Week Three: Kitchen Questions

1. What do you like about your kitchen?

When we moved into this house, I liked the white cupboards (as opposed to the oak cabinets we had in our old house); the newness of it all (new linoleum and formica counters; new paint on the walls and the cabinets); the plentiful storage space; and most of all, the lovely kitchen nook.

Eight and a half years later, nothing is new any more. The counters are still in reasonably good shape, but the white cabinets and walls are looking very shabby! They really need a nice paint job. The kitchen could also benefit from new flooring. I loved the white linoleum and cabinets when we moved on, but I soon discovered how difficult it was to keep clean...especially with three children. Still love the kitchen nook, but we don't really take advantage of the space like we could. We still have nice storage space, but we could improve on the way we use it.

Since we moved in, we installed a small dishwasher (well, okay, my dad installed it with a bit of help from Mike)...and I very much like that!

2. What do you dislike?

See above. The kitchen could use some updating. I don't like how grubby fingers sully the white kitchen cabinets and the appliances. If it were up to me, everyone in the house would wash HIS hands before touching the cabinets or the fridge! :) I dislike the cluttered, haphazard way we've displayed items on the built-in shelves in the kitchen nook. I would like the whole kitchen to be more organized...a goal toward which I've been making some progress.

My dad has often encouraged us to build out our kitchen, and it would be nice to have more space...but I don't want to give up our nook. The reality is that of all the possible home improvement projects we could invest in, that's at the bottom of our list.

3. Do you have things from past generations that don't serve you other than giving you a sense of familial devotion?

Not really.

4. Are you eating off chipped plates and drinking glasses?

There might be a few dishes with chips in them, but for the most part we've made small investments in aesthetically pleasing plates and glasses.

5. Do you like the color of your walls?

See above. White is fine, but it attracts dirt. My fantasy is to have a Mexican kitchen, with lots of contrasting, bold colors.

6. Is the lighting adequate?

It's adequate, yes, but it would be nice to replace the flourescent light fixtures in our kitchen, if we do remodel one of these days.

7. Do you have space for furniture in your kitchen?

The only "furniture" we have in the kitchen is the microwave cart and the kitchen nook table and chairs. Someday it would be nice to have a custom-made island for the kitchen nook with additional storage and table space...but it might detract from the period quality of the nook, so I'm not sure.

8. How much time every day is spent looking for things?

Less and less time, the more I organize the kitchen! I've definitely been noticing a difference already in this area, and I'm looking forward to it spreading to the other areas of my house (where we are still spending time looking for things!!).

9. Do you have counter space to prep meals or has that space been usurped by stuff?

We have counter space, but some of it has been usurped by stuff. We've been doing a better job of clearing off our counters this month, but we're far from perfection!

10. Do you cook every day or just on special occasions?

We cook nearly every day, and we make an effort to eat together every evening. My husband usually cooks during the week, and I cook on the weekends.

11. Do you ever bake?

Yes; every few weeks. Mostly for special occasions (like birthdays).

12. Are the items in your kitchen the right size for your family?

Yes.

My only other wish for my kitchen is that I were taller...because we have some very high cabinets that are difficult for me to reach, making them a bit impractical.

There are a few remaining areas in my kitchen (under the sink, the junk drawer, the refrigerator [inside and the top], finishing the cabinets) that need work, but I'm already seeing a lot of progress. My plan this week is to try to plow through as many remaining areas as I can, and next week focus on any final spots and work on the kitchen nook.