A Kitchen Island, More Storage, and a Home Office Workspace… All In One!

When we think of clever solutions for the kitchen, this is what we’re talking about. In a recent House Tour on Apartment Therapy, Jonathan Paul shares how he turned his large but underutilized Santa Monica kitchen into a space that triples as a place for him to cook, eat, and work. And he did it all with the help of a few IKEA butcher block boards.

As you can see, one whole wall of Jonathan’s kitchen is covered in shelves (which he built) to serve as both extra kitchen storage and a workspace. Here’s what he says about it:

This apartment is both a home and an office, so there were many requirements. For example, I needed more counter space in the kitchen, plus somewhere to sit and eat. I also needed an office and shelving. Simran cracked the code when she designed a kitchen layout (sketched on the back of an envelope) that made efficient use of a small nook and created a workstation, shelving and a kitchen island. It looks terrific and despite being custom made (by me and my buddy Josh), it wasn’t too pricey.

Jonathan also built the kitchen island seen in the photo above.The butcher block is from IKEA, while the island base is made from The Container Store’s Metro Commercial shelving. Jonathan even raised the counters a few inches above the standard height to accommodate his 6’4″ height. “It makes chopping vegetables feel pretty deluxe,” he says.

Love how chic the whole setup looks!

See the Full House Tour → Jonathan’s Evolving West Coast Style at Apartment Therap