Tuesday 4 June 2013

Kitchen Fix-Up

This is a very old house built in several parts, so the lay out is whacky. The kitchen/dining room is long and narrow and leads right into the bathroom. If the backdoor is open and the bathroom door is open, you can see all the way through the house.

So there is almost no counter space. Not good news since my boyfriend is big on using knives and cutting boards. So the first thing he did was he found a kitchen island on Craig's List.  We drove a really long way to pick it up at night in the rain, and they'd forgotten to disclose a few things.  Like the missing door, and missing shelf supports. But we didn't want to have used all that gas money only to come home empty handed so we got it. So word to the wise, if something is far away, perhaps pass on it, just in case it's not in good shape.
Anyway, it works out fine snuggled up against the stove. Our kitchen isn't wide enough to use it as an island anyway, and it makes a handy storage spot for rolls of foil and plastic wrap. And the top of it is a chopping block. On the end we hang potholders and oven mitts.

When I was out of town visiting my grandbaby back on Easter, I came back to a greatly improved kitchen.He had taken the unfinished wood shelves and used a white pickling stain on them.  And then he put them up to hold all those jars of spices and sauces that you need nearby for cooking. Before they were just kicking around on the floor or buried deep in cabinets where we had to send search and rescue to find them.  Nothing like burning dinner while you are on your hands and knees looking for the ground cumin.
So here are photos of the shelves he painted and also of the baker's rack someone abandoned in the alley at our old apartment, as well as the kitchen island.  All these things help us stay organized in the kitchen. We are still unpacking boxes from the big move though.

I'm itching to stencil designs on all these white surfaces though. Not sure he'll go for that idea, but I can ask.

Baker's Rack for cookbooks and appliances and pans.

End of island for storing oven mitts and potholders.


Kitchen island with the new shelf over it.

Shelf finished with pickling stain.

Other shelf nested against the baker's rack.

Shelves for extra storage.

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