Kitchen first, please!

The house is still quite a boxing mess, but we are starting to see a little bit of progress around it. While it is a waste of our time to do a lot of tidying because the house is an ongoing project, we still need to feel like the place has some sort of order, and that we know where everything is.

We moved just over a month ago. We already had a vision for what we wanted our house (sorry: HOME) to look like. So as soon as go in, we started setting a plan for what we were going to deal with first. The house was a good deal, given the age and its state. However the previous owners have done a bodge job to get a quick sale out of it, not realising we would have probably paid more for it, had they left it at its original condition, so many crappy jobs they’ve done to it.

Luckily, Gary is one of those rare men that not only is a highly intelligent being but is also a learner of all trades. He’s the sort of man that likes finding solutions and making people’s lives better (and not just our own). Because of this - and as a highly intellectual being myself :))) - we agreed it made sense to ensure that everything is done right from as far down to the root as possible. After all, it is OUR house now. No crooked stone will be left unturned.

The kitchen is probably the main hub of the house. I spend about a good quarter of my life there. The kids probably spend about the same, scavenging for snacks throughout the day. Charlotte enjoys baking too but with a house in this state, the same as for me with the writing, it’s currently uninspiring.

We are changing EVERYTHING. From the position of the sink to the kitchen units, from the wiring to the piping, and from the walls to the flooring. Pinterest is my second house and Facebook Marketplace is my third, atm. So far, the money we spent on our kitchen would have cost us five times more, if we were to buy it new! This includes any additional fittings, paint and floor tiles. We definitely do not want to be part of the keeping with the Joneses, disposable culture. We can still get the same level of quality for much more affordable figures. It’s common sense.

We managed to find a very good quality shaker kitchen, which we are just finishing decorating in sage green - the includes a butler sink (absolutely love it!) -, an integrated dishwasher and fridge freezer, and an AEG gas hob (hood included), all barely used, on the Facebook Marketplace. I am so excited! I’m actually starting to get excited about cooking again.

The flooring is those sorts of things that, due to quantities, it’s unlikely to find the right ones with the characteristics we envision, so we are buying them new. Any carpets, as I said before, have to go. I only approve of wood, tiles, rugs and runners.

In my mind (and the kitchen is my domain) the floor needs to be tiled. It’s easier to clean and harder to damage. We have to think that it is a place where most accidents happen. No kitchen is totally spillage and breakage-free, so we better equip it to be as close to it as possible. We are also taking into account that we will eventually get a pet dog so, again, it just makes sense to have tiled flooring in the kitchen.

In terms of the flooring characteristics, I went for a rough surface, uneven both in texture in colour. It had to be earthly colours. If you have been following my blog, I have mentioned the type of atmosphere I want my house to have, and earthly colours are a key component. So went to a random mix of cream and grey tones. It’s looking amazing already… Who has a Gary has it all.