Using Kallax as a kitchen island: How to convert and upgrade the Ikea shelf

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Ikea's Kallax shelves have long been a popular basis for functional pieces of furniture such as loft beds or room dividers and are even transformed into practical kitchen islands in the kitchen. The variants are numerous and the shelf can be expanded in a variety of ways. If you have also decided on such an island, you may still need some inspiration for its implementation. We'll show you how you can use Kallax as a kitchen island.

Simple design for any living style

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The model is available in different designs and can be elongated, square and with different amounts of compartments. This means it can be wonderfully adapted to your living space: Do you only have space for a small kitchen island? No problem! Just take a small model as a base.

By and large, the procedure is always the same:

  • Assemble the shelf according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Fix a countertop.
  • If desired, place boxes in the compartments or attach cabinet doors or use it as an open shelf.

Thanks to its simplicity, the piece of furniture can be adapted to any living style. Is your house modernly furnished? Or should the kitchen represent Scandinavian style? Even rustic or industrial style is possible. The shelf is given the finishing touch at the end with your individual design with decorations, dishes, baskets or boxes.

More on the topicis here.

Kallax as a kitchen island with breakfast bar

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The island can simply be intended for work or oneSeating area with bar stoolsinclude. In this case, the right worktop plays an important role. For comfortable sitting, it should stand out from the shelf so that you have room for your legs when sitting. This so-called overhang should be at least 30 cm if there is enough space in the kitchen.

Build a mobile model

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You don’t always want a stationary kitchen island.There is already a lack of space anyway, you can build a mobile model on wheels. These are simply attached to the bottom at the four corners. Ideally, they are also equipped with a brake so that you can fix the piece of furniture in one place while you work. If the kitchen island is not in use, you can simply roll it to the side where it won't get in the way.

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If you choose this option, also keep in mind that you should have a suitable space for storage. You should not only adapt the dimensions to your wishes, but also to the future location outside of the usage time.

Customize the shelves

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As an open design, the shelf can accommodate any decorations you choose depending on your home decor style. Even the dishes cana decorative function on the open shelftake. You can also put baskets inside to store things that you don't want to immediately catch the eye. Boxes made of plastic or textile are well suited for a color accent and look wonderful in a minimalist, simple kitchen.

How to turn Kallax into a dressing tablefind out here.

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But that's not all: you can also close the openings with doors or install rails for drawers. The combination of several of these variants also makes something special, because it makes Kallax look even more versatile as a kitchen island. Rails for wine glasses are also a cool idea. So you can use one of the subjectsfor a mini barto use.

Double for even more storage space

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If you have enough space, you can build a cube out of two shelves to create an even more spacious kitchen island. To do this, place the long sides of the Kallax together and attach them using so-called connectors. Now you can, for example, leave the front open for decorations and close the other side, which faces the kitchen unit, to use it as cupboards (or come up with a system tailored to your needs).

Make one out of three

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A three-sided kitchen island made of Kallax is also very popular and especially with oneL-shaped kitchenvery practical. To do this, first connect two shelves together on their long sides. Then attach a third Kallax to one of the two closed sides. In the picture above you can see what is meant. Then just take the measurements for the worktop – either with or without an overhang.

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Marble look worktop or open shelf

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Black island for industrial style

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Attach wheels and plate to shelf

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What else can you conjure up from the shelf?Here you will finda few ideas.