About The Project
The design challenge for this project was to enhance the usefulness of the customer’s kitchen. When they bought the house the kitchen had recently been remodeled. While the overall remodel was beautiful, it didn’t provide the in-kitchen eating area the customer desired. Unfortunately the kitchen didn’t have enough space for a separate table. Instead of re-remodeling the kitchen, I was commissioned to augment it by designing and building a bar height island extension to the existing countertop.
The island table was made from two bookmatched solid walnut slabs. In this process, the two slabs were consecutively cut from the same log. The slabs were opened and glued together along matching edges, much like opening two opposing pages of a book. This results in the two boards creating a mirror image of each other.
Two turned walnut legs support the outer end of the table, and two shorter legs connect to the countertop. The apron underneath the table also serves as the countertop backsplash.
A penetrating oil finish was first applied to enhance the color and visual depth of the wood grain. A durable table and counter top grade varnish was sprayed as the finish coat.
The end result was very successful. The walnut color blends perfectly with the stone countertop and stained wood floor. In essence it looks like the table was part of the original kitchen remodel design, not a subsequent effort to correct an issue with the original design.
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