Working For the Cash Machine

One of the big decisions we’ve made is what our checkout counter will look like, and how we’ll go about constructing it. We initially had looked to hire a few different artist/designer friends to construct a custom counter for us, but everyone was too busy. We thought of building one ourselves, but we’re not exactly master craftsmen.

Ultimately it was our interior design consultants kelly + olive that came up with the idea of using the IKEA kitchen cabinet system.

We had considered doing an ‘L’ shaped counter, but it seemed too bulky for the space, so we settled on an island setup. IKEA ended up being less expensive than we thought, and putting the cabinets together was as easy as any of their other furniture. Sure, we needed a few more tools than the good ol’ allen wrench, but it was a snap.

The counter measures about 27×96 inches. The base is comprised of two 30″ cabinets and one 36″ cabinet. Once they were bolted together we were able to put the legs on…

But then we realized we needed a hand putting this thing right-side-up. Luckily our friends Matt and Kat swung by and helped us get the counter on its feet.

With the wood countertop, our sales counter stands at about 40″ high. It’s the perfect size for the space… plenty of room to work on it for gift wrapping or display, but not too huge.

Inside we’ll be able to store our bags, tissue paper and other cash-wrap items.

Still to come: The facing on the sides and front of the counter (a sleek white acrylic), installing the computer, shelves, and a small height extension where the computer monitor will be.