Free wheeling butcher block 'Island' / cart anyone?

15 years ago

So, Hubby this morning surprised me with an idea that I have cherished way down in my heart for a really long time. (I think he got a hint of the idea when I was just drooling over the butcher block islands we saw at Ikea.) He wanted to know what I thought about having a wheeled/mobile island. It would have to be on the small side as the kitchen is small, but I think it could be truly functional as I tend to do my prep on the peninsula and then schlep it over to the stove. As it's more than just a pivot (it's 3-4 steps) that means laps and messes.

It would definitely be a butcher block top, probably wood construction. I'm thinking a drop leaf on one side (or two) would be cool.

Since I'm almost always a solo cook, I don't have to worry much about clearances and such. I can even see where/how it would actually help on those few occasions when there are others in the kitchen space. When not needed, it could either hang out in the middle-ish of the kitchen or be rolled around to the other side of the peninsula. Heck, it could even act as a food/service cart between the kitchen and the dining room (which will be the other side of the peninsula.

Whatcha think? Anyone have any pictures of something like that? Do you think the wheels would hurt our wood floors? Anything else I'm not thinking about?

I don't have a floor plan, this is the best pic I have of the whole kitchen right now:

From Kitchen

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Comments (5)

smilingjudy
15 years ago
I got one of these when I reno'd my last kitchen and loved it. Pushed it down to the end occasionally, but most of the time it stayed in the middle. The layout was a wide-ish galley and it rarely got in the way.

As long as you keep your floors relatively clean, good rubber wheels will not hurt the finish. I'm now using the cart to store/move the "active" tools in the current kitchen reno. I've been pushing it all over the house and the wood floors are fine.

Here are some island ideas:
islands

carts

Hey! Here is my cart exactly! Hardworking little thing; it's been through a lot over the years. I will be a little sad to see it go on to a new home when the current project is done.
remodelfla
15 years ago
There are countless choices available in a cart. I think it's a workable idea if you get something small scale. One with a drop leaf or pull-out boards on the side would be extra functional. I've seen these things on craigslist on my countless searches for stuff!
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pbrisjar
Original Author
15 years ago
smilingjudy: Thanks for the links and sharing your experiences. I do believe I'm now well-inspired.

remodelfla: Not sure Hubby would go for buying one off craigslist (he's rather particular about the cleanliness/hygiene issue) but I'll give it a shot. Would be nice to get one now/soonish.
scootermom
15 years ago
My sister just showed me a picture of her cart. She had her cabinet company make it -- she wanted 4 deep drawers (two on top, two on the bottom). So it matches her cabs and countertops exactly.

Only problem is that it's taller than counter-height due to the wheels; so be sure to get a height that works for you. But otherwise, she likes having the extra and flexible counterspace, as well as a cart for serving.
Some of the carts/islands on the site that smilingjudy posted look really nice!
pbrisjar
Original Author
15 years ago
Hubby is advocating for one lower than counter height. He thinks our counters are too high. I'm happy with our counter height but I'm 6 inches taller than he is. Good point about calculating in the wheel height.

Free wheeling butcher block 'Island' / cart anyone?

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smilingjudy

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Free wheeling butcher block 'Island' / cart anyone?

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