From Fishing Tackle Box to Kitchen Island
There’s just enough space in our tiny little round house for a kitchen island, but there’s no way I’m paying so much money for one. Have you seen the prices? It’s ridiculous!!
I’m a DIY-er for goodness sake. I can make my own, right!!? So off we went to the second-hand shops and found a beautiful wooden fishing tackle box in need of some serious TLC.
All those little compartments have soooooo much potential 😀 We also found this small office storage unit with no door handles. We picked them both up for an absolute bargain.
They’re a match made in heaven. Can you see it? When you put them together, they’re the perfect starting point for a kitchen island.
Jazz was not very impressed with her human slaves, though. Surely we should be using the tackle box to catch her some fish?
Good things come to those who bait 🙂
Right, before we get to the good stuff, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
Repurposing a Fishing Tackle Box and Office Storage
Both pieces needed some serious work. Those yellow handles had to go!! The storage unit was also a bit wonky, and there were dents and dings that called for some elbow grease, wood filler, and lots and lots of sanding.
Trying to sand those nasty water stains on the tackle box lid didn’t work, so we used some of our homemade gesso and painted it over the top. Once the gesso had hardened, we sprayed the lid black. The inside got a good wipe down and two coats of white primer. Wood filler was used to fix the holes from the original handles.
The office storage was a little wonky, probably because the back was made from a thin piece of veneer. So we reinforced the back using a spare piece of masonite, cut to size, and some wood glue. No more wonky storage unit 😎
Now to make pretty. My favorite part 😉 I wanted a white weathered look to match the cupboards in the kitchen, and the easiest way I’ve found to do it is to use Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint, some silver Gilder’s Paste, and clear wax. I gave the storage unit 3 coats of chalk paint and then added streaks of the silver paste, making sure I “streaked” the paste in the same direction as the wood grain. When you apply the clear wax over the paste, it creates a soft and subtle, whitewashed, weathered kinda look. We did something similar when we made this awesome hidden toolbox storage.
The back of the storage unit got two coats of blackboard paint, and we added some gorgeous hardware on the sides.
Finishing off the Fishing Tackle Kitchen Island
Okay, now for the finishing touches. We attached the tackle box to the top of the storage unit using wood glue and nuts and bolts. We traced this stunning image from the Graphics Fairy onto the blackboard on the back of the storage unit using the projector method tutorial from Miss Mustard Seed.
The glass cutter down the road cut a piece of safety glass to fit the lid, and we added four wheels to the bottom of the storage unit for extra mobility. It’s so much easier when you can wheel storage things around. Best of all, my cousin made a “frokken handle” for the island by bending a fork in the vice. I think it’s so cool. Forks are such handy little things. They can be turned into air planters and used to make floating teapots too 😉
And just look at all that beautiful extra storage 😎
I love our new kitchen island. She’s absolutely perfect for our little house by the sea and fits in with our lime-popping decor.
She’s small, compact, and has loads of storage. What more could a girl ask for 😉 What do you think?
If you like the idea of repurposing a fishing tackle box to make a kitchen island, don’t forget to pin it for later.
I know that wooden fishing tackle boxes are probably not that easy to find, but I hope this post inspires you to see things in a new light. And maybe those odd thrifted pieces can become a match made in kitchen heaven too 😉
And just maybe you’ll find two totally unrelated objects that can be turned into a kitchen island that’s unique and as special as what you are. But if you’d prefer to buy rather than DIY, we’ve got you covered Disclosure: Clicking on the links below, means we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more crafty ideas to share with you
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Until next time, here’s wishing you a beautiful, love filled week.
What a great makeover and so much extra storage. I need something like this for my coffee bar.
Good point, Rosemary. The little kitchen island would work really well as a coffee station too.
Absolutely incredible! Definitely from shabby to chic. You thought of everything and this one of a kind island is just about as perfect as can be. So amazing, Michelle!
I love our kitchen island. Our holiday home is really small so she fits in perfectly and all that extra storage comes in so handy.
It turned out beautiful I love the colors!
Thanks so much, Maria
This is really brilliant, great repurpose. It would look really cool as an outdoor unit for all those braai’s you have in summer. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe for gesso this is one I will defiantly be using.
That’s a great idea, Anita. I’ll have to keep my eyes out for something similar that I can repurpose into a braai island 😉
Mind.Just.Blown
Never would I ever think of using a tackle box for a kitchen island, but you absolutely nailed it. Kudos -:D
Thank you, Cat ❣
Wow, the storage in there is amazing – it really is a match made in heaven! Love the finishing touch of that fork! How did you afix the glass to the top of the lid?
Thanks so much, Sara. We used stainless steel glass table spacers. I think the technical term is a Standoff Fixing Screw Bolt or something like that 😀
Brilliant Michelle. I have no idea how you saw this kitchen island but it looks so pretty. If you ever want to sell let me know please ?
I’ll do that Cathy, thank you so much ?
Michelle, this is a wonderful repurpose of the tackle box and cart! It’s so beautiful and of course the extra storage is always a plus. The forken is a very clever touch.
I love that forken handle that the cuz made 😉 Thank you Keri
Michelle, I so love the way you think – this is brilliant!
Yay Marie, glad you like it. The kitchen island is probably one of my favorite re-purposes of last year.
Oh wow Michelle, it looks great! You are so creative, always coming up with some off the wall amazing idea! Love the hardware, and chalkboard.
Thank you so much Linda. Our kitchen island was just one of those projects where everything seemed to fit
Michelle this is so cool. I am a big fan of Black and White and this makes for a very striking kitchen island. Your imagination has no bounds.
Thanks a mil Mary, she’s made such a difference to our storage space in the kitchen and I love the fact that we can just wheel here anywhere
From junk to OMG so beautiful!!! Thank you!
🙂 Thank you Anon 🙂
You’re a miracle worker and I wish you were my neighbor so I could craft and repurpose with you. 🙂 I adore this kitchen island.
Me too Susan. Let’s be virtual neighbors and share? I abSooooLutely loved your care package idea.
Oh wow. You are amazing at what you do! I love it. What is glider paste? Thank you.
Thank you for your lovely comments Stacy. Gilders paste is almost like shoe polish but it comes in the most beautiful colors and it’s really easy to use. Just rub it on with your finger or a soft cloth and it can be applied on metal, wood, clay, ceramic, wax or resin. In South Africa you can find it at most craft stores. Our local hardware store also stocks some. Hope it helps.
Thank you sooooo much for the feature Kimm. Really, really appreciate it
Thank you so very much, Graphics Fairy, for the feature. As always your graphics can turn any project from “That’s nice” to “Oh Wow!!”