Why This Kitchen Island Is My Favorite Thing in My Apartment
I have a nice bed, a functioning coffee table, and a beautiful bar cart – but my favorite piece of furniture, by far, is my kitchen island from IKEA. It was a little bit of a splurge, but has proven to be worth the extra cash. It makes my home more home-y, my kitchen more organized, and my cooking prep easier. Do you own this kitchen island, too?
When I went to IKEA to find a kitchen island, I was originally thinking of something like the FÖRHÖJA or the GROLAND. Many of my friends have one of these smaller kitchen islands or carts, and are relatively happy with them. But then, like in the movies, I saw this big, beautiful creature, and fell in love instantly. I decided to splurge on this one thing for my home, instead of buying a few other things I had my eye on at IKEA. I’m so glad I did.
I’ve had this kitchen island for almost three years now, and I could not be happier with my purchase. Here’s why.
1. It’s a beautiful, durable piece of furniture.
The majority of my furniture comes from IKEA, and I can safely say this kitchen island is the best-looking, most durable piece of furniture I own from the Swedish mega-store. It does not look cheap.
2. It creates great storage and space for a small kitchen.
Unlike the other kitchen islands from IKEA, the STENSTORP kitchen island comes with lots of great storage space. I keep all of my pots, pans, mixing bowls, baking sheets, and strainers on the shelves of this kitchen island. It’s a cooking miracle.
The kitchen island also creates a great working space for prepping food or keeping ingredients out that you use frequently. I have a small kitchen, and this basically doubles my cooking prep space.
3. The oak butcher block is gorgeous and easy to clean.
I love the way the oak butcher block looks against the dark frame of this kitchen island. It’s a beautiful (and super functional) piece to have in my apartment. I haven’t had any problems cleaning the butcher block after almost daily use for two years.
4. The kitchen island easily fits two stools for a super cute breakfast nook.
There is bonus storage space in the back of the kitchen island that would fit two stools and create a great breakfast table. I’m currently using the space to keep all of my beer-making supplies (no closet space!), but that stool scenario just sounds so dreamy.
5. It breaks up my apartment into two separate spaces.
My kitchen and living room occupy the same room in my cozy one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn. The addition of this larger kitchen island really separates the room into two spaces, creating a better flow throughout my apartment. The two spaces feel more homey and organized as a result.
Do you love your kitchen island? Or have another kitchen island from IKEA? Why do you love or dislike it?