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 :D 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 :-)
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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 8-)
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 a 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 8-)
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
Until next time, here’s wishing you a beautiful, love filled week.
Last update on 2026-04-15 / Source Amazon Affiliates
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