10 Best Butcher Block Countertops Ideas To Spruce Up Your Kitchen
The kitchen is often referred to as the heart of a home. It is where meals are lovingly created by our loved ones.
It is where we enjoy a coffee with friends for a long overdue catch-up. It is even where cuts and grazes are mended during childhood.
Because of the huge role that the kitchen plays in our daily lives, it is important to make sure that it is a place where we feel welcomed and comfortable.
This can be done with the right decor and design choices. One of the easiest ways to make your kitchen feel more homely is to install a butcher block countertop.
Below, we will look at some of the best butcher block countertop ideas.
What Is A Butcher Block Countertop?
A butcher block countertop is essentially a countertop that is made from wood.
This is a less common material to choose when compared to the more popular granite or marble countertop options.
However, just because it is a less common choice does not mean that it doesn’t make a great countertop material.
A butcher block countertop is generally finished with a food-safe varnish that helps to protect the wood and help it to last for longer periods of time.
10 Best Butcher Block Countertop Ideas
Below are 10 of the best butcher block countertop ideas that can help to provide some inspiration for your kitchen makeover. There are multiple styles that can be implemented into almost any kitchen.
1. Counter And Sink Butcher Block Countertop
This is a super simple design idea that incorporates a butcher block countertop into the majority of your kitchen.
This is a great way to bring a cozy feeling to your kitchen without making any major changes. The butcher block countertop covers the counters that surround the sink and any other connected counters.
You can also extend the butcher counter to all countertops in your kitchen.
This is a design that works best if you have a Belfast basin, although it may be possible to install the countertop with other types of basins.
2. Island-Only Butcher Block Countertop
If you aren’t sure about committing to changing all of your countertops to a butcher block type of wood, you can stick to choosing a certain area to transform into a butcher block-style countertop.
This design works really well if you have an island in your kitchen, as this can become the centerpiece of your kitchen.
If you don’t have an island but a countertop separate from the other countertop in your kitchen, this can also be used to become a butcher block centerpiece.
3. Light Butcher Block Countertop With Matching Accents
For some people, the idea of having wooden countertops in the kitchen can be a little overwhelming, especially if you have light-colored countertops and cabinets already.
However, there are ways to make sure that the butcher block countertops are too heavy or dark.
Because butcher block countertops are becoming more popular, there is a wider variety of wood finishes to choose from.
If you have a light-colored kitchen, you can choose a light-colored butcher block countertop to stop your kitchen from feeling too dark.
4. Contrast Butcher Block Countertop
The opposite design choice to the idea mentioned above is to opt for a contrasting butcher block countertop.
This is a great option if you have a kitchen that has white or light-colored cabinets and appliances. It is also a particularly great choice for larger kitchens.
Choosing a darker wood for your butcher block countertop can help to create a beautiful and interesting contrast against the light, bright cabinets and tiling that your kitchen may have.
This can help to make a larger kitchen feel more homely and welcoming.
5. Butcher Block Countertop Accent
Changing all of the countertops in your kitchen can be incredibly expensive, time-consuming, and a huge change.
However, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to have a convenient and useful butcher block accent in your kitchen.
If you have a tight budget or you don’t want to commit to a full, brand-new countertop, adding a small area of butcher block can be a great option.
This idea involves removing a piece of your existing countertop with a piece of butcher block which can be used as a chopping area.
6. Butcher Block Breakfast Bar Countertop
Another option for anyone who doesn’t want to replace their entire kitchen countertop is adding a breakfast bar countertop to your design.
This is another design idea that works best if you have an island in your kitchen.
Adding a breakfast bar area that is made from butcher block wood can simultaneously provide an area to prep and eat food.
Using the butcher block wood for this area helps to visually separate it from other areas in the kitchen.
7. Butcher Block Countertop Island Addition
If you don’t want to make massive changes to your kitchen, you can use this butcher block countertop island addition idea.
This is a great way to make a useful and significant change to your kitchen with minimal work being done inside the kitchen.
If you have an existing island in your kitchen, an additional piece can be created to sit alongside it with a butcher block countertop instead of a granite countertop.
This can be used to extend a seating area and to provide a designated food preparation area.
8. Butcher Block Countertop With Additional Cutting Boards
Adding a butcher block countertop to your kitchen gives you extra space where you can prepare food and place hot pans directly on the surface of the counter.
However, despite the resilience of butcher block countertops, this can still cause damage over time.
If you want to take preemptive measures to help protect your butcher block countertop, you can have additional cutting boards made from the same wood that is used for your countertop.
This can help to bring your whole kitchen together.
9. Butcher Block Countertop With Splash Board
An interesting design to implement with a new butcher block countertop is to install a splash board made from the same material.
Not only does this keep the design of your countertop uniform, but it is also incredibly practical.
Adding a splash board to your butcher block countertop is a great way to protect your walls from any splashes from preparing food in your kitchen.
It can also help to really bring attention to the warm colors of the wood.
10. Highly Varnished Finish Butcher Block Countertop
When choosing a butcher block countertop, some people prefer to have as little varnish on the wood as possible. This can help to make the countertop look more rustic and homely.
It can also encourage you to use the countertop directly as a cutting board.
However, for other people who enjoy the look of the butcher block countertop but don’t intend to use it as a butcher block cutting board, it can be a good idea to have a highly varnished finish.
This can help to maintain the appearance of the wood.
What Are The Benefits Of Having A Butcher Block Countertop?
Although harder materials such as granite and resin are often used for kitchen countertops, butcher block countertops actually have quite a few benefits that make them much more than just an aesthetic preference.
One of the main benefits of having a butcher block countertop is that it is significantly quieter than granite countertops.
Setting down dishes and pots on a granite counter can be quite loud, whereas a wooden countertop is significantly quieter. This can be beneficial in a busy household with varying schedules.
In addition to being quieter, it is also much more forgiving than stone.
This means that if you drop a ceramic or porcelain piece of crockery onto a butcher block countertop, it is less likely to break than if it were dropped on a stone countertop.
The wood that is used for butcher block countertops is also more eco-friendly than materials such as granite.
Wood is a renewable resource, whereas stone is not. This means that it is much better for the environment to use a wooden countertop.
Finally, because wood countertops are much softer than stone countertops, you might be concerned that they are much easier to nick or damage when using your kitchen.
Although it is easier to nick the surface of a butcher block countertop, it is also incredibly easy to repair and make the counter like new again with some gentle sanding.
Final Thoughts
There are so many ways to make use of a butcher block countertop in your kitchen.
Whether you want to replace all of your countertops with this eco-friendly material or just add a few accents here and there, you can easily transform your kitchen.