My sister is moving with her husband and my adorable nieces to Fort Wayne, a great city in northeast Indiana where they’ve rented a beautiful old house that will be perfect for them in most every way – save the kitchen.

That’s not a complaint. The kitchen is functional, my sister says.

But like many old houses, it lacks for counter space. So although she hasn’t officially moved yet from Wisconsin to the great Hoosier state, she’s already on the lookout for a good kitchen cart or small island to give her just a little more space for food prep.

So over at The Design File, I thought I’d help out a little, both with some affordable options and some fun DIY projects, including the colorful dresser-turned-island shown at right.

It’s a project from Better Homes and Gardens, which was also featured at the always-helpful Curbly blog.

I love this island because it would be so easy to replicate. Small dressers like this are really affordable at thrift stores and garage sales. Add some casters, a paint job and a counter top (you can probably pick up a remnant piece) and you’ve got extra storage and counter space in the kitchen.

The BHG photo below (which I first saw at Apartment Therapy) also features repurposed furniture – this time an old catalog cabinet used as an island. It’s gorgeous and I think those tall drawers could be used for lots of kitchen items.

Regular readers may remember the photo below from an earlier post about the Curbly book “Make It! Second Hand Chic.” It shows you how to turn a filing cabinet into a kitchen cart. It’s a much more modern, even industrial look.

I also found this great BHG photo that also uses dressers to create a really nice sized island. It would be great to find a matching pair of unfinished dressers to make this piece.

Of course, we all don’t have the time to make our own dresser. And because my sister is moving and running after 20-month old twins, I really don’t think she does! So I looked for some kitchen carts she could purchase for less than $200.

I love this little walnut-finish fold-up cart from QVC for $165.

It’s got two shelves, towel rack and wheels. And look how narrow it becomes when it’s folded.

You could slide it in next to the fridge or hang it on the inside pantry door so you could pull it out only when needed.

I’d get one for my kitchen, but I don’t even have a space to slip it into!

Here are some other options

1. Red mobile kitchen cart, $199, Overstock

2. Preston Hollow kitchen cart, $169, Walmart.com

3. Home Styles Prep & Serve, $156, Amazon

4. FÖRHÖJA kitchen cart, $99.99, IKEA

Need some other ideas for your kitchen? Check out these:

Wood beams add warmth to a kitchen

Kitchen redo from local designer Nikki Sutton

Green kitchens – the color, not the eco trend

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