The Kitchen

We didn't do a lot to the kitchen, you'll see.  It's a room we intend to tear out someday when we reintegrate the house, and we didn't see any need to spend a great deal of money here as long as it's functional.  Well, it's not functional, or as functional as I would like.  I've posted previously about my strong distaste for this room, mostly because it reminds me so much of the former tenant, as well that all the surfaces just never really look... clean.  It's frustrating cooking in here, as there's little room for anything, even when it's decluttered and clean, and keeping it that way is a challenge as I'm not the most organized person and there is little storage.  Besides those hindrances, the room is an old sun porch, poorly converted into a room.  The outside walls are not actually walls, but particle board slapped over with wall paper.  There is not ventilation, which means no heat in winter and no air in summer.  Yes, it gets really cold and really hot in there.  During the winter, I would heat up the oven and then let the door hang open for a bit.  This summer, I' researching ways to cook without my oven.  Or maybe without the stove at all.  We have made a few, small handful of adjustments to make the space more useable, and you'll see that here.

 The kitchen as you enter.  The photo doesn't do much justice to the "aged patina" [yellowing] on the counter or the stains in the sink, or on the floor...  It's a small galley style kitchen that seriously makes me wonder how anyone gets anything done in those tiny kitchens in New York apartments.  The only reason it looks this nice is my mother-in-law, that sainted woman, came in and cleaned it so well that she told me Eliza could eat off the floor.  Which is saying something, as other rooms in this apartment Eliza wasn't allowed down on the floor at all.

The kitchen from the other side of the room.  This room was an old sun porch.  The door goes out onto a "sitting area" that has a lame excuse for railing.  Hopefully someday Nick and I will clean that up (as there's debris left from the former tenant out there that we simply haven't dealt with) and make it into a sitting area for our coffee on nice days. 

 The kitchen after all the construction materials were moved in.  This became the repository for construction materials, tools, paint, debris...  It didn't stay clean after that.  At all.

 The old stove.  The only major changes made in here was we swapped out the old stove and fridge for newer models we got at a garage sale from a lady in our church.  They're not top of the line and I wish desperately I had gas, but it works.

 The kitchen from the entry now.  You'll see we ditched the old table left by the former tenant and Nick installed a few shelves and a counter.  He also put up hooks to hang my pots and pans on for easy access (and quite frankly, we'd have nowhere to store them otherwise).  I didn't bother to take down my dish rack for the pictures, though the place looks much less cluttered without it, as it's pretty much out all the time.  That's because we have dirty dishes all the time, or dishes drying.  I don't always have time to dry and put them away.  Or I should say, I rarely have time.  But this is what my kitchen looks like on a good day.

 View from the other side.  You can see one of two shelving units we put in in the corner there.  The other is on the other side of the fridge.  Neither look very tidy, but it helps hold appliances and things of that nature.

 The newer stove and fridge.

This pantry is technically in the dining room and was an old clothes closet, used as a broom closet by the former tenant.  Nick outfitted it with shelves shortly after we moved in.  Without it, we'd likely be storing something, be it food or kitchenware in piles in a corner.  I'm so grateful for my handy husband!  It's an atrocious mess and could use some organization, but that will have to be a project to be accomplished when I'm not just trying to keep my head above water around the house.

Next up: some bedrooms!  I think I'll leave the bathroom for last, as it got the most attention and has the biggest impact.