I have HATED the kitchen since the first walk through of this house.  We had done a total kitchen remodel that included an addition at the last house so I walked away from my dream kitchen.  It was hard to leave something that I had designed to fit the way I cook and entertain.

Just a reminder of what I got when we moved here:

In the picture it doesn’t look bad but it is TINY.  The realtor used a lens that made all the rooms like brighter and larger than they were.  This kitchen was done in the late 70’s/early 80’s. The kitchen counters are dark green floor tile with black grout.  Much of the grout is missing. Scrubbing with a toothbrush only added to the problems.  The counters always feel dirty.  The oak cabinets were built to match the original ones in the pantries.  The hardware is all rusted, much of it doesn’t work, sticks or is missing.  The double wall oven was dated 1979.  In the top oven only the top heating element worked and in the bottom oven, only the bottom heating element worked.  Baking was impossible, roasting impossible and everything else required double the time and often switching from one oven to the other to get things cooked evenly.  The cooktop was newer but the pilot tried to light continuously so I had to keep it unplugged.  I would plug it on to light the gas burner and then unplug it again.

We had planned to do a total kitchen remodel right away and had plans drawn up.  The plumbing and heating surprises put that plan on hold.  I could not get by with the oven as it was and it was not worth the money to repair it even if we could find parts.  I decided to replace it with a dual fuel double oven stand alone range, similar to what I had left at the old house.  It required removing the cabinets near the back door, taking out the ovens and moving the gas line.  This was done in early October but it left me with a non functioning cook top on my limited counter space.

Did I mention the door would fall off?

After the cabinets came out

Wasn’t this a lovely color? It was EGGPLANT at some point also.

After a lot of consideration I told Matt I could live with the kitchen as is for now if I could replace the counter tops with something inexpensive and I got a new sink an a faucet that didn’t drip. We didn’t want fancy because we still plan to rip everything out as soon as we have the budget for that.  I plan to paint the cabinets and replace the hardware after the holidays.  Even without that change now, I am much happier with the “new” kitchen.  There is actually space to prepare holiday meals and BAKE!

cooktop gone, loads more counter space

So much brighter, even this late in the day

A cozy rug for my feet. Still no heat in the kitchen.

More open without the cabinets by the back door.

A faucet that shuts off and a deep sink.

It isn’t my dream kitchen but I can live with this and be happy for awhile.