Small Kitchen Island Idea

In case you missed the announcement, Elsie and I are both working on a short-term rental property just outside Orlando, Florida (about 20 minutes from the parks).

They both have a theme, and mine is inspired by Harry Potter with a bit of a modern take. You can see the living room tour here, which was the first space I shared from this project. Today, I wanted to share a little before and after, plus a tour of the kitchen.

As you can see, we decided to have the same flooring from the living room flow throughout the kitchen and basically the entire first floor. It makes the home feel so much more cohesive and I just LOVE this flooring. We also changed the tile backsplash, painted the walls, and a few other minor things like changing out the light fixture.

There is a large dining room just on the other side of this kitchen (no door between) and that space has an eight-seat dining table. So I decided to swap out the kitchen islands to something that felt a little more like a work station, but with optional seating for hanging out while someone is cooking—that kind of thing. I love the feel!

A fun little letter board leads into the kitchen. Do you remember which book/movie this is from?

This kitchen was already very functional and I’m so happy that with a few changes it feels like a part of the whole house. There is a small pantry that also has a large trash can (I added an “Accio Trash” sign to the door. Ha.). And there is everything guests may need, including some Harry Potter-themed mugs. I really hope these don’t get broken, but I suppose we can always buy a few more if needed.

The kitchen is connected to a small hallway that has the laundry appliances. And this leads to the garage which we have turned into a game room/hang out area.

We simply painted the brick panel walls white and updated the ceiling fan—that’s it! We have a shuffleboard as well as a cornhole set which you could play in the garage or take out to the back porch pool area.

Thanks for letting me share! xo. Emma

Room Details: island table, stools, letter board from Home Goods, light fixture, runner, shuffleboard, cornhole game.

Want to see more room tours from my bnb?
–Harry Potter-Inspired Dining Room
–Slytherin-Inspired Bedroom
–Hufflepuff-Inspired Bedroom
–Ravenclaw-Inspired Bedroom
–Gryffindor-Inspired Bedroom

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman. Photography: Amber Ulmer. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.