Stop! It's kitchen time... Oh, oh, oh, oh! (That was a MC Hammerreference, fyi.)

Monday, September 12, 2011

I've been SUPER lazy in doing anything even remotely connected to unpacking my apartment.  I think starting school back up for the first time in forever and packing/moving all in one week killed any desire I had to unpack.

But, since my lovelies Bri and Loryn helped unpack all my dishes/most of the kitchen stuff when we moved in, the kitchen is definitely in the front running for being finished first.

It's definitely pretty boring right now, though.  A few parts are a little janky, but it's just mostly boring, remodeled, basic apartment kitchen.


It's a galley layout, with the sink/dishwasher on one side (with a cut out in the wall over the sink that looks into the kitchen.



The other side has the stove, refrigerator and a few cabinets.



Real exciting, huh? (and pardon the iPhone pictures)  The problem with kitchens in rentals is that there isn't a lot you can do with them.  You can paint (with the small amount of wall that shows between the appliances and cabinets) and put down a rug, but that seems about it.

I found this photo a while ago, and while it is of a laundry room (not a kitchen - though Hannah would argue that I use both infrequently), it had some really strong design elements that I loved.


Love it.  LOOOOOOVE it.  La-huv it.  Lurve it.  I love it.  The clean lines and colors of the background, the bold black and white striped rug, the vintage map, the floral curtain...  (And can we talk about the colors in that fabric?  I'm obsessed.)  While my floors, counter tops, and appliances are not the clean white background this photo has, I do have white cabinets and I'm planning to paint the walls a nice super-light gray to counteract all the brown-ness that's going on currently.  (Who puts brown counter tops in a kitchen anyways?)

Loryn, in all her internet genius-ness found me the perfect runner.  (You'd be surprised how hard it is to find a black and white striped runner!  Well, that's not a million dollars.)  That's on the shopping list.

I'm also trying a way to get that amazing floral print in there.  I don't really have any place to put a curtain, but I have a sneaky idea...  I've been googling different ways to apply fabric on the walls.  I know it sounds cray-cray, but wallpaper is super expensive (and pretty permanent) and I've heard that it's really easy to affix fabric to the wall with starch and then just peel it off and wipe down the wall when you're done.  

Whether I go all out and cover a wall (the end wall of the galley kitchen, by the way.  It's what you see when you stand in the doorway and look into the kitchen - like in the first picture.  It's also not visible from any other part of the house except for the dining room, if you're looking into the kitchen, so it doesn't have to match anything else in the house.) or just use the fabric somehow in the kitchen, I'm excited to bring some color in there.  

The fabric that is in that photo is GORGEOUS!  It's also freakin' expensive.




Isn't it lovely?  I want.  So, if you've got a few more bucks after giving me the money for that dresser, I'd like a few hundred dollars to get a couple of yards of this stuff.  (Feel free to just round up to the nearest thousand dollars.)  

Since I can't afford that, I've been looking for something comparable.  Here are a few different fabrics I found at JoAnn's yesterday.

Cute, but not the best thing I've ever seen.


I like the colors, but I'm hoping for a light background.



I've got to keep looking.  I'll go to other fabric stores, but JoAnn's always has at least one 50% off coupon, and that is nice, because I'm a cheap-o.  (Thanks, mama! ;) 

The last thing I'll probably do is make another version of my spice shelves.  I built these shelves at my old apartment, but they're a little too long for my new kitchen.




They're just simple shelves with super light wood and covered in burlap.  I think I'm gonna put four shorter ones in the area above the sink, next to the pass through.  (You can see it in the second photo.)  The best part is... this will allow me to get even more spice jars!  Frankly, I use about 25% of the ones I already have, but spices are just so pretty.  I can dress up my kitchen all I want, but the intense yellow of the turmeric and the red-orange of the blackening seasoning are the best parts!  Dude, don't judge me.  Maybe someday I'll be on the verge of this amazing culinary experience and I'll just happen to have the necessary crazy spices.  Not everybody has whole allspice and star anise in their pantry.  What if I need it?  (This paragraph is very italicized.  I think that means I'm a little too dramatic. Whatevs.)

I've been collecting a bunch of vintage glasses in all colors, shapes and sizes, along with my ridiculous collection of saucers/salad plates.  (I really wanted to have all different dishes in normal plate size, but all the cute ones are so tiny!)  As soon as I get my butt in gear, I'll be working on a project for an awesome silverware collection as well.  I think I'll wait until I talk about the dining room to throw those photos out, though.  

There you have it, 1,000 scintillating words about a kitchen I haven't even decorated yet.  I'll probably get a call about a book deal by lunch.




1 comments:

  1. I am SO excited about this kitchen revamp. You have no idea. Ok, yes you do, but you know what I mean. It's going to look SO CUTE! I'm intrigued by the fabric-on-the-wall idea... I think you should go for it. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?? (DON'T answer that.) I love you!

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