Kitchen pics

I previously posted some hideous 'before' photos of the kitchen when we moved in. It was not only horrible, but also unusable. It was filthy, the tap sprayed water everywhere, and the dishwasher just grunted.

On moving in, we immediately ripped out the kitchen and replaced it with new Ikea Lidingo cabinets, topped with butcher block countertops. We pulled down the outdated cabinets that hung from the ceiling and drywalled the hole. Instead of the oversized peninsula from before, we added 42" glass door cabinets facing the rest of the room, and created a bar area that shields the (usually messy) kitchen workspace from view. Some vintage 50's Philly diner stools make a great place to eat breakfast!

Our wonderful realtor blessed us with a new dishwasher, and we installed an over-the-range microwave. We pulled down the headache inducing fluorescent light that all DC area builders seem to believe home-owners want in their kitchens, and replaced it with a fixture we had waiting for something else. This will be switched for track lighting at some point.

The kitchen still isn't finished - it needs trim, backsplash (we have white subway tile waiting to be installed), and a new oven and fridge. Eventually, we will also replace the always-dirty tile floor. But for now, it's workable and a million times better than it used to be. So here are some 75%-of-the-way photos! (Excuse the mess - I didn't clean up to photograph!)

Tips for cleaning: host a party!

When the house gets really messy, there's only one thing to do. Throw a party!

The looming deadline of having a number of people coming over to your home enforces a tight cleaning schedule and fun times at the end of it! The results aren't show-house quality, but they are a significant improvement!

We hosted for the super bowl last weekend, which meant a couple of days of frantic cleaning and tidying beforehand. The mammoth blizzard DC has been experiencing meant it almost didn't happen, but luckily a few people were able to fight their way through the aftermath of the storm. I think the lure of hot chilli must have been too strong to resist... :)

Since we did some cleaning, I thought I would upload some long overdue pictures of the living room with furniture back after the laying of the floor. It's definitely time for a new camera, and probably a few photography lessons for me too. The lack of decent overhead lighting in THATC makes everything look a little dreary in photos, but it's actually more cosy than dismal. Day to day living in a house undergoing long, drawn-out renovations can be painful - there is always construction stuff everywhere, and it's hard to 'finish' a space. (note the 9ft teak plank leaning on the bookshelf, awaiting it's future home...) I look forward to the day when we don't have any more renovation projects at THATC and I can concentrate on the 'decorating'!

So, without further ado, here are a few (badly lit) pics, enjoy!



Of course, I had to add one of Madra enjoying her kong on the rug!