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Kitchen Island Seating Is Moving Beyond the Basic Counter Overhang

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Kitchen island seating once meant extending the countertop far enough to slide two or three stools underneath. These kitchens take a different approach, using waterfall ends, lower dining ledges, raised wood counters, wraparound surfaces, and open table-style extensions to create a place to sit. Some keep seating beside the prep zone, while others give it a separate height, material, or direction. Here are 15 kitchen islands that show how much can happen beyond a row of stools under a standard overhang. Waterfall Stone Creates Seating Along One Side White stone runs across the island and drops to the floor at the end, creating a continuous waterfall edge. Four black stools fit beneath a deep extension facing the sink and worktop. Dark cabinetry behind the island makes the white stone stand out, while the long seating side keeps stools away from the working side of the kitchen. Dining Counter Extends Past the Cooking Zone White counter projects from one end of the island with ...

He Spray Painted the Oak Cabinets Stiffkey Blue and They Look Like a Different Kitchen

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Oak cabinets filled this kitchen from the appliance wall to the sink, paired with black worktops, a dark floor, and silver handles. Instead of removing the cabinetry, the doors and frames were prepared for a spray finish as part of a makeover shared by Instagram creator @themobilespray . @themobilespray Farrow & Ball Stiffkey Blue now covers the same cabinets in a matte finish, while pale gold handles, light marble-look worktops, and wood-look flooring replace several of the darker finishes around them. Much of the cabinet configuration remains recognizable in the finished kitchen, including the appliance bank, wine rack, sink run, and curved peninsula. Oak Cabinets Filled Most of the Original Kitchen @themobilespray Oak Shaker-style cabinets ran beneath the windows and across the main work area, with another bank of cabinetry positioned on the opposite side of the room. Black worktops continued across the cabinet runs and around the black sink. Dark flooring covered the open...

Not Every Patio Needs a Grid. This One Uses Irregular Granite Instead

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Rectangular pavers make patio planning straightforward: choose a size, establish a pattern, and repeat it across the surface. An irregular stone layout removes that repetition, using the shape and color of each slab to determine where the next piece belongs. Reddit user u/devilboy23 shared an overhead view of a patio that takes this approach much further. Instead of uniform pavers, the surface uses Black Mountain Granite in a mix of large slabs, narrow strips, angled pieces, and smaller infill stones. According to the poster, the granite came from a supplier in Maine. Large Granite Pieces Create a Pattern Without Repeating It u/devilboy23 The overhead view shows how much the stone shapes control the finished patio. Broad slabs sit beside long narrow pieces, while angled cuts close the spaces between them. Dark joints outline each piece and make the irregular layout visible from across the yard. Color adds another layer to the pattern. The Black Mountain Granite moves between gra...

She Paid $50 for This Oak Dresser and Sold It for $795 After the Makeover

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Facebook Marketplace is where Instagram creator @olive.street.designs found an oak dresser priced at just $50, with its brown wood finish, raised drawer trim, and mix of round knobs and drop pulls still intact. @olive.street.designs Instead of changing the dresser’s original shape or drawer design, she sanded the existing finish, covered the piece in deep green paint, and replaced the old hardware with gold knobs before selling the finished dresser for $795. Brown Finish Covered the Raised Drawer Details @olive.street.designs The dresser started with a brown wood finish across the top, sides, and drawer fronts. Three rows of smaller and wider drawers fill the upper section, while two wide drawers sit across the bottom. Raised molding frames each upper drawer. The bottom two drawers have geometric recessed panels and drop-style hardware, giving them a different design from the rows above. Facebook Marketplace Listing Had It Priced at $50 @olive.street.designs The Facebook...

These Bathrooms Put the Bathtub Where You’d Expect Empty Floor Space

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Freestanding tubs have opened up a part of the bathroom that once had few options. Instead of placing the tub against a wall or fitting it into a corner, these bathrooms bring it onto the open floor and give it space on several sides. The change also affects the rest of the room. Floor-mounted faucets remove the need for a plumbing wall beside the tub, while vanities, storage, showers, and toilets can remain around the perimeter. In these 11 bathrooms, the tub becomes the fixture that determines how the room is arranged. Clawfoot Tub Takes Over the Open Floor Paneled gray walls surround a white clawfoot tub positioned well away from the room’s corners. Its exposed feet and freestanding faucet reinforce the separation from the cabinetry and wall paneling behind it, leaving the tub visible from several directions. An oversized framed mirror rests on the floor beside the tub rather than above a vanity. The mirror reflects the tub and faucet, while the bidet and toilet remain a...