What’s Cookin'?

The first time you move on the hottest weekend of the summer it’s just bad luck. The second time, it’s a tradition. 

One Mike and I don’t hope to continue.

Good news is that we got our entire apartment boxed up, loaded into the U-haul, and unloaded at our new place all in one day for under $100. We still have to go over to the apartment and patch some holes/ clean up but all around we got a lot done this weekend. My goal Sunday was to have most of our stuff put away at the new house so we could get up for work in the morning without digging through boxes to find something to wear (which was mostly a success – I’m still figuring out what ‘business casual’ means). Mike pointed out that if someone only saw the spare bedroom right now they would probably think we were hoarders but then I pointed out that’s why doors were invented. That room is on the list of things to tackle this weekend but for now it’s really nice to be able to just allocate the mess to one room that we don’t have to see every day.

However, there is a room that Mike and I are excited to see and that is this baby right here. Best part? You can open the dishwasher and fridge AT THE SAME TIME. Whoa.

In order to increase the resell value, the previous owners made a few cosmetic upgrades – one of them being new tile counter tops. I usually am not a fan of tile for counters but since Mike and I don’t have the budget for a full kitchen reno at the moment, I am glad they went for this option. The cabinets however, are a different story. They look okay in pictures but up-close they are just bad. The edges and doors are chewed up and insides are dark and dirty. The internal hardware is also non-existent which means when you open a drawer, the whole thing just falls out. But hey, did I mention that you can open the dishwasher and fridge at the same time? All joking aside, I am really excited about having a kitchen with enough space that Mike and I can cook together instead of just getting in each other’s way.  Cooking is something that we both really enjoy and I can’t wait to whip up some fabulous dinners in here together.

As for what we plan to do with it, we have a “phase 1” and “phase 2” approach. Phase 1 includes:

• Painting the cabinets dark grey like this or this:

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Gwenyth Paltrow's Home from House & Garden

• Replacing the internal hardware to make the drawers functional and upgrade the hinges and pulls to something we both like. Although I feel like these handles may be overused and a little 'trendy,' I want something that will bring these cabinets into 2013.

Ikea

• Replace the blinds with a simple shade. Here is a great tutorial on how to make no-sew shades in any fabric you want and also inspiration for the look:

Catherine Kwong Design

• Add a hanging light or sconces above the window or sink. I am leaning towards the two sconces but would love some input. Also, if I add just one pendant light, do I center it on the sink or the window?

Willow Design

• Last but not least, we plan to slowly replacing the appliances (with a new fridge being our next big buy). We’re thinking that a counter-depth model would flow better with the rest of the kitchen and since Mike and I have a habit of grocery shopping two or three times a week, we don’t really need a lot of space to store food.

Phase 2 involves entirely new cabinets & counters, a 6-burner gas stove, a couple corner cabinets, and a big farmhouse sink but there are other areas of the house that need some attention before we get to that point. I’m hoping we will have the time to start phase 1 and paint the cabinets in the next few weeks. Mike got me a handheld power sander and an air compressor with a nail gun & paint sprayer attachment for my birthday which I am so excited to use for this project. He knows me so well!