An alternative kitchen island

IKEA items used: 2 x Finnvard desk legs

My new apartment has a fairly big kitchen, plenty of space for a kitchen island, but I couldn’t afford to splash out on one. I had an IKEA Finnvard desk and after a little brainstorm, figured that the legs could be used as a starting point for a kitchen island.

The great thing about Finnvard desk legs is that you can mount them to different heights meaning we could have a work top high enough, as well as shelving space underneath. It now serves as extra worktop space, extra storage space and a high breakfast table.

All you need is:

  • 2 IKEA Finnvard desk legs
  • 1 120cm x 80cm plank of wood for the top
  • 2 90cm x 35cm planks of wood or 1 90cm x 70cm plank (the supplier I went to didn’t stock 70cm width planks) for the shelf in between
  • A kitchen worktop wood protection rub that’s food safe

1) Start by mounting the Finnvard desk legs following the instructions in the manual.
2) Sand the planks of wood with fine sandpaper to make sure they are smooth and then follow the instructions to rub the kitchen worktop protection onto the wood.
3) Once dry, carefully mark out where the top removable part of the Finnvard desk legs need to go through the two smaller planks of wood.

IKEA FINNVARD trestle legs

DIY an IKEA FINNVARD kitchen island

4) Using a drill, drill several holes inside the area you marked out and then use a rasp to file down the area to get a clean rectangle. This is where the top removable part of the Finnvard desk legs will go through.

DIY IKEA FINNVARD kitchen island by Sofia Clara

IKEA FINNVARD kitchen island

5) Place the two small planks of wood on top of the Finnvard desk legs and push the top parts which are removable through the rectangle you just sawed down.
6) Use the wooden pegs provided with the desk legs to block them at the right height and place the larger plank of wood on top and secure.

DIY an IKEA FINNVARD kitchen island

DIY an IKEA FINNVARD kitchen island

Full detailed post on my blog.

~ Sofia Clara