Sage Green Shaker Kitchen with Large Island in Clontarf, Dublin

In this Clontarf, Dublin project, Ciara and Niall wanted to replace a tired cream kitchen that no longer made the most of their bright, garden-facing room. Kitchens4U redesigned the space into a calm Sage Green Shaker kitchen with a large central island, improved storage, more usable worktop space and a more sociable family layout. The finished kitchen feels lighter, warmer and much better suited to everyday life — completed in 4–6 weeks with a project budget of €24,000–€27,000.

Project Overview

Where It Started: A Kitchen That Didn’t Match the Room It Was In

Walk into the old kitchen and you’d have noticed the garden before you noticed anything else. That sounds nice, and in a way it was — but only because the kitchen itself wasn’t giving you much to look at.

The original setup was mainly a straight run along the back wall, standard enough for a house of its era. Years of daily use had left the doors looking tired: scuffed edges, yellowed panels, handles that had loosened over time. The worktops were the old patterned laminate style, the kind where you can’t quite tell if it’s meant to be granite or just a random speckle effect. On top of them sat everything you’d expect — kettle, microwave, pots, spices, bits and pieces that had nowhere else to live because the storage was maxed out.

There was an old gas cooker and a small extractor hood that didn’t really keep up. A white freestanding fridge stood to one side, covered in magnets, photos and notes. Above the wall cabinets, the top of the units were being used as overflow storage — plastic boxes, spare pans, things you’d rather not have on display.

The middle of the room was occupied by a dark wooden dining table and chairs. It was a perfectly decent table, but it dominated the space and made the kitchen feel more like a dining room that happened to have a cooker in it. The layout just wasn’t working for how the family actually wanted to use the room.

Structurally, there was plenty to be optimistic about. The footprint was generous, the timber floor ran through the whole space, and the garden doors on the left flooded the room with light. This wasn’t a poky galley kitchen that needed walls knocked through — it was a good room waiting for the right design.

Before and After: A Room That Finally Makes Sense

What We Did: A Proper Working Kitchen Built Around a Big Island

The main idea here was simple: pull the kitchen out from the back wall and make it fill the room properly. Instead of one straight run, we designed a rear wall kitchen run with a right-hand storage wall, anchored by a large central island that faces out toward the garden.

The dining table found a new home elsewhere in the house. Losing it from the kitchen was the single biggest transformation — it freed up the middle of the room for the island, which now works as a generous prep zone with a handy pull-out surface for quick tasks, setting things down, or keeping everyday items close by while dinner’s on.

Sage Green Shaker Cabinets: Warm, Not Showy

All the cabinetry — base units, wall cabinets, island, and tall storage — is finished in a single Sage Green Shaker style. Not olive, not racing green, not mint. Sage. A soft, greyed-down green that reads neutral enough to live with long-term but has enough colour to give the kitchen some character.

The doors are from the Lincoln Sage Superior Matt Vinyl range. They’re vinyl-wrapped Shaker panels with a flat matt finish — no gloss, no sheen, just a smooth, low-key surface that doesn’t fingerprint easily and wipes clean without drama. The Shaker frame detail is classic: a recessed centre panel with clean square edges. It’s a look that’s been around for decades, and the green colour keeps it feeling current without leaning too trendy.

The door handles are gold — a brushed or satin brass tone, not too shiny, not too dark. Paired with the sage green, the combination has a warmth that silver or chrome just wouldn’t carry. You notice it most on the large island, where the handles run across the drawer fronts like a line of jewellery.

The Island: A Sink, a Tap, and Room to Breathe

The island is the centrepiece, and it’s built to be used. It’s a generous slab of a unit. The worktop is the same Snow White laminate (38mm) as the rest of the kitchen, keeping it bright and cohesive.

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What makes this island a bit different is that the main sink lives here, not on the back wall. We used a Cesaro Large Undermount Ceramic Sink 1.0 Bowl, set neatly into the island top, with a gold gooseneck tap above that matches the cabinet handles. Moving the sink to the island was a deliberate decision: it means whoever’s washing up or prepping veg isn’t facing a wall — they’re facing the garden doors, the room, and the family. In an open-plan home, that’s a small change that makes the kitchen feel far more sociable.

The island also has a surprise on one side: open shelving built into the end panel. It’s a pull-out table with open space beneath where you can tuck trays, chopping boards, cookbooks, or everyday bits you want within arm’s reach. It’s a small touch, but it breaks up the solid block of cabinets and keeps the island from feeling like a monolith.

Open Shelving and Wine Storage: A Bit of Personality

One wall in this kitchen does a lot of work. To the right of the hob, instead of a solid bank of wall cabinets, we put in a mix of closed storage and open shelving. The open shelves run across a section of the wall, giving the owners a place to display wine bottles, glassware, coffee kit, jars, and the odd plant or photo frame.

Above the shelves, there’s a row of wine cubbies built into the cabinetry — individual slots sized for bottles, integrated right into the tall unit run. It’s a practical way to store wine without a separate rack taking up counter space, and it adds a bit of visual texture to an otherwise flat wall of cabinets.

Open shelving in a kitchen isn’t for everyone — you have to be okay with things being on show, and you need to keep it vaguely tidy. But if you’ve got nice glasses and you actually use them, it’s a far more inviting look than a wall of closed doors. It also breaks up the run of tall units and stops the kitchen from feeling like a showroom.

The Tall Unit Run: Fridge, Pantry, and Everything in Its Place

On the right-hand side of the kitchen, a run of floor-to-ceiling Sage Green cabinets houses the pantry storage and a black American-style fridge-freezer. The fridge is freestanding, but it’s tucked into a recess in the cabinetry so it sits flush with the doors around it — not quite integrated, but close enough that it feels part of the design rather than an appliance left to fend for itself visually.

The contrast of the big black fridge against the soft green cabinets works well. It’s a heavy visual anchor that stops the green from feeling too sweet, and it brings a bit of modernity into what’s otherwise a fairly classic kitchen.

Letting the Light In

The garden-facing glass doors on the left wall are original to the house, and keeping them fully exposed was part of the design brief. Where the old kitchen had a dining table blocking part of the light path, the new layout leaves the doors entirely clear. Natural light pours in across the timber floor and bounces up onto the white worktops.

Above the island, two glass pendant lights hang from the ceiling. They’re the kind with a slightly vintage bulb shape — Edison-style filaments visible through clear glass. It’s a small decorative touch that adds some character without competing with the rest of the kitchen. At night, they cast a warm pool of light over the island and make the whole room feel cosier.

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The Numbers: Investment and Timeline

This project was completed at €24,000 to €27,000, with a timeline of 4 to 6 weeks. The extra week or two compared to a more straightforward renovation comes from the island plumbing — running water and drainage to a freestanding unit in the middle of the floor always takes a bit more time and coordination.

In terms of what the budget covered: full cabinetry (perimeter and island), Snow White laminate worktops, vinyl-wrapped Shaker doors throughout, gold hardware, the sink and tap, open shelving and wine rack, installation, and finishing. The flooring was already in place, and there was no structural work needed on the walls or ceiling, which kept the timeline from stretching further.

For a kitchen of this size — especially one with a large island, customised storage features like the wine rack and open shelving, and plumbing relocation — it’s a solid mid-range budget for the Dublin market.

Is This Kind of Kitchen Right for You?

The Sage Green Shaker look suits anyone who wants a kitchen with warmth and a bit of personality, without going down the ultra-modern high-gloss route or the all-white-everything approach. The green is soft enough to feel calming rather than loud, and pairing it with white worktops and natural wood floors keeps the overall palette balanced.

The island-first layout makes sense if you’ve got a decent-sized room and you want the kitchen to be a place where people actually hang out, not just cook and leave. Having the sink on the island isn’t the standard choice, but if your view is better than your backsplash, it’s worth the plumbing work.

Open shelving and wine storage are the sort of features that make a kitchen feel like yours rather than a catalogue page — but they need a bit of curation. If you’re the type who enjoys having things out where you can see them, they’re a brilliant addition. If you’d rather everything hide behind a door, skip them and go for the full tall-unit wall instead.

If you’re in the Clontarf or North Dublin area and thinking about a kitchen renovation — whether it’s a full redesign with an island or a simpler refresh — browse our kitchen projects for more ideas, or get in touch to have a chat about your space.

FAQ

How much did this Sage Green Shaker kitchen renovation cost?

This kitchen renovation in Clontarf, Dublin was completed with a project budget of €24,000–€27,000. The cost included the fitted kitchen cabinetry, island, worktops, sink and tap, open shelving, wine storage, hardware, installation and finishing.

How long did the kitchen renovation take?

The project took around 4–6 weeks to complete. The timeline included removing the old kitchen, installing the new fitted kitchen, adding island plumbing, fitting the worktops and completing the final details.

What style of kitchen was installed?

The finished kitchen is a Sage Green Shaker kitchen with a soft modern country feel. The Shaker cabinet doors, white worktops, gold handles and garden-facing layout give the space a warm, calm and timeless look.

Why was the sink placed on the island?

The sink was placed on the island to make the kitchen more practical and sociable. Instead of facing the back wall while washing up or preparing food, the homeowners can face the room, the garden doors and the rest of the family.

Is a large kitchen island suitable for a family kitchen?

Yes, a large island can work very well in a family kitchen when the room has enough floor space. In this Clontarf project, the island added more preparation space, extra storage and a stronger centrepiece for everyday use.

Does open shelving work well in a kitchen?

Open shelving can be a good choice if you want to add personality and keep everyday items within easy reach. In this kitchen, the open shelving and wine storage help break up the tall cabinet run while giving the homeowners space to display glasses, coffee items, jars and decorative pieces.

Can Kitchens4U design a similar kitchen in Dublin?

Yes. Kitchens4U designs, supplies and installs fitted kitchens across Dublin, including Shaker kitchens, kitchen islands, storage-led layouts and full kitchen renovation projects tailored to each home.