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Topic: Welcome to my kitchen...

edie_herrington

Sun, 04/01/2007 - 1:00am

Welcome to my kitchen...

Hello Janes! Welcome to my kitchen (please don’t mind the mess). It got a very “Cottage” like feel which I love. However, the space limitations of its current configuration have me frustrated. I am hoping someone with experience in remodeling kitchens may have some insight for me. First, let me give you the whole picture.

The kitchen is quite small. And the cabinets (especially the lower ones) are not space efficient at best, and at worst—unfinished in the back! Yuck! (I often have to wash my pans before I use them—crazy, eh?). These cabinets were hand built with thin plywood and staples. The paint is not easy to wipe clean, and most drawers perch perilously over my toes every time I open them; others are almost impossible to get open.

I would truly love to be able to have space enough for my spices, and shelving for my cookbooks, which currently reside in the living room. I love to cook, but I have tired of “fighting” this kitchen.

On a positive note, I love the cottage feel – and the hardware! I have these fantastic handles for some of the cabinets there’s a little push button on the handle that releases a catch on the inside of the door—very retro. The sink is pretty cool too—very “cottage” like as well. It’s an old style sink with dish drain area built in.

Here’s what I would like to do to the kitchen:

1. Pull out all cabinets and replace with more space efficient (and safer!) ones (has anyone had any experience with Ikea prefab kitchen products? Would it be better to try and make them myself? Are there any other options?)

2. Reconfigure the space so that there is enough for all the tools I like to use on a consistent basis.

3. (And this may be asking too much) put in a dishwasher! -- but how?

I love to cook (I think I said that before?). I know that if I can just get this kitchen setup properly (the stove is in a totally awkward place against the wall…) I can start to enjoy cooking again—and thereby feed my friends and neighbors and have guests over again. I miss entertaining my friends. Any insight on anything that may be helpful would be appreciated. Thanks Janes!

Welcome

Cottage Space

Unfinished

Perilous

Stove in the corner

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Love it but it is small...

Heidi writes:

Tue, 04/03/2007 - 6:21pm

Thanks for putting up soo many pictures. They make it soo easy to understand what your issues are around your kitchen.

As for the areas that aren't sealed due to holes in the drywall, those are an easy fix. All you need to do is cut a piece of plywood to back the cabinets and attach it with wood screws. Just make sure you sand it first and while you're at it, why not prime and paint it first. That way you won't have to climb into your cabinets to paint it.

In regards to your perilous cabinets, that's actually not that hard to fix. All you need to do is put a small piece of wood (like a 1" x 2") across the middle of the base of the drawer with a track on it and add the piece that runs along it to the back of your drawers. That should hold it in place.

While I totally understand your not loving the cabinets the way they are, at least in the pictures they are cute. Maybe if you put some sliding shelves in them you could get a bit more storage space out of them. Or you could put in a sliding spice rack as well.

Anybody else have any ideas?

sticking drawers

Bekabran writes:

Fri, 04/20/2007 - 1:02pm

Sometimes drawers stick because the wood is warped from moisture, etc. The next time you pull the drawer out, try to see where the drawer is sticking and try to sand those areas down. My grandfather was also an advocate of Ivory soap to lubricate sticking drawers.

Thanks!

edie_herrington writes:

Sat, 04/07/2007 - 6:30am

Heidi,

Thanks for the information! I will try the drawer fix for sure! The hole in the back sounds liks such an easy fix, I wonder why I didnt think about it.

I have to admit, I like my spice rack, but I am thinking I should increase its size-- its ideally done, between the studs in the wall. But the shelves are definitely too widely spaced to be efficient.

I would LOVE to move the stove, at least. Does anyone have any experience with this? I thought perhaps I could switch the cabinets with the stove, but I am worried about the electrical outlet for it. Any feedback on moving a stove?

Thanks again, Edie