THE KITCHEN

The kitchen of our new house is small and a little uninspiring - everything works, but everything could work better. 

We made some updates when we bought the house but when we moved in the kitchen kind of slipped off the bottom of my to-do list. I think it's because to stop using the kitchen, even for a couple of days, is so daunting. Where would we pour our cerial?! It's too much!

This was the kitchen before we moved in

So far we have removed the tiled backsplash, painted the upper cupboards and the cupboards surrounding the oven, painted the floor and walls and removed the lower cupboard doors so we can paint them, brought in our old washing machine and a second hand fridge and freezer, removed the door that separates the kitchen from the hallway and made a chalkboard.

It works, we can cook and wash dishes and clothes - but the more I spend time in there the more I'm itching to make this a space that is as functional and beautiful as it can be. I feel like we are really limited by the size and the layout but there are so many things we could do to make this a much happier place to be - I spend so much time in here washing, cooking and doing laundry that I feel like it really deserves a little more of my attention.

There are parts of this room that work well - I love the magnetic chalkboard and the under-the-sink storage but there are so many parts of it that aren't working as well as they could - it feels like we don't have enough storage for non-refrigerated food, our pots and pans are hard to get to, the paint on the floor is wearing and chipping off and the whole room is looking très unloved.

Although we are planning a full reno in here one day we are a few years away from being able to make all the big changes we want to - so we have a phase one make-over planned to make the most of the space we have in here while we're saving up.

We're going for something like this:

lights - chopping board - flooring - wooden bowl - roasting dish - tea towels - shelves

We'd love to create a really functional and light space with some rustic and industrial elements - lots of white and steel and wood - but still simple and classic. We're planning on white cupboard doors with dark counters and lots of open shelving. 

So our phase one to-do list looks like this:

- paint and rehang the lower cupboard doors and add hardware

- paint the counters

- cover the floor with peel and stick planks

- add base boards 

- remove upper cabinates and replace with wall to wall open shelving

- fill, sand and repaint walls and ceiling 

- build extra shelving above the oven 

- bring in a new light fitting

Breaking everything down in to a list makes me feel a little less scared of tackling this room - and the first three tasks on this list are already on this finish what we start list so I know that I can get them done without spending a lot of money. 

I really can't wait to start updating this room - I think it will inspire me to want to cook for guests and bake with the kids and sneak in to finish the left overs from the pan...all that good and happy kitchen stuff!