The Kitchen Makeover

Yesterday I got the inspiration and motivation to reorganize my kitchen.  There was a cabinet in the corner when we moved in to this apartment.  It is pretty wobbly, the drawer doesn’t work, and one of the glass doors doesn’t stay closed.  On top of everything, it makes the room feel cluttered.  Ben made a passing comment that I could probably get rid of it.  That was my inspiration and the little shove I needed to get moving!

Here are the before pictures:

The kitchen makeover This is the cabinet to be eliminated

The kitchen makeoverWe also have a microwave cart and butcher block in the kitchen.  I only have one bottom cupboard and one counter, so the butcher block is a necessity!

I started out by going through all of my other cabinets and eliminating items that have been hanging around for a while.  I also made a pile of the kitchen dishes, utensils, and gadgets that I don’t use very often.  I was able to fit all of my baking items into the other cupboard.  I reorganized my pots & pans and fit my oils and vinegars into that cupboard.  (That is where I like them anyway.  The downside is that Elaine likes to play in that cupboard). The “extra” items that I have stocked up on (like mayo, mustard, peanut butter, etc.) went up on the overhead shelf with my home canned goods.

Elaine enjoyed the entire process!  She was crawling into empty cupboards, commandeiring bottles of vegetable oil, and smearing the silverware over the entire kitchen floor. 

The kitchen makeover

When I vacated the stepstool, Elaine quickly filled my spot.  I turned around, and she was standing on the top step smiling at me!

The kitchen makeover

I took a break to put Elaine down for a nap.  Now that the cabinet was empty I thought I was nearly done.  Wow!  The work had only just begun! I pushed, pulled, and scooted the old cabinet out of the kitchen.  Then I discovered that the microwave cabinet would fit nicely in that spot.  When I began rearranging, I discovered mounds of cheerios, clothespins, and even a spare pacifier!  After sweeping, vacuuming, and cleaning it was finally done. 

I also used a shelf that was already hanging on the wall for my spices.  It has been empty since we arrived.  Now it is useful!

The kitchen makeover

I even repurposed the recycling drawers for my dishtowels and the silverware.  This left me without a recycling storage bin, but we can just run things outside as we use them.  We need the exercise anyway, right?  And Ben is a very happy husband to finally have the silverware in a drawer.  (By the way, I did wash all of the silverware before putting it away.  Who knows how many times Elaine has thrown them in the floor or sucked on them!).

The kitchen makeover

Finished product:

The kitchen makeover

The kitchen makeover

Final cost: $4.95
(I had to buy a smaller silverware organizer to fit in the drawer)

Comments

  1. Good job!! Looks great! I love rearranging. I think suddenly I'm feeling a liitle inspiration myself. Hmmm... :)

    ReplyDelete

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