Welcome to my kitchen.
Well...this is not my kitchen. This is just what happened to be there. Too white. Too boring. Too small?
It's certainly not our "Forever Kitchen", but with my SAHM income (or lack thereof) it is definitely our "For A Long Time Kitchen".
First things first- add a polar bear skin rug...oh wait, that's Genie, as always finding the most convenient place to lay.
Ok- first things first..for real this time: repurpose a sofa table we had from the condo. I really wanted to get a kitchen cart or island from Ikea, but realistically this worked much better. It was the perfect height to go under the window and it is very narrow so it doesn't make walking through the back door (to the left, faces the table) awkward, which was a concern of mine because the fridge is next to the door. AND we already had it...much more budget friendly.
For now, we have also repurposed the bistro table we had out on the balcony of the condo. Eventually we will figure out a more permanent kitchen table. Really, this is the only eating space but it is ridiculously small and awkard. Can't go too close to the oven and it can't stick out too far because of where the fridge and the entry from the hallway are. Basically, I have to figure out how to fit everything in and NOT have to twist and turn and side-step around things. So the search is on for a breakfast table that is bigger than this, but not too big. I would love a pub table so it makes for extra work surface, but I don't know how it would go putting Oliver's booster seat on a high chair like that.
I picked up some affordable shelving from Ikea. Didn't measure, of course, and I had intended for the metal shelf with the spice rack to go on the side of the window above the former sofa table, now coffee bar (once I order some more coffee that is). It didn't fit AT ALL, which is why the mismatched shelves are next to eachother... and I dont hate it. Kind of like it. I like that having shelves frees up some cabinet space which is sparse to begin with. I had all the cabinets pretty figured out... and then I remembered that Oliver had an entire cabinet to himself between bottles and breast pump pieces and bibs and spoons and baby food and...well, you know all the things those little monkeys need! Now his plates and cups fit in with our stuff, but we have Little Stinker on the way, so I want to make sure I get used to having a space set aside for all his stuff to go.
And the color makes me so happy! Granny Smith Apple. Loving the brightness and the life it breathe into the space.
So here is an overall shot of the kitchen. To the left is the fridge and to the left of the fridge is the back door (facing the same way). So the layout of the fridge and the doorways makes it a little awkward trying to get a table in, but I am very happy with the size of the kitchen. It has less cabinet space and counter space (and no dishwasher! ahhh!) than the condo had...but I absolutely HATED being in the kitchen in the condo. It had no windows and was a smaller space. Now, I don't mind being in there because I don't feel so claustrophobic in it...I don't even mind the extra time it takes to handwash all the dishes! Crazy, right?!
Speaking of dishes....I just needed to share the ridiculous amount of dishes and utensils I always seem to use when I cook. I don't know what my problem is... but I definitly use much more than necessary. There were more dishes on the other side of the sink, too. It included a few dishes from throughout the day also, but still, that's a lot!
When it came to cabinet knobs I needed to add a little personality (some of my inner goofball) and strech my craft muscle. I bought plain wood knobs from Home Depot, used the same Granny Smith Apple color from the walls, added some more color from the random acrylic paints I had in my craft bucket, and glazed them with some brush-on Modge Podge (LOVE that stuff!). I did some searching on Google and Etsy and found quite a few hand painted wood knob ideas and listings. I had so much fun and it was such a quick craft I think I may start busting these out for Etsy myself! Any buyers? I love the light heartedness of them... so simple, but they make me so happy.
So what's the verdict? How did I do? I feel like this is the first space we have pretty much finished. The babies' room has been painted and Oliver's furniture is in it, but it still needs a chair rail added...oh yeah, and a crib for Owen! The master bedroom is painted also, but not fully put together yet.
The bathroom is about done I guess, but there have been plumbing issues that will be finished with tomorrow. The pedestal sink had a leak in the back that turned out to be more than we expected, and the tub is disgustingly slow. It's so gross and needs to be snaked. Oliver still uses an inflatable ducky tub insde the tub so he's been able to bathe and Nate has had to shower in it, but I am so skeeved that I won't stand in it. I wash one body part at a time with the hand-held sprayer, pretty much bending over the tub. I can't wait for that to be taken care of.
Oh what the hell- here's the bathroom.
Before: Bare bathroom still sporting the winterized sticker on the pot, and some weird arms we assume were for shelving (there was a random glass shelf in a hall closet). There is tile from floor to ceiling so adding shelving is not that easy, and having a pedestal sink means no storage there either. Ahhhhh! Again...condo bathrooms were much bigger (and there were two!). But being homeowners so outweighs the downsizing and adjusting.
After: The yellow and blue really breathed life into the bathroom. The duckies are so fun and make me so happy. We also found a rack at Target that stands under the pedestal sink, curving around it to take advantage of that awkward space. "Yay" for some added storge. "Boo" for the awkwardness and toddler accessability.
We finally got Oliver a hooded towel that covers him! We were still using his newborn towels!
