It has been my dream to remodel our kitchen.  I love to bake and cook and am excited to make those activities even more enjoyable.  We have a Victorian home originally built in 1891 and the kitchen hasn’t been updated since the 70s.

I’ve worked on a lot of kitchens but I believe mine is the grossest of them all.  Let me count the ways:

Exhibit #1 – The countertop that looks like it has mice turds on it.  The first week we moved into our house David said we had a little problem.  Little being little mice were coming into the home and leaving little gifts behind.  It made me paranoid. Every time I’d see speckles I thought I was seeing poops on the counter.

Exhibit #2  – Hard to clean sink.  Sick of cleaning around the rim with a toothbrush.

Exhibit #3 – The painted countertops.  Someone had the bright idea of painting the metal counters.  I have given up cleaning these counters because every time I wipe them down I am pulling up the paint… which I hope isn’t lead paint!

Exhibit #4 – The vinyl flooring from the 70s with it’s burn marks and tears.  Orange, yellow, and green mixed with years of yuck.

Exhibit #5 – Two-tone cabinets that someone started but never finished makes the room look very disjointed and confused.  Some of the cabinets even have wallpaper fronts.  The cabinets scare me.  And they have holes that critters have been known to climb through.

Exhibit #6 – Minimal counterspace.  It is difficult to work efficiently because the counters are all made of little sections.

Exhibit #7  – No ventilation = No fried foods…maybe that is a good thing.

Exhibit #8 – No backsplash.  Scrubbing painted wallpaper so the paint comes off.

Exhibit #9 – Cabinet doors at heights to gouge your forehead.  See the cabinet doors we removed above the fridge.  And the handles are too high for a shorty like me to reach.

Exhibit #10 – Too little light.  The fan / light and light above the sink are the sole light sources at night.  Our eyesight is only going to get worse as we age!

Now, there are few things I like about the space such as the natural light from the large windows.  I love being able to see who has arrived in the driveway, the birds perching on a nearby treetop, and the apple trees in our yard.  This was originally a bedroom when it was built in 1891.  It was turned into a kitchen when the house was converted into a duplex.  Although it is a small room, the tall ceilings make it feel spacious.  I also love that some of the counters are shorter which works well for my height.

Coming Up – Concepts