we bought an island.

Um...just kidding. Not that kind of island. 

This kind of island:

We ordered the island unfinished (from Lowe's), then Patrick had paint matched to our cabinets. He also found very similar knobs and handles to match the original cabinets, so everything will match. (Several of our family members and friends have already seen the finished product, but I realized I had never posted this blog! So if you haven't, here ya go...)

The counter is an acacia wood block that we bought at Southeastern Salvage for $110 (then cut to size) - we had to finish it ourselves with food grade mineral oil, but it was MUCH cheaper than ordering a slab of butcher block from Lowe's for around $450 (by the time you include shipping).

We decided to use wood, since we'd eventually like to replace our counter tops with granite, and we don't want to have to worry about matching the island (since granite is probably still a couple years away). 

We love having more storage and counter space now. This island is perfect for us because it's got shelves for our dishes and a few necessities (such as the Crock Pot and toaster), but doesn't take up too much space in our kitchen. The doors open to the same compartment from either side. 

Drawers (the one on the right now has spices and the one on the left has Ziploc baggies/plastic wrap, etc...more info when I talk about the pantry):

Before painting

Kitchen when we moved in

Kitchen after addition of the island

Acacia wood surface

The finished product!

We recently painted the walls in here and have added a few decorative touches...more soon!