One Room Challenge - THE KITCHEN! - Come Join! - Page 7

[mrsuribe]

Well, I've almost completely decluttered our kitchen. It feels awesome!! I'm also working on clearing out our pantry and using up what we already have. So this morning I took an inventory of our fridge, freezer, pantry and the freezer in the garage and planned meals for the next two weeks with what we already have. All we will need are the basic staples.

DH is at work right now w/the camera. I'll try and post pics tonight.

Have a fun week!

[LEAW]

Ok count me in!

MY KITCHEN PICTURE TOUR
part 1 - before we moved in

http://gallery.deadfrog.net/albums/c...0155.sized.jpg
http://gallery.deadfrog.net/albums/c...0156.sized.jpg

I will post current pics this week.

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY KITCHEN (Include a picture!)
While it's small, it's got a decent amt. of cabinet space (though I need more), and a big window on the wall that you can't see in the pics... it faces south and is nice and bright. The cutout to the living area is nice too, I can keep track of dd while I cook/do dishes.

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY KITCHEN
It's 8x8. Too small for me, having moved from a BIG kitchen and owning tons of gadgets and dishes and more. Not the most fluid space either.

MY PLAN OF ACTION - here is where you can be as agressive or laid back as you like. If you want to list a series of goals.

1. purge - go through everything already put in the cabinets (we've been here 2 months) and get rid of things that haven't been used at all (honestly I don't know if there is anything in there I haven't used!)

2. unpack - yes, there is still more to unpack. A few appliances (blender, rice maker, waffle maker) and a lot of plastic stuff.. hopefully I can sort out the plastic and only keep complete sets (bottom and top) for food storage, and dump the rest.

3. Reassess the food storage situation. Right now all the dishes are on the sink side in the upper cabinets, while all the food is on the stove side in the upper cabinets. NOT a lot of storage. There must be a better way to get things in there.

4. Decorate.. we won't paint, it's a rental. And yes, we could paint, but I don't want to tape all the cabinets and deal with all the tiny spaces... same for our bathrooms. When/if we paint, it'll be the living room and maybe the bedrooms or hall, big flat easy to paint spaces. So I need to add some color and fun w/o too much damage.

5. Like 3_opihi, get my onion basket up.. and ?? something... just something. Maybe find new homes for some of the stuff in there.

6. (extension) there is no space in this kitchen to store my china, and no hutch or cabinet in the dining area, so I need to find a safe way to put the china away.. the crystal is in boxes under our bed (not really a safe place either) but for now it'll survive. I have a few ideas, but we've already run out of "normal" storage space in this apt. (the closets and under beds are packed).

7. hotspots = the breakfast bar (that really isn't at all useful as a breakfast bar), top of fridge, top of toaster. And the trash.. it lives on the windowsill because the dog would get in it on the floor and dd too.. and I got tired of unlocking the sink cabinet to throw things out. Must find a compromise!

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by lisa2976

And the trash.. it lives on the windowsill because the dog would get in it on the floor and dd too.. and I got tired of unlocking the sink cabinet to throw things out. Must find a compromise!

Oooh, thanks for reminding me that I need to do this too! I don't have any place other than the floor or under the sink, and right now it's on the floor, with a lock on it. The lock is really annoying because I always have to un-do it, and DS has learned that he can almost pull the lid off if he pulls up on the opposite side of the lock. : I would like to come up with a better solution!

[serenetabbie]

Everyone's kitchens look so nice Some of them look like showrooms!

I have to say that this forum has been such a huge inspiration to me. It might sound nutty, but knowing that all of you are "with me" on such a big project drives me to finish in a timely manner. I have a few things to finish (move the stove and 'fridge, I will spare you and myself the horrible photos of that!), but other than that I am done!

Lisa & RJ- My SIL got a wooden trash bin holder that leans out towards you when you open the top. I have no idea what she paid for it, but it is really nice and her dog has not figured out how to get into it yet (but, in his defense, he is pretty stupid).

Ugh, greenmansions, the basement!? That would take me MONTHS. Our basement is pretty big, with a scary cold celler and loads of shelves, plus my garden set up. Talk about a loosely organized mess. *shudder* Please don't vote for the basement next time you all! I don;t want to have to drag company down to admire it

[LEAW]

Serenetabbie, is the bin thing also toddler proof? Beause mine will feed trash to the dog...

Also, the only place for it is the floor under the window, which is where the dog bowls live right now... this is a pretty small space we're in... and the windowsill happens to be liek 12" deep... just perfect for a garbage can

Goin to get my camera out (fi I can find it) and take the current pics.. the dishes are almost all put away.

[Wild Flowers]

MY KITCHEN PICTURE TOUR http://www.flickr.com/photos/87708435@N00/show/

WHAT I LIKE BEST ABOUT MY KITCHEN (Include a picture!)
My pot rack. I love that one of us had the idea to do this when we remodeled the kitchen I also really love my recycling center. It has really helped to have it all right there and I don't end up with cans and newspapers in piles around my kitchen

WHAT I LIKE LEAST ABOUT MY KITCHEN
That everything ends up on the counter. I really think that this is because where I have things aren't the best place.

MY PLAN OF ACTION - here is where you can be as agressive or laid back as you like. If you want to list a series of goals
1. Take everything out of the cabinets and drawers and figure out where is the best place for them
2. Do something with my spices, thinking of doing a magnetic thingie
3. Actually use my storage thing for what it was meant to do, keep things off my counters
THis is what I orginally had, after taking pictures and LOOKING at my kitchen, I also
4. Want to do something with the pot lids, and maybe move them closer to the stove
5. my silverware and utensils are messy
6. I have random things is odd places. Like I swear I don't use my breadmaker anymore, really I don't, but it is one thing that my dh has a hard time letting it go...
There is probably even more, but I am going to start with that

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by Wild Flowers

My pot rack. I love that one of us had the idea to do this when we remodeled the kitchen

Valerie, am I correct in assuming this was something pretty easy/inexpensive to install (BTW, I don't mean it looks cheap, just that it looks pretty simple, in a good way )? That's what I'm gathering from looking at it...I love it! I have been wanting to something to hang our pots and pans, but the kind that hang from the ceiling are not an option for us.

[mightymoo]

Welcome everyone!

I went to home depot and got some paint today. I picked out a Behr color called 'apple crisp'. It's in the yellow family, but on the orange side. When picking it out I was alittle worried it was too tan and wouldn't have enough zing, now that I've painted a few test swatches I'm more worried it is too orange but I think it will come out really cool. Once I've put a couple coats on and let them dry to the true color I'll post a picture.

I got a deep red for my half bath, but that's really going to be a leap of faith, I don't think DH will like it when he sees the test swatches. But that bathroom is so small I can repaint it easy, I'm going to just go for it and see how it comes out.

[Wild Flowers]

Originally Posted by Rikki Jean

Valerie, am I correct in assuming this was something pretty easy/inexpensive to install (BTW, I don't mean it looks cheap, just that it looks pretty simple, in a good way )? That's what I'm gathering from looking at it...I love it! I have been wanting to something to hang our pots and pans, but the kind that hang from the ceiling are not an option for us.

We lucked out. There was a dept store going out of business when we were looking for somthing like that. We got the grid for $5, and the hooks for like 25 cents each. But I think you could get something simular at a supply shop. We asked like a few kitchen stores, they told us that if we went to a kitchen supply store, like a restaurant supply store, they might have them. As for hanging it, I was really worried for a long time. We have some HEAVY pots. I made my dh put like screws in everywhere. It has been up since April now though. It helps me to handwash the pots if we don't have the room in the dishwasher, cuz instead of drying them I just hang them up. Of course, there is some water spot issues, but I don't mind those. We couldn't do a ceiling hanging one either, there was no place where we wouldn't bang our heads/ we have too many pots.

[momofjoshnkylie]

Wild Flowers - I have the same fridge and I think the same microwave!

[Cullens_Girl]

Can I join in? I'm not sure if I'm allowed... I use Tupperware. Is that okay? I'll take pics after my little guy goes to bed tonight. He's a bit under the weather.:

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by Wild Flowers

We lucked out. There was a dept store going out of business when we were looking for somthing like that. We got the grid for $5, and the hooks for like 25 cents each. But I think you could get something simular at a supply shop. We asked like a few kitchen stores, they told us that if we went to a kitchen supply store, like a restaurant supply store, they might have them. As for hanging it, I was really worried for a long time. We have some HEAVY pots. I made my dh put like screws in everywhere. It has been up since April now though. It helps me to handwash the pots if we don't have the room in the dishwasher, cuz instead of drying them I just hang them up. Of course, there is some water spot issues, but I don't mind those. We couldn't do a ceiling hanging one either, there was no place where we wouldn't bang our heads/ we have too many pots.

Thanks, I'm going to look into it!

[sincitymama]

Originally Posted by Cullens_Girl

Can I join in? I'm not sure if I'm allowed... I use Tupperware. Is that okay? I'll take pics after my little guy goes to bed tonight. He's a bit under the weather.:

If you want to work on your kitchen this month and share the experience, then you are of course allowed, and more than welcome. Go read some of the posts more carefully too-you are not the only one with the dirty secret of a tupperware stash
Hope the little guy feels better soon!

[annettemarie]

Well, pooh. I just went to take pics and my camera batteries are dead and we don't have more. I'll have to send DH out. Maybe this will give him a chance to take out the trash and recycling.

[3_opihi]

I'm on such a roll today! This is fantastic. So far I've decluttered all the cabinets, wiped them down and re-boric acided underneath them all. Now I'm wiping down all the appliances and cleaning underneath em. I also decluttered our humongous pharmacy of medications and supplements (both of my boys and i have chronic health issues) AND organized them by illness and medication family.

And it only took me an hour! I'm on such a roll that I think I'm going to keep going. I really want to pull out the fridge and stove and clean under them, but I think I'll stay on schedule and save that for next week.

Mightymoo - That color sounds so nice. I am thinking about painting my kitchen but the countertops are this weird light blue color that not much matches with. I tried a fennel color on our door and it looks AWFUL...ds said it looked like skin. So if anyone has any ideas for color I would love to hear them. My living room is painted like a sky blue, with honey colored furniture and wood floors. Also, here is a pic of the hideous flesh colored door (I was aiming for a nice sandy color since we are by the ocean and all) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_2564.jpg. The only color I can think of to match the countertops is dark blue...or white. Boring.

[elephantmargaret]

our kitchen is windham cream from Benjamin Moore, love it!

[mightymoo]

Originally Posted by Cullens_Girl

Can I join in? I'm not sure if I'm allowed... I use Tupperware. Is that okay? I'll take pics after my little guy goes to bed tonight. He's a bit under the weather.:

TUPPERWARE? I STRIKE THEE DOWN .... . o O (wait, don't I use tupperware?) ... I mean of course you can join!

Originally Posted by 3_opihi

Mightymoo - That color sounds so nice. I am thinking about painting my kitchen but the countertops are this weird light blue color that not much matches with. I tried a fennel color on our door and it looks AWFUL...ds said it looked like skin. So if anyone has any ideas for color I would love to hear them. My living room is painted like a sky blue, with honey colored furniture and wood floors. Also, here is a pic of the hideous flesh colored door (I was aiming for a nice sandy color since we are by the ocean and all) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e/IMG_2564.jpg. The only color I can think of to match the countertops is dark blue...or white. Boring.

Yeah, I have found that you can take the color out of things with other colors. For example I had this hideous marble countertop in a bathroom that had like a bright yellow neon color in it. They had painted the bathroom purple, it just looked awful. But when I actually matched the light yellow streaks to a nice color yellow and painted the walls that, you hardly noticed it in the countertop. In our old house the bricks were a yellowy color brick which was dated looking, but when I painted the walls a yellowy neutral, it took the yellow out of the brick and accentuated the red.

But with that all I can think is if you did go with blue the countertops wouldn't look as blue, but if you don't like blue to begin with... are the countertops laminate? You could cover them you know - they sell the laminate stuff - the thin layer that is the very surface of the countertop, you could buy it, cut it to fit your countertop and glue it down, that's how the countertops are made to being with - but you could do it on top of hte existing layer to change the color. I know they sell that at home depot. The people who owned our house did the countertops themselves and inexplicably decided to put that same laminate layer all up the back of the walls to the cabinets. I really don't understand why - they built regular backsplashs too. I'm tempted to just paint it, but I'm sure that would end up looking horrible in no time.

I put the first coat on this evening (small kitchen = very fast painting time - hooray for small kitchens!) and I like it alot. It's more orangy than I thought, though some of that is the fact that its not completely covering the white and it makes hte room look smaller because of course any darker color will do that, but it has so much more of a warm pleasant look. I'm very excited. I should be able to get the second coat done tomorrow and hopefully that's all it will take.

[3_opihi]

Thanks for the tips - So I have been messing around with the Behr color transformy thingermajig while nursing dd down, and I think that the kitchen would actually look really nice in a deep burgandy wine color. It really offsets the white cabinets and makes the bluish countertops look more pale grey. And if we add in some nice bamboo window shades and wooden bowls I think it will be really pretty. It sounds ugly but when I looksd at the color combinations I was pleasantly surprised...really! Gulp. I'll have to think on it for a couple days though.

Mightymoo - please post pics. I can't wait to see!!

I'm going to finish up and then try to snap a few shots while dd sleeps.

Thanks for starting this. It feels so good to get motivated and just get it done

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by mightymoo

Yeah, I have found that you can take the color out of things with other colors. For example I had this hideous marble countertop in a bathroom that had like a bright yellow neon color in it. They had painted the bathroom purple, it just looked awful. But when I actually matched the light yellow streaks to a nice color yellow and painted the walls that, you hardly noticed it in the countertop. In our old house the bricks were a yellowy color brick which was dated looking, but when I painted the walls a yellowy neutral, it took the yellow out of the brick and accentuated the red.

So, do you really love yellow, or does it just follow you everywhere?

[mightymoo]

Okay, I can't wait, I have to share now!

Before, before and before
and now after and after

The only problem is that the cabinet corner (seen here) has no bare wall (the laminate from the countertop goes all the way up to the cabinets), so there is no color in that corner at all, its just like in that picture. But I guess in reality its not so bad, I just wish I could incorporate that color into that corner of the room, but I don't want to paint hte cabinets, maybe I could look for a nice fruit bowl or something that color I could put in the corner.