6 Upgrades to Turn Your Kitchen Island into an Island Getaway

If you’re lucky enough to have a kitchen large enough to fit an island, you know how useful and versatile this space can be already—hello, storage and easy entertaining! But if you’re looking to take your island to the next level, you’ll want to check out these easy upgrades and kitchen island ideas below.

If you’re able to rework your cabinet situation to house a trashcan, you’ll be forever grateful—both because it’s better looking, and because it keeps your floor space open. Rachel Pereira of Shades of Blue Interiors DIYed her island and included the tilt-out drawer in her plans. If you have an existing island, try removing an interior shelf from one of your cabinets and sliding a garbage can inside.

If your island didn’t already come with open shelving, you can still add it on yourself like Cristina Garay did. You can use it to showcase your best dishware, or stow cookbooks within easy reach. We love how Cristina used her shelves to arrange a beautiful collection of ceramic pieces. She later painted the island the beautiful blue color shown above, also adding corbels and beadboard to finish the look.

While Richella Parham notes that she relied on the pros to allow for this upgrade to happen, we are totally on board with her idea to install a mini fridge within her island. It’s a smart way to keep wine at the ready (but also out of the way).

A simple hanging basket adds some rustic flair and an extra hidden storage spot for loose recipes, mail, coupons, and more. We like how Maggie Miller used leather pulls to secure the basket that match the pulls on her cabinet doors.

Shelby of Urban + Gray Home uses a cute wooden crate and wire basket to stash bottles, shopping bags, and more on the base of her island. Woven baskets would also look lovely in a setup like this one. It’s a smart way to make more organized storage even when you don’t have any drawers.

Autumn Hachey’s DIY island redo features two smart hacks to turn her freestanding IKEA island totally luxe. First, she tiled the back to give it an upscale, built-in vibe; then, she added a towel bar from Anthropologie so she’d have an easy spot to store (and display!) her tea towels.