Kitchen

Well, what can I say, this is the nicest kitchen I have ever had in my whole life – by a lot. It’s light, bright, and (mostly) open to the living/family/fireplace room. The cabinets wipe clean so easily that it’s actually fun to wipe them down – it’s like magic – I can make them clean just by wiping – and no paint flakes off if I scrub.

Here’s an overview shot:

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It has less storage than our previous house, but I don’t mind at all. I got rid of a lot of small appliances that I didn’t really use anyway. I feel happier and lighter having only what we really use. I got rid of anything that was only a uni-tasker! I love that everything is close when I’m cooking. In our previous house we had about ten drawers that a particular utensil might be in, but now there are two possibilities – that’s it. Instead of three sets of measuring cups, we now have one. If the one you need is dirty, then you have to wash it. =)

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I put my tea stuff where I can easily access it – all together – so it’s very easy to offer tea to guests. I put my wedding china and things we only use once a year at Thanksgiving/Christmas/large dinner parties on the top shelf of the pantry cupboard. It’s easy to get with a step-stool (more convenient than down in the basement somewhere), but it’s not taking up easy-access space that is better for things we use more frequently.

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Here is our little “office” which houses our computer, printer (hidden in a drawer), and our office supplies (you know – stamps, envelopes, stapler, thank you notes, etc.). I keep my purse on the desk and my planner open to the current week (for appointments, meal planning, etc.). The blue purse (behind the computer) holds papers we have to deal with (mail for our landlord, bank statements to reconcile, receipts we think we will need, etc. . . . ). You can also see that rolling cart next the fridge – it holds our Berkey water filter, my kombucha crock, and baskets for onions and garlic as well as potatoes and squashes. For some reason, it’s really hard to read the clocks on the microwave and stove, so I got this huge one from Ikea – love it!

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I put my spices in a large drawer. Wanna see? It required new jars because the drawer is not very tall – and I had all my spices in tall, skinny jars at the old house – but it was a project I enjoyed =)

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I also have a drawer for loose leaf teas. Tea bags in individual packets (that I use for guests) are up there in the pantry tea area – these are more for regular use by me or anyone that doesn’t mind making tea with a bit more effort.

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Here are a few closer shots, in case you are interested:

The white vase next to the stove holds dishwasher tabs. The white colander is for fresh fruit.

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This is the view of the kitchen over the half-wall in the fireplace room.

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This kitchen’s open cabinetry threw off my set-up from the old house where Adele could easily unload the dishwasher because all the everyday dishes were kept down low. But, she can still reach if she climbs on the cabinets (using her stepstool to get up). So far, I just do the things that are up high and she does the things that go in lower cabinets and drawers. P1050509

 

FUTURE PLANS

I would like to put a large butcher block on top of the island laminate countertop, with an overhang on lovely corbels, and some lovely barstools. That way we can use the island for week-day breakfast and lunch – or just any meals when Derm Dad isn’t home. It really seems like that was the original intention based on the layout of the kitchen – there’s plenty of room between the island and the half-wall for barstools, without making it crowded. Something kinda like this:

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I’d also like to get a cute desk chair and a cute stepstool at some point. I’m keeping an eye on craigslist. Also I will paint the trash can. yikes! that red does NOT go in here!

**UPDATED TO ADD – I painted the trash can! Wanna see?

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At first I tried to get in close so you couldn’t see the messy desk in the background, but then I reminded myself that I’m trying to be real here, so there you go. I have a messy desk! Those papers are things I am planning to buy for the house (each pile is one room), mostly those are cragslist ads. I got rid of the blue bag of papers we need to “deal with” (reconcile statements, bills to pay, etc.) – those papers now go in the top drawer over there on the left (hopefully it we will remember they are there and actually deal with them – and now my purse lives behind the computer.

And, definitely after the baby comes and I get back into the swing of things, I want to paint a marble slab backsplash above the L-shaped countertop in the main part of the kitchen. I found some stuff on pinterest that shows how to do it and it looks JUST like real marble! Something like this:

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Also, I want to make some removable chalkboards for the space over the desk – just like Ruth from gracelaced.com. I’m thinking/hoping it’s just MDF painted with black chalkboard paint:

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See the rest of our new house tour HERE.

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2 thoughts on “Kitchen

  1. Beautiful! So happy for you new and your new home!! Praying for you all and the littlest addition growning inside you. Love, love, love you!!

  2. Pingback: Our new Home [tour] – in progress! | The Pantry Book

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