Do you have a tired, old kitchen?  I do. I’m pretty sure this kitchen is original to the house.  All the appliances, with the exception of the microwave, oven, and refrigerator are 100% original to the 1970′s kitchen.  Easily this is the busiest room of our house, and has had the least amount of thought put into it.  Just take a look.

I spend hours here every day.  From answering the phone to preparing every single meal.  I bake bread here.  I sautee onions here.  I wash veggies, and pour wine, and even cut cheese.  I bring guests into my house, and have to show them THIS.   I’m assaulted with harsh lighting, low ceilings, cabinets and drawers that won’t close and some kind of unknown stain on many of the cabinet handles.

Let’s just take a moment, and show you exactly what I’m talking about.  Besides being generally ugly, there are a whole host of issues that make this an ugly kitchen.  Let’s start form the top down, shall we?    I’m 6’1″ tall.  A big guy.  I need every inch I can get.  This kitchen is actually smaller in cubic feet because the ceiling is 7-feet instead of the standard 8 foot ceiling.  Notice the cabinets go all the way to the ceiling.  This is usually good, but because the ceiling is lower, I’m loosing 1-foot of storage all along the perimeter of the kitchen.  And look – what is that horrible texture?  It’s a popcorn ceiling.  In the kitchen.

What’s wrong with a popcorn ceiling in the kitchen?  Let me count the ways…  Mostly it just collects grease and turns yellow.  And since it’s popcorn, you can’t clean it without it flaking off.  If you have read my earlier posts, you know I hate popcorn ceilings, and have found a great way to remove popcorn ceilings.

Behind these plastic panels (which collect tons of dead bugs) are long fluorescent tubes.

Now on to the kitchen  sink.  Looks pretty good, right?  Well, looks can be deceiving.  Visibly, there is a stain on the cabinet door, and I’ve actually scrubbed off the paint trying to get it clean.  I don’t know what the previous owners spilled there, but it’s just wrong.  Next, there is the loose tile behind the faucet.  Water splashes behind the sink, then sits along the back of the countertop and the wall, and even though I clean and use bleach, and try to keep it dry, I am loosing the battle.

What you can’t see is just as bad.  The laminate countertop is coming unglued from the cabinets, there is a big bubble under the countertop just to the right of the sink.  And don’t forget this post about fixing a clogged sink (which I am doing with more and more frequency).

This is my double bowl stainless sink

If you turn your head left and look down, you can see my dishwasher.  I love my dishwasher.  For 7-years when we lived in our incredible Menlo Park Apartment we didn’t have a dishwasher at all.  I am grateful to have one now.  But this one has some issues.  #1 – it doesn’t always get the dishes clean.  #2 – it takes forever to run a cycle.  #3 – even though it says sound insulated, it actually means sound amplified.  It’s so loud that we can’t watch TV in the living room.  You have to yell to be heard over the noise of the dishwasher.  It’s bad.  Very, very bad.

The Nosiest Dishwasher in the world

To the right, is the stove.  It’s not bad, but I don’t think it’s original to the house.  Aside from its overall ugliness, it works OK.  It can boil a pot of water quickly, and keep a good simmer.  Sometimes the oven turns off for no reason, but otherwise It’s not bad.  I have no complaints about the stove.  My dog on the other hand hates the range.  The sound of the gas burner coming on, sends Riley into a tizzy.  He tears around the corner barking, and in full-attack mode.  In a Westie vs Stove battle, I wonder who would win?

There really isn't anything wrong with this stove. It could be a bit more powerful, but overall it's pretty good.

Then there is the pantry.  I love my pantry only because I can close the door, and hide all my ingredients, and pots and pans.  Otherwise it is a huge WASTE of space.  In a big modern kitchen with lots of square footage, a pantry takes up only a fraction of the total area.  But when you are working in 150 square feet, my pantry is 8%, which is a lot.

A pantry is great for storing food, and cooking items, but mine has some issues

I keep a lot of stuff in my pantry – the garbage can, pots and pans, food cleaning items, and of course food.  It’s pretty organized, as you can see, but I’ve had to work around a couple of obstacles.  The shelves are narrow and aren’t adjustable, the lighting is bad, and the door opens the wrong way.  What do I mean by a wrong way door?  When you open it, it blocks the stove.  So let’s say, I’m stirring polenta, and my wife want’s to get some spices out.  She opens the pantry door, and it smacks me in the butt.  everytime.

This is the useless area between the pantry and fridge

As you move around the kitchen, there is a second prep area between the fridge and the pantry.  I keep glasses and mugs in the top cabinet, and silverware in the bottom.  I don’t think I’ve ever done any cooking on this countertop.  It’s a great size, but a horrible place for a counter.  And the tile job is both ugly and badly installed.  Just take a look:

ugly tile

Then there is the fridge.  I don’t think there is any more important appliance in the house – And I’m including the computer and the TV.  This fridge is not original to the house, and wasn’t chosen well by the previous owner.  I’m guessing they looked for a low price model, and didn’t think about getting an energy efficient refrigerator, and definitely didn’t think about style.  This side by side fridge/freezer combo has a noisy icemaker, and no room for today’s packaged foods, or fresh veggies.  And again the doors are in exactly the wrong place.  When you open them, the nearly touch the center counterspace, and there is absolutely no way to get by.

Open the fridge door, and the kitchen is closed, and see how the pantry door hits the stove. Bad for flow.

Finally there is the breakfast area.  This space is great, with lots of room,and tons of light from the windows that overlook the deck and backyard.  We like this space, but feel it is also under-utilized.

Breakfast Room with Plantation Shutters

So there is a tour of our kitchen.  Why did I take all this time to show you?  Because this post serves as the Before pictures.  Now that we have lived in the house for a year or so, it’s time to update the kitchen.  And we have big plans.  Overall, there are some great features to the kitchen:  the location, the light, and the general layout.  But as you can see this kitchen is in some serious need of updating.  And that’s what’s going to happen.  All for under $20,000.

upper cabinets

Stay tuned!  And let us know your thoughts.  I’m open to suggestions!