Do It Yourself Kitchen Island X Design

Last winter I did a quick remodel on my kitchen.  I have always loved my kitchen but I wanted to add some more customization and farmhouse style to the space.  I had grown tired of the wood cabinets and gave everything a fresh coat of paint.  I decided to focus a bit on my kitchen island as well.    I wanted to create a simple X design on one end.  Here is my do it yourself kitchen island X design tutorial.

I have fallen in love with X designs in home decor.  I have a barn door in my master bathroom that had a simple X design, as well as a simple upholstered X bench that also mimics this simple X design.  Since I am a huge fan of do it yourself projects, I was excited to try this out.   It was the perfect feature to add to my kitchen island to give it a more unique look. 

A few things that I wanted to accomplish with this do it yourself kitchen island X design:

• I wanted the project to be simple and easy to do
• Add character to the kitchen
• learn a new skill

My kitchen island before I added the simple X design was really nice.  I had painted it black when we built the home and loved the color.  I still love the color, but I really wanted to paint it a dark navy/black that would compliment some other decor I have.

Most kitchen islands will have an end cap that is plain and simple without much going on.  One or two sides will have drawers/storage of some kind, and then a space for some bar stools.  

This is not a guaranteed and constant element, but if you really want to create a kitchen island with a simple X design, you can probably find some part that you could incorporate this.

I had one side of my kitchen island that had nothing going on.   It had one piece of trim going right down the middle that concealed where the cabinets were joined together.  Slightly boring in my opinion.  It also faced my family room, and entry.  It was the perfect place to add this feature since it would really stand out and it could be seen from many parts of my home.  Whats the point of doing it if you cant enjoy it!

What I used for my do it yourself kitchen island X design:

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• 1 inch thick MDF- 5 inches wide ( this can be adjusted to what you want it to be)
• Wood putty 
• Wood Glue
• Brad nailer
• Compressor
• miter saw

I started by cutting my first piece  for my do it yourself kitchen island X design

I took measurements of the width of the spot I was going to install it.  I measured from the top left to the bottom right.  The angle of the cut will depend on the dimensions of your island.  I had two large pieces of trim that ran vertically on both sides of the island, so this is where I butted my X cuts up against.   You can use the trim you have if there is some, or add a piece to finish it off before you add the X design.

Once this piece was cut, I applied some glue to the angled piece and applied it to the island.  I applied some finish nails to the piece.  

Yes my kitchen was a mad mess, and sometimes we like to eat our cereal while we do our work.  We are efficient like that:)

Second step is to cut two separate pieces for my do it yourself kitchen island X design

I measured the distance from the edge of the installed piece up to the right corner and recorded that length.  I then measured on the opposite side and down to the bottom left corner and recorded that length.

I then cut the piece at an angle, making sure that the longest side was the first length we recorded.  

Here is a tip to get the right angle for your do it yourself kitchen island X design.  I laid my first long piece of MDF at the angle I wanted it to be on my kitchen island.  I then traced the angle where the MDF and kitchen island will connect.  I repeated this on the other side.  

Then I repeated this when I was measuring for my 2 smaller cross pieces.  It helps when you go and cut it, you can see if they all have a consistent angle.  They might not be, but that’s quite okay.

Once they are cut, I glued and nailed them in as well.  I puttied and sanded where the X joined together.  The last thing I did was paint it along with the rest of the island.  

I love the kitchen island X design.  It adds a nice accent to the kitchen island, and it wasn’t hard to do.  If you believe it, I did it without the help of my hubby, which always makes me feel more empowered.

Adding simple touches like this can take your kitchen cabinets to the next level.  This is a wonderful thing to do, especially if you live in a tract home and want to distinguish your space in some way.  I literally used scrap pieces of wood to make this.  It was not expensive, and it was not labor intensive either.  

If you do not have a kitchen island, you could definitely do this to the end of a bank of kitchen cabinets.  If you are looking for a way to add farmhouse style to your home, this is definitely a way to do it!  Simple changes like this can make all the difference for not much effort, and that is always a bonus in my opinion.