I have plans to renovate my kitchen and install new flooring as the floors laid down four years ago following water damage caused from the unit above mine are not holding up. I have bubbling, chips and cracks from a super thin laminate that should never be used because it is poorly made.
The contractor insists that tiling my small entry and hallway will help stem water-related damage from water brought in on my wheels and though I agree, viewing the sea of available options is an exercise in overstimulation and frustration. Because my contractor is a big fan of our local home center, that was my first stop on Saturday and one which left me empty-handed and without help. My next adventure will be a tile store with a design service.
When I moved in here eighteen years ago, my cabinets and appliances were in shambles. The particle board had expanded and swelled, the counters were stained and the refrigerator groaned. I opted to put in the hookup for a stackable laundry unit, taking out the pantry. New white melamine cabinets were installed and a new refrigerator was ordered. My countertops were fabricated in laminate or formica and have stood the test of time. No stains and few if any dings. Only one cabinet is really showing its age, and the stackable I purchased then is now history.
The problem today is not one of simple cosmetics. There are spatial and other concerns. In order to wash dishes, I must sit sideways and pray I don't get water on my floor. The new sink will be a single bowl, less deep and I'll have space for my knees because the lower cabinet will be a thing of the past. My almost never used now upper cabinets will be either donated or given to neighbors and I have no plans to purchase more. The largest cabinet containing pot drawers will give way to a smaller version with two banks of drawers and the doorway to which it is adjacent will be expanded a few inches so that entering and turning in the kitchen will be easier to do.
How does one live with three kitchen cabinets, one of which contains a pull out garbage can? Minimally, of course. This means in practical terms getting rid of what is not essential and paring down all of the paraphernalia that often resides in cabinets and drawers. Fortunately, a large lazy Susan houses my small electrics and other items and I will have an extra drawer in the bottom of the twenty-inch stove. The pots and pans of my childhood all fit in one deep drawer. That is life in a condo-sized kitchen.
Some old photos. Have a good week.
9 comments:
I hope your new kitchen is a functional joy. My father, an artist in many ways, told me that if something did not perform well (like a leaky teapot) it could not be considered beautiful. I sneered at the time, but have mentally apologised many times since.
I hope your week is drier, productive and happy.
I can totally relate to the overstimulation and frustration when it comes to floors, or renovations in general. Too many options that leave your head spinning.
I hope all goes well and you have a lovely week ahead!
I still remember going to a kitchenware store at University Square Mall years ago with a friend. He looked at all the shelves and shelves of gizmos and said, "You could do all of this with a knife!"
You are so right about overstimulation! There are so many options nowadays and I think those stores, TV shows, and magazines all collude to convince people that they need a ton of different upgrades and gizmos and doohickeys. I hope you find the functional things you need in a style you can appreciate ;o)
I'm in total agreement with you. I can be easily frustrated when it comes to selection. My downsizing has come to a complete halt. I feel thoroughly overwhelmed. Your kitchen looks tiny, kudos on managing to fit everything in.
XO
WWW
The change to your sink will be a joy every day ... and it's amazing what we can do without -- quite happily, once we've made the decision to get rid of it.
And I hear you on the excess of choice. I have a hard time even buying canned tuna. When we decided to take out the original carpets in our house and put in hardwood, my husband kindly agreed to narrow the choice to three and bring home samples. Even then I debated over them far too long!
Good luck on the changes. Hopefully the end result will make the upheaval worth it.
I have been dithering about getting our kitchen redone for years, and getting the living room furniture reupholstered, and the floors refinished, and walls painted throughout, and and and. So i'm really impressed and inspired that you'r just going ahead and getting it done.
I hope everything is going well for you. My uveitis is clearing up, and I saw my doctor on Monday. He prescribed some eye drops that I am to put one drop every six hours in the affected eye for one week, and he sent a fax to try and get me an as soon as possible, urgent appointment with an ophthalmologist at a hospital. Thank you so much for asking.
Kitchen remodels are exciting - I hope yours is able to get done soon. Can't wait to see it!
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