Reclaimed Wood Kitchen Islands (Pictures)
Adding a kitchen island with reclaimed wood is a great way to add a rustic, natural style to your home. Custom reclaimed wood kitchen islands are great conversation pieces that can increase your home’s resale value and help you add your own personal style to your room. Below are some gorgeous ways designers use reclaimed wood kitchen islands to create an inviting kitchen space you’ll love. If you dream of a kitchen that exudes warmth, character, and rustic appeal, look no further than a reclaimed wood kitchen island. These stunning centerpieces have become a beloved trend, allowing you to infuse your cooking space with a sense of history and sustainability.
The Beauty of Reclaimed-Wood Design Islands
Reclaimed wood is salvaged from old buildings, barns, factories, and other structures slated for demolition or renovation. Each plank bears the marks of its unique past life – nicks, knots, nail holes, and a rich patina that can only develop over decades or even centuries. By repurposing these materials, you’re embracing eco-friendly practices and adding unparalleled character to your kitchen. Every reclaimed wood island is truly one-of-a-kind.
A reclaimed wood island instantly becomes the focal point of your kitchen, drawing the eye with its:
- Unique grain patterns and colors: No two pieces are identical, from warm honey tones to weathered grays.
- Rustic textures: Aged wood has a wonderful tactile quality, inviting you to run your hand along its distressed surface.
- Sense of history: Those knots, nail holes, and saw marks are stories preserved in the wood, making your island a conversation piece.
The natural variations and imperfections give the island a delightfully rustic, “imperfect” look that contrasts beautifully with modern cabinets and appliances.
Reclaimed-Wood Cabinet Island Ideas
In the picture above, the diagonal linearity of the reclaimed wood kitchen island is echoed by the diagonal setting of the subway tiles on the kitchen backsplash. With grey metal edging, the kitchen island is topped with a slab of white marble and embedded with a chrome-finished wash basin and faucet. Antique wrought iron brackets support the open shelves alongside paneled white kitchen cabinets. The industrial filament bulbs connected with painted metal conduits lend an industrial feel, while the white lantern pendant lamps over the dining table give a homey, classic touch. From the opposite vantage point, you can see how this beautiful kitchen design with a reclaimed wood island acts as a breakfast bar with bar stool seating for two. The white shaker cabinetry pairs expertly with the dark wood grains and provides a great contrast to the space.
Reclaimed wood in dark grey makes this modern kitchen a marvel of Scandinavian style. Topped with a speckled white quartz countertop and modern barstools, the backsplash also adds texture to this kitchen with its cracked white surface. Plain glossy white cabinets with stainless steel appliances accentuate the grey wood alongside the lighter grey wood used for the flooring. Three tiny hanging teardrop bulbs complete the Scandinavian cool look of this kitchen. See more interesting kitchen island with seating ideas here.
Using reclaimed wood in a cool grey hue matches the clean white, modern look this kitchen is going for. The main contrasting kitchen island features a fold of solid white surface over the reclaimed wood and continues to be unsupported all the way to the end of the breakfast nook. The white paneled cabinets at the back wall are simple and help accentuate the wood’s hues. The plain white back wall is also illuminated with strip pelmet lighting.
Tumbled stone flooring in a hopscotch pattern brings out the warm hues of the reclaimed timber panels used on the cabinetry, strips for the taller bar counter, and heavy beams on the exposed ceiling. Diamond-shaped lamps in black iron contrast with the modernity of the white range hood with rose gold accents. The neutrality of the white and grey mosaic lamps adds a coolness to the cooking area, as does the cool-toned strip lighting over the plain white quartz countertops.
Getting the Reclaimed-Wood Island Look
There are a few routes to achieving this covetable style:
Buy a premade reclaimed wood island
- Search for companies that specialize in crafting furniture from reclaimed lumber
- Expect to pay a premium for the custom, artisan work
- An easy turnkey option if budgets allow
Hire a carpenter to build a custom island
- Source reclaimed wood yourself from architectural salvage shops
- Provides total creative control over size, wood types, finishes etc.
- More labor intensive but can match your vision exactly
DIY reclaimed wood island
- For skilled DIYers with tools and experience
- Most affordable but requires significant sweat equity
- Numerous online tutorials to guide your project
No matter which option you choose, complement the rustic wood with:
- Vintage industrial accents like metal stools or pendant lights
- Open shelving to display dishes, cookbooks, etc.
- Contrasting sleek countertops like marble or concrete
- A classic farmhouse sink or vintage faucet
- Exposed wood beams or shiplap walls for extra rustic flair
With a reclaimed wood island anchoring your kitchen design, you’ll create a warm, welcoming, utterly charming space that beautifully blends past and present. Start hunting for that perfect reclaimed wood piece today!