Lately, I've been drooling over antique butcher blocks. This is probably because my kitchen is about to inherit one from the early 1900's and I can hardly wait! While I already have a plan in store for mine, I've become fascinated by how others are incorporating them into their kitchens.
While they might be old and timeworn, they are being reinvented from the typical butcher shop find and their practicality is never more relevant. Nowadays, butcher blocks in the kitchen are often used as an extra work surface, island, or cutting board. For mine, I will be using it for all three purposes. And by adding industrial casters, I'll also be able to easily move it out of the way if extra space is ever needed.
(Images: 1: Flickr member Benimoto licensed for use by Creative Commons, 2: Apartment Therapy: DC, 3: House Beautiful, 4: Apartment Therapy: Chicago, 5: Eve Utyro, 6: Design Sponge)
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This post is true FATE!
My fake grandmother left my family her antique butcher block many years ago. My parents had no were to keep it but the garage where it has been subjected to the harsh seasonal tempuratures of NJ. I recently decided in my mind to bring it to my own apartment in brooklyn as use it as another counter space (one with much sentimental value). I didn't of course tell my parents who never get rid of anything. Their garage was full of old sofas, tables, clothes etc-- this is until this week when they scheduled Habitat for Humanity to take all of it away unknowingly to me.
Today I received and email from my mother saying everything is gone.. They cleaned out the garage, except for the butcher block table which the HH wouldnt take!!! It was pure luck! My grandma is looking down upon me. And then two emails down from my mom's was the AT blast and in the headlines was how to restore butcher block tables. TRUE FATE! I feel very lucky right now!
My next question is how to haul that thing to Brooklyn from NJ? The thing ways a ton! But hey let's not sweat the small things!
I wish I had a grandma who would leave things like that to me. Oh well I love my crazy grandma's anyway.
In any case, i want a butcher block :)
I have butcher block counters which I love and white cabinets. But I'm not sure what color to paint the walls. The butcher block is a little orangey so I was thinking maybe an eggplant color? Thoughts?
I actually have an old butcher block I want to sell right now. It's small and square, very much like the one in the first pic.
I cannot wait to get a place of my own where I have room to get an awesome old butcher block. I see them at swap meets and drool - I dream of the day.
They are gorgeous and so useful - how nice would it be to not need to putt out a cutting board?!! - and they have a STORY. I love. love love.
http://www.abbeycatchat.com
DCHans - It's hard to say without seeing your room, but from how you describe it, I could see eggplant working nicely... the right shade though, would be a must. Check out these two posts for some inspiration:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/inspiration/purple-rooms-that-i-dont-hate-095871
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/inspiration/purple-rooms-that-i-dont-hate-part-two-110077
Have you also considered a deep, vivid blue? I'm thinking something along the lines of Ben Moore's Caribbean Azure. That shade is lovely contrasted with orange hues...
Kimber - AT:DC
We live in nowheresville and craigslist is usually nothing but junk, but every now and then I stumble on a gem at a used furniture store 20 minutes away. I found an original butcher block there a couple years ago and they were even great enough to deliver it (took a heavy duty appliance dolly to move it!). I love it every single time I walk in my kitchen.
Be mindful that your floor joists must be very hefty to hold the weight of one these. We have one that we have stored in our family's barn for a while. The weight of it sitting in that 4"X4" space has bowed in the entire floor of the barn! Our's took 4 men to move it. It will be relocated to my parent's new kitchen until we decide that we're actually going to stay in this house or move into another more permanent. It is SUCH a bear to move!
Hey! That's my kitty, Eli!
Butcher blocks are neat, especially where you don't have room for a full kitchen island.
But what I really want to know is how they got the cat to sit just like that for the picture!
Hey! I just refinished an old butcher block counter that my mom found at an estate sale, and put it into my little cottage kitchen. I'm thrilled with it! These images were totally inspiring as I slogged through the clean-up process. Come check it out on our renovation blog:
afterdinnerdesign.blogspot.com