A new kitchen would have been an easy opportunity to forget the building's past. Whitney decided to bring that past into the middle of the room. One of her kitchen islands began life as an old communion table, which she discovered among rubble in the building. Instead of replacing it with a new unit, she saw a way to make it useful again.
The top has an equally unusual history. Whitney used a door she had removed from the entrance, pairing it with the rescued table to create the island. It's a piece of kitchen furniture that carries two separate parts of the old church in a single design. For a renovation where every purchase and repair can add up, finding a purpose for discarded materials also makes good sense.
But the real appeal is how ordinary the island's new job is. A table once connected with church services can now be part of cooking, conversations and the routines of everyday life. Whitney has said that more little repurposing projects are on the way, so it is unlikely this will be her last unexpected furniture rescue. And just beyond the kitchen, another familiar piece of church furniture has undergone an even bigger change.