Buying a home in Singapore is expensive. And don’t even get us started on how much renovation and furniture costs. So when it comes to keeping things under budget, sometimes we have to forgo the things that we’ve pinned onto our Pinterest boards, like that gorgeous marble top kitchen island.
However, thanks to the genius hack of one Malaysian woman, you can now get a small kitchen island for just a little over $100.
A kitchen island is a free-standing piece of cabinetry that is an extension of the kitchen countertop. Usually placed in the middle of a kitchen, some designs also include stovetops or a sink.
Twitter user @yatt_azml who goes by the moniker HY, shared: “Wanting to have a kitchen island but your kitchen’s not that big? Not that much of a budget either? It’s ok, just DIY.”
HY added that she bought the components from Ikea to make her own kitchen island, with the cost coming up to RM300 (S$98).
Read on to find out more!
From her photos, the kitchen island looks like it was built from scratch and customised for her kitchen, with the colours blending in perfectly with the rest of her kitchen. The items you need for this DIY project include a large chopping board which doubles as the countertop, a shelving unit as its base, with some metal feet.
One important element to make it work, according to HY, is applying wood treatment oil to the chopping board. The oil prolongs the life of untreated wood and the one sold by Ikea is safe for use on surfaces where food is prepared.
“Just use cloth or tissue to wipe the treatment oil at least once a month. If you’re using the kitchen island every day, just wipe once a fortnight,” wrote HY.
A quick check on IKEA Singapore’s website shows the items coming up to a total of $102.80.
And yes, while you can get a kitchen island of a similar size and function at Ikea, it would cost you at least $249, and you’d still have to assemble it yourself.
According to information gathered from a local interior design site, it costs about $75 to $80 per sq ft to make a wooden countertop and $110 to $180 per sq ft to build a kitchen cabinet from scratch, so the savings from this hack is definitely significant.
Would you try it?
Read Next
Text: Candice Cai/AsiaOne