Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Say hello to my little friend

You see it, don't you.  The eyesore.  (What do you mean the whole thing's an eyesore).  I'm talking about the cream, textured, faux wood handled, icemakerless fridge.  Skeeve-inducing-can't-get-it clean-no-matter-how-much-i-try-years-of-mold-that-must-be-living-there fridge.



Don't even get me started on that scrolly piece.


Notice how ugly fridge is nestled precisely in to allow drawer usage, but there's nary an inch to spare...



Nary an inch to spare. 

We have been looking for her replacement for a long time now, knowing that we can't just put any old fridge in her place should she "crap out on us".  Unless we want to lose a drawer and cabinet, and i don't know about you, but that ain't happening in my kitchen. 

So we stalked online her replacement, the one, singular, fridge made that met the depth requirements, and knowing that we'd need to special order.  We signed up for a store credit card to get it even cheaper, and finally it was time to order up when the credit card was offering an extra 10% off instead of its usual 5%. 

Say hello to my little friend.  My little brand spankin' new stainless-steel-icemaker-having friend. 



But-there's always a but-the water line running to the icemaker means pretty fridge sticks out further then we thought.  When i open the drawer to the left, the track hits the fridge and it's making marks.  S's solution was to not use the drawer.  Mine is to use it as little as possible.  We compromised by putting those anti scratch pads on the side of the drawer, so that when it rubs, it's not the track rubbing.  We shall see, since those things are meant for the bottoms of chairs, not sides of drawers.

So here's the other half of my never been blogged about kitchen.  Sorry for the light fluctuations, this space is always tricky.


It's a nice size, and everything works, it just is visually displeasing to me. Needs include:  Pot lights. Granite. Back splash.  Lighter paint color.  Walls down.  Matching stainless appliance.   Removal of soffit?  I wanted to update this before we tackled the basement that shall not be named, but i couldn't convince the powers that be.  And that be S. 


The plan is to make a pass through or half wall to the left of the toaster, which would look into the living room (you can see my half moon table lurking in the distance).   The excess wall space behind the chair is either going to become a half wall, too or be removed completely to just shy of where the chair is.  To the left is the pantry and that large wall with the coffee poster shares a wall with the bathroom, which is why the whole thing just can't come down.


Here's the unnecessary space that i'd like to either half wall or get rid of completely.  And there's the pantry.


And what a good pantry it is.  And it should be, b/c it takes up the only hall closet.


A visual of where i'd like the other half wall.


Changes are coming, though.  Changes that don't require much and will tide me over until realistic dream kitchen, not to be confused with dream kitchen.

Who's got dream kitchens, and who's making do with what they've got?

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27 comments:

The Boston Lady said...

I have a make-do kitchen. But I do have a great fridge that makes ice, so I consider myself up-to-date in one area. Love your new fridge, I think it is worth the drawer sacrifice - maybe you could turn the drawer space into a cubby of some sort. I love the spaciousness of your kitchen. I have galley style and it is confining when more than one person is working in there not to mention when there is a houseful of people who want to stand in there for some reason... good luck with all your projects. Ann

Michelle said...

We re-did ours for about $3k like 6-7 years ago so it's a make-do kitchen for us, but it was so much better than what it was. (new flooring, drywall, paint for both the walls and cabinets, pulls, faucet, etc...) I love my kitchen because it gets amazing light all day, but I hate it because it is way too small for someone who loves to cook.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

My kitchen has some nice features but it is so tiny!!! I do love your new fridge! The 'realistic dream kitchen' ideas sound wonderful. Hugs, Linda

Unknown said...

Making do :)

Congratulations on the new fridge -- it is a purdy one :)

I have limited counter space, ugly tile flooring and an electric range when there is a gas line behind it BUT am totally making do for now :)

Blessings!
Gail

Shelley said...

Chiming in with a make-do kitchen as well..if you're making changes, would a smaller cupboard in that area work..eg 6 inches instead of 12 inches so the slides won't rub?

Rachel said...

Nice new fridge! I like our kitchen. It's a nice size (total blessing) and functions like we need it to. It's a little builder grade (neutral colors...floor, counter tops, back splash, and cabinet colors), however that allows me to add pops of color through accessories. We plan on changing out the light above the sink...from a ceiling mounted to a silver pendant. We found one we like last night at Lowe's! :)

Comeca Jones said...

Love the stainless and I think the hall closet as a pantry is a great use of space until you figure out an exact new floor plan cant wait to see what you do with the space ! Btw I love the color in the kitchen!

Megan {The Brick Bungalow} said...

I don't really blog about my kitchen either. Your's is 100 times better... I swear. You have more than four drawers and a few cabinets. I have about 18" of usable counter space and that's only if it's completely cleaned off! I look forward to the day of knocking down a wall, making one wall half way open, and having a nice, U shaped kitchen and a small island (preferably a large, butcher block). And new appliances. Mine are like your original fridge. And they don't match either. Good luck with your kitchen! What if you painted the cabinets white? That'd brighten everything up a lot!

Meg said...

Love that new fridge! It's so true that just one new thing can really get your motor running on what else can be changed... I love your ideas on knocking out all or part of walls. Can't wait to see what you do in the mean time though!

Kara said...

Love the new fridge, it makes such a huge difference! Kitchens are hard...so many different things you can redo to make them "yours" if you won the lottery, haha!

We completely gutted and redid our kitchen in our old house from the tiles and backsplash to the cabinets, countertops, appliances, and lighting. When we were looking to upgrade our home, one of the things on our "must have" list was a completely redone kitchen. Not that I don't like doing the work :-), we just knew from experience how much it costs to do, even yourself, and we didn't want to incur that cost on something 3x the size!

I think all of your ideas look great though...all in due time!

Unknown said...

Congrats on the new fridge! Your kitchen does have a lot of space- I think any of your sprucing up ideas will make it even better. I'm excited to see what you guys work on next!

Unknown said...

Congrats on the new fridge! Your kitchen does have a lot of space- I think any of your sprucing up ideas will make it even better. I'm excited to see what you guys work on next!

Lisa said...

Love the shiny new fridge! I thin the half wall idea would work really well to open up the space and feel bigger too. Our drawer opens into the stove (idiot who designed it) so I hear you on that. So annoying! The whole kitchen needs a major makeover.

P.S. Every single time we go to Home Depot, people try to have us sign up for this contest to reface our cabinets. I always feel sad to say that we need way more than that so we can't enter. Mayeb yous houd start haging out at HD... :)

Jill said...

Love your big kitchen! and of course your fabulous new fridge!!
When we moved here we completely gutted and refitted our house so I got a beautiful new kitchen with my dream island bench! It's small but I love it! It was so exciting to be able to design it all ourselves and have just exactly what we wanted!
Hope all's going well with you!!!

Unknown said...

Love the new fridge. When we moved into this house we bought a black fridge and i really regret it. I just like stainless more and i think it increases the value of the house as a whole. And also, i don't think i could live without an ice maker again. I have just gotten spoiled.

I totally have a dream kitchen, but we have a real attainable plan as well. maybe one day I can use all my pins on Pinterest.

Christine @ Park House Love said...

Love the new fridge! What if you take the drawer out and turn it into a cubby for storing cookbooks, recipes, etc?

We have a make do kitchen with big plans to renovate sometime in the next couple of years (and when I say renovate, I mean bump the back wall of it out 4 feet into the back yard, completely gut the thing and start from scratch). But until then..we make do!

Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog said...

First, I love your use of the word "nary." I need to work that sucker into my day-to-day vocabulary!

I've got to say that you have some major potential on your hands with that kitchen. I like your idea of opening the walls up a little. Can't wait to see what you do next :).

Liz @ Quirky Vistas said...

I'm with Kasey, Nary is a great word. I like to use it myself but not everyone "gets" it. I'm one with a make-do kitchen. No icemaker, no dishwasher, no disposal, leaky pipe under the sink, small galley, but hey, I have a window with a view of my back yard that I love.

How about you get a narrower drawer and reconfigure the slide part so it can be pulled in and out. You'd make a dummy cover for the little space on the right. Not sure I'm saying that right or if it would work out, but that was the first thing that came to mind. Hope your plans come to fruition with lots of joy in the journey.
Liz

allisamazing said...

Your kitchen has a nice layout. It looks like your cupboards are the same color as mine and I so want to redo mine soon. Congrats on your new fridge!

An Oasis in the Desert said...

I've had some great kitchens and some "?*%#" kitchens! I do completely understand your dilemma with the fridge-drawer situation. What was the builder thinking when they designed the kitchen -- oh, I know, it was a man who designed it. When will they realize that a woman should always design the kitchen? I am very fortunate to have a very good kitchen now with plans in the works to make it great! Good luck on your future plans.
CAS

Dani (HeadedForTheFuture) said...

I am excited to see your changes. I love your "realistic dream kitchen not to be confused with dream kitchen" comment. Exactly how I feel!

Eclectically Vintage said...

I have my dream kitchen!! But I had some ugly ones (and some hideous rental kitchens) before I got there! Your plans sound fabulous - love the half wall idea. And I love your little friend too - hope he gets some new stainless playmates!
Kelly

The Charm of Home said...

I have a make-do kitchen. Right now the dishwasher and the icemaker are broke. The dishwasher needs to quit blogging and go do the dishes! LOL Thank you for joining me at Home Sweet Home!
Sherry

D said...

I love that storage unit in your closet, where did you get it. I need one desperately.

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

Your kitchen is huge, so you can do so much! You're off to a great start!

Katherine said...

Making do with what I've got! Love that- nary an inch! lol. congrats on the new fridge and wishing you lots of progress! :)

The Kim Six Fix said...

Oh girl.. you *KNOW* I have a dream kitchen on a budget. Well, not really my most favorite dream, but at least it will be better. We even share those lovely top-arch door fronts circa 1982!

I love your new fridge by the way.. she is a beauty! If you are like me you probably find yourself staring at her with glee!