and it's by far the best, sturdiest piece I've ever gotten from IKEA (and that's a large sample size). Our kitchen was very long with counter-space on only one side. It got a little tight width-wise, but the counter space was definitely worth it.

Our current kitchen is tiny. Two people cannot make sandwiches at the same time tiny. We ended up getting a smaller IKEA cart and putting it in the living room. The microwave, toaster, wine, cereal, and bread live over there allowing us enough counter space for one person to work, at least.

My boyfriend & I just moved into an apartment that has a kitchen with almost no prep space. We also purchased the Ikea VARDE base cabinet and it has totally transformed our space. Highly recommended- absolutely the most sturdy & best piece that we've ever purchased from ikea!

My rental kitchen wouldn't work without my six-foot island (which I got from Craigslist for $80 but I think was originally from Costco). I had the interesting problem of a large kitchen (for an apartment-- it's 16'x13') with two feet of counter space next to the sink... which is across the room from the fridge and the range. I stuck in the island in the dead center, and problem solved! Couldn't live without it (for prep and for dining).

The key point is "blessed with an open-plan kitchen". We still have ours left over from our old rental but it sits in the garage, covered up and unused because while I have zero room in my galley kitchen, I dream of one day pulling it back out again. Love(d) it.

That island looks great but I don't see it on the Australian IKEA website. The search continues.

This is a nice idea but in my small kitchen I'd never have room to turn. The wood island would be in the middle and constantly banging into the refrig door, the stove door or me.

Does anyone know what the recommended clearance is between the counter and the island? I imagine it depends somewhat on personal preference but is there a rule of thumb? I'm thinking of cutting out a piece of cardboard the size of the island and putting in on my floor to see if it works in my kitchen before I spring for it. We could use the counter space.

heatherk -- the guidelines for space between an island and a nearby counter are 36 to 48 inches. If it's an area where two people often stand, or if it's a traffic route, 48 inches is recommended. However, in a small kitchen, 36 inches is probably fine.

I wish I had the room for an island or, heck, a kitchen table!
We currently don't have room to eat anywhere, but I just tell myself it's not permanent while I eat standing up or on the couch. Ugh.
*If I lived alone I would have a small table and two chairs in my bedroom, but my boyfriend thinks that would be too weird and crowded.

I got mine free from a grocery store that no longer needed it as a display piece. It's been great for dining and the counter space, sorely lacking in my kitchen.

I really wanted the UDDEN from Ikea, but it was discontinued this summer. :(

It looks great. We have the Ikea Forhoja which has 2 drawers that open from either side (and mrpiggy is available from Australia). It's fantastic. www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/80035920

I like islands if you need the space, but I hate the idea of someone eating right where I'm cooking even more than I hate barstools...

We actually made our own island. The base was the Metro knockoff from Storables sized to what we wanted and a Ikea butcher Block counter top that we drilled post holes (not thru holes) so the butcherblock fits snuggly in. We have a large rental kitchen that looks like it has enough counter space but it was choppy and really not functional. The island has made the kitchen so much more functional.

I really liked the idea of the stenstorp (I wasn't sure how sturdy it was) but they discontinued it. Is there anything comparable? How is the build quality for this line of islands?