kitchen: before

in june, i mentioned that we are getting our kitchen redone. the builders come next week, so it seemed like a good time to take some 'before' pictures.








as you can see, the kitchen is quite small, but it's big enough to make a turkey for thanksgiving or to bake some tiny cheesecakes.





it's functional... we just think it could use some improvements. we'll never be able to make it bigger. we'll never have a full-size refrigerator (unless we put it outside the kitchen, under the stairs?) we'll always have limited counter space. we considered changing the layout by swapping the placements of the sink and oven, but we decided that that would add a fair amount of extra work and expense for very little gain.


so the changes are primarily cosmetic. i can't wait to say goodbye to the perma-dirt.


caution! disturbing photos ahead!








no amount of scrubbing or mr. muscle limescale destroyer has made a dent in the three years i have known s. apparently the sink was like this before he moved in.


the oven is a shameless grease collector.





and we've never figured out how to program the timer. sometimes it just starts beeping.






one thing we're both looking forward to is making better use of the corner.





we're raising the microwave so that it will be directly below the new cabinet, which will give us a bit more space on top of the counter. we're also putting in a fancy cantilever shelf system in the space below the counter (it's actually the most expensive unit in the entire kitchen.)





no longer will it be the cavernous hole where good tupperware goes to die.


and finally, a new floor.





be gone, horrible linoleum!


you might think that we could do it ourselves with a bit more determination and a bit less fear of drilling holes into (what? are the walls hollow? are there electrical wires behind them? we don't know.) but the electricity is a problem. we're having the place re-wired. we're hoping that we'll finally be able to use all 4 burners without blowing a fuse for the entire flat. we're replacing the double oven with a single oven, since we've never been able to use the second oven anyway. and the dishwasher stopped working last month in another mysterious power-related act of rebellion. fingers crossed that it will all be better soon!