kitchen facelift

okay, do you remember when i listed out my vision for the year (simplify, focus, create) and then i went on to list my goals for this month. you do? that's good (considering it was yesterday).

well, here's the thing. i already changed my mind. hee hee.

and it is not a small change. in fact, it is quite an undertaking. well, not a major remodel. or getting a job. or having a baby. (just trying to make myself feel better.) but it will take a good chunk of time and some inconvenience.

we have decided to give our kitchen a facelift. since moving to this house 18 months ago, we have not put any personal touches to the kitchen. not such a big deal. but, we also did not really get ourselves organized in there. i mean, utensil drawers are danger zones. and we had one cabinet look like this:



scary, huh? try to grab anything from that shelf without causing an avalanche.

so obviously this project will help us simplify (major uncluttering involved). but it will also help me focus (less time searching through a mess gives me more time elsewhere).

i have been bouncing around some ideas for a low cost, high impact change to this space. something to make me want to cook dinner after a long day (yay for being able to create!). a big plus if i want success with implementing the new meal planning system in the works. i brought the subject up with jesse and my dad, the live-in handymen. (poor jesse. i secretly think a little shudder rides up his spine when i say the words, "i was thinking of this really great idea.") but my thoughts were well-received. (maybe something to do with me mentioning i would be more motivated to cook yummy meals?)

[i have scratched the toy organization and purge off the list until february. and we may extend the deadline for the basement workshop clean-up for next month as well. didn't i mention yesterday that flexibility was key?]

so, let's take a look at the initial state of the kitchen at move-in.



not bad. not my style, but not bad. good bones i would say. on the small side, but that is not going to change without some major remodeling (and major budget).

my goal is to spend less than $200. and that will be spread out over several months because the money will mostly go to organizational storage thingys and whatnots.

step one: remove the upper cabinet doors and go for the open shelving effect.

the big time-consumer here is a need to majorly purge. i spent this morning elbow deep in soup cans and coffee mugs. things are looking good. here is the result.







now, to me, this is an immediate improvement. i am kicking myself for not taking a before photo yesterday. you would notice more open space on the countertops (much needed when all you have is one real workspace).

what you should ignore is the dirty ovendoor and stovetop and smudged backsplash. just let your eyes glide right over that. instead, notice that i swept and mopped the floor after all of my hard work. awesome, right?

next, we will paint all of the cabinets (wall and base) a creamy white. so excited for this part! this will open up the kitchen a ton, making it bright and cheery. and since we can get the paint free or majorly reduced in price, this will cost us more sweat than cash. i promise photos soon.