Thursday, June 11, 2009

The Kitchen Project


So I was doing this book called the "Eight Step Apartment Cure", and I was supposed to thoroughly clean my kitchen, and the thing about my kitchen is that I only have three cupboards, unless you count the one under the sink, in which case I have four. I have a dishes cupboard, a pots and pans cupboard, a food cupboard, and a nasty under-the-sink cupboard. Oh, and not to brag or anything, but I also have a drawer. One drawer. It squeals like a pig on slaughtering day when you open it.

You might be able to guess that in my thorough cleaning, which involved throwing away a ton of stuff, I still ran out of space in my three cupboards. Where do you put your dishtowels, for example, when this is the entirety of your storage space?

There's room in the kitchen, too. It's actually a big room. So, I'm thinking I need another set of cabinets. Unfortunately, thoughts of new cabinets caused all kitchen cleaning to stop (as careful observers of the photograph may have already deduced). Obviously, if I am getting new cabinets, I need to spend less time tidying these ones up. And if I'm getting new cabinets, something needs to be done about the floor. And the floor guy can't come until late July, so maybe I should do it myself. But I'm not sure I know how to do it myself, and then there are the cabinets. Can I use Ikea ones, even though I usually hate everything from Ikea? And how do I install cabinets by myself, anyway? Oh, and I really need new electrical throughout the house. How much is that going to cost? And would it be easier for an electrician to do that before I do the floors and the cabinets?

As you can see, I'm paralyzed. This is why my kitchen is always so messy, isn't it?

7 comments:

Jill said...

I feel ya. Believe me, it gets worse. What about the countertop? What about the plumbing? Light fixtures?Hardware for the new cabinets? Are your walls wavy, maybe cracks in the plaster? Well, if you're gonna redo the walls, you gotta redo the trim as well.
Stay paralyzed. It's safer that way for a penny pincher like yourself.

Cathy said...

Rather than basically razing the kitchen and starting over, might I suggest a solution that worked well for me? Get one of those brushed metal adjustable shelving units from Target (somewhat industrial but still blendable) and use clear storage bins and the like to increase the space. Or go on Oprah and have her pay for your kitchen make-over. See the kind of ingenuity you are missing out on?

Alex said...

Oh, but I'm too old for industrial shelving. I'm not too old for Oprah to buy me a new kitchen, however. Oprah? Are you listening? I NEED NEW STUFF THAT LOOKS OLD, OK? It's kind of an emergency.

Lemon Gloria said...

Just reading that made me clenchy. I hate being faced with a whole lot of decisions. I get totally paralyzed and avoid avoid avoid.

OneN said...

You have lesbian friends who are pretty handy with power tools! So if you decide to tackle some things on your own let us know, we can help. Maybe you can find new cabinets that can be distressed to look old...just let the twins play with them for a day and they will be distressed!

Alex said...

Lesbians with power tools! Be still my heart. I'll call when I get the cabinets, believe me. You'll be sorry you offered. And I know the twins can distress stuff. Remember my hostas?

Unknown said...

Hi,

Thanks for sharing the information.

Here are some useful tips on kitchen cabinet's installation.

One should install the upper kitchen cabinets first. This way you will not have to work over the lower cabinets. A stud finder will come in handy. Usually studs are 16 to 24 inches apart. You will need to locate them and make sure you know where they are. You could tap a nail into the areas since you will not see it once the cabinets are installed.

Lower cabinets can easily be set into place after the studs are located. Make sure they fit correctly before screwing them into place. After the lowers are installed you will have to add a countertop. You will need to cut to the right dimensions and make an area for the sink. Once on top, they can be screwed from underneath and sealed with caulk.