This custom kitchen is part of an adventuresome project my wife and I embarked upon to create a complete apartment in the basement of our townhouse. We designed a floor plan that creatively and efficiently used all of the 385-square-foot-space, without sacrificing beauty, comfort or function – and all without breaking the bank! To maximize our budget, we did the work ourselves and added everything from thrift store finds to DIY wall art to bring it all together. This combination island-and-bar was the most challenging of the cabinets to design and build. It incorporates an eating area, a cabinet, and drawers for storage, with shelves to match the other cabinets. I also made the upper shelf extra deep to accommodate a full size microwave. Because of local codes, we were unable to install a full stove in a basement, so instead we purchased a high-quality hot plate and countertop oven. The hot plate can be stored in a cabinet to maximize counter space.