He Removed the Breakfast Table and Built a Huge Kitchen Island in Its Place

Oak cabinets, square tile floors, and a four-seat breakfast table filled this kitchen before a remodel submitted to Homedit through our Submit Your Work page. The family wanted a large island where they could sit and eat, a request that would change far more than the cabinet finish.

Joel Montfort of Montfort Designs LLC gutted the kitchen, removed the wall with the arched opening, and pushed the new layout into the former breakfast area. Removing a wall of windows created several more feet for cabinetry and appliances, while the breakfast table gave way to a wide central island.

White Shaker cabinets, River White granite, and wood-look porcelain tile completed the transformation, but the hardest part wasn’t installing the new kitchen. Removing the old flooring required a jackhammer and grinder, with glue-down hardwood in two rooms adding another challenge.

The breakfast table occupied space the kitchen needed

The old kitchen stopped at the edge of the breakfast area, leaving a table and chairs beside the wall of windows. A peninsula ran along the opposite side, while most cabinets were concentrated around the refrigerator and range.

Rather than trying to fit an island inside that arrangement, the remodel changed how the entire room was used.

Oak cabinets came out with the old layout

Keeping the oak cabinets wasn’t part of the plan. The homeowners wanted a lighter kitchen with more storage, and the existing cabinets were tied to a footprint they already planned to change.

The new design also called for taller cabinet runs and dedicated space for appliances that the existing arrangement couldn’t provide.

Demolition exposed how much had to change

Cabinets and appliances were removed before work moved to the tile floor. Sections of backsplash and drywall also came out as electrical and plumbing locations were prepared for the new plan.

Floor removal turned into the hardest part of the project. Tile covered much of the downstairs, requiring a jackhammer to break it apart and a grinder to remove the mortar underneath.

The project went beyond the kitchen floor

Every downstairs room received new flooring, so demolition continued beyond the original kitchen. Two rooms had glue-down hardwood, which proved hard to separate from the subfloor.

Removing those different surfaces created one continuous base for the flooring that would later connect the kitchen with the surrounding rooms.

Walls were patched for a new cabinet plan

With the old finishes gone, plumbing lines, outlets, and cabinet locations could be repositioned. The sink would no longer sit along the perimeter because the new island was designed to handle both washing and prep.

Recessed lighting was also added across the ceiling, replacing the large rectangular fixture that had lit the old work area.

A wall of windows made way for more kitchen

One of the larger changes happened where windows had occupied valuable wall space. Removing them allowed the kitchen to extend several feet farther, while the exterior glass door remained.

That new stretch of solid wall created room for cabinetry and the built-in microwave and oven seen in the finished design.

White Shaker cabinets established the new footprint

Koville White Shaker cabinets were installed around the refrigerator, cooking area, and appliance wall. Tall cabinets use space above and beside the refrigerator for storage, while banks of drawers replaced some of the smaller lower doors found in the previous kitchen.

At this stage, the scale of the new island also becomes clear. Its base sits well beyond the working area occupied by the old peninsula.

The table’s old job moved to the island

Three-centimeter River White granite covers the island and perimeter counters. The island combines the family gathering spot the homeowners requested with a sink, dishwasher, storage, and a broad work surface.

Two glass globe pendants mark the center of the room, while recessed lights spread illumination across the expanded kitchen.

White cabinets brought the lighter look the homeowners wanted

White cabinetry now surrounds the stainless steel refrigerator rather than the medium-tone oak used before. Cabinet runs also extend higher and farther across the walls, increasing storage without adding freestanding pieces.

River White granite continues across the counters, while a stone-pattern backsplash carries the veining up the wall behind the cooktop and range hood.

The island became the center of the kitchen

Moving the sink to the island separates washing and prep from the cooking wall. Drawers beneath the cooktop keep storage close to the work area, while the microwave and oven are stacked on the adjacent wall.

The island’s uninterrupted granite surface also provides far more usable counter space than the former breakfast table.

Wood-look porcelain runs through the expanded space

Burton Oak III wood-plank matte porcelain tile from Floor & Decor replaced the square beige tile. Its long plank format runs from the kitchen toward the adjoining room without marking where the breakfast area once began.

Dark brown wood tones also provide contrast beneath the white cabinets and pale granite.

Removing the table didn’t eliminate the gathering space

What was once a separate place to eat became part of the kitchen itself. The island gives the family the seating area they requested while adding functions the old table couldn’t provide, including storage, a sink, dishwasher, and prep surface.

Open floor space remains beyond the island, connecting the kitchen with the windows, exterior door, and living area.

The finished kitchen uses space the old layout left outside it

Cabinetry now reaches into areas that previously belonged to the breakfast zone, while the former peninsula no longer cuts across the room. Appliances are distributed between the refrigerator wall, cooking wall, island, and oven tower.

Instead of adding another room to the house, the remodel reassigned existing floor space to the kitchen.

Before and after show where the island gained its space

Side by side, the biggest change isn’t just oak cabinets becoming white. The breakfast table, peninsula, and part of the old wall arrangement gave way to a kitchen centered on one large island, with more cabinetry extending around it.

Would you give up a separate breakfast table for an island this large, or would you have found a way to keep both?

Image credits go to Montfort Designs LLC.

The post He Removed the Breakfast Table and Built a Huge Kitchen Island in Its Place appeared first on Homedit.