Our Kitchen Is (Almost) Done!

Well it's been a work in progress since we took possession back in December, but our kitchen is finally ready to be used as a kitchen again! We've had to change the appliances (the mustard yellow/avocado green styling's of the fridge and stove weren't exactly to our taste).

On the walls we found a layer of wallpaper with wood grain printed on it (an obvious choice to complement the rest of the actual wood in our house), covering a layer of minty green tile-printed rubbery wall covering. This was stuck to the plaster beneath using a tarry black adhesive that resulted in some pretty awful looking walls once it had all been removed.

This is the result of removing all the wall coverings and flooring and before we patched up the plaster.

And here is that same wall where the fridge and stove once stood.  

On the day we took possession, the previous owners had left all kinds of gems behind which they later picked up.

Beyond the clutter:

Also note the lovely cord hanging down into the middle of the room.  That was a switch that controlled the room’s only light…  Thankfully our new fixture will be controlled by an actual switch on the wall.

And after purchasing some new open-box appliances and a visit to our local Swedish home furnishings store:

The new counters are wood and have turned out great with a few coats of oil.  They need a bit of a sanding as the grain from the wood has come up as it’s absorbed the oil, but after a quick buff it should be smooth and ready to use.

As for the butler’s pantry, the flooring is finished and the walls have been skim coated, but the old cabinets still need a good cleaning and some new countertops.  The sink has also been much improved, not to mention cleaned.  When we took possession the previous owner’s were trying to unplug the sink using a toilet plunger.  Further investigation before we moved in a few weeks ago revealed a drain filled with smelly debris of all types.  After removing all the drain pipe and replacing with new PVC, and replacing the leaky tap we’ve now got a secondary sink we can use for washing and drying dishes, and which I’m surprisingly happy to have.  I really like the drying racks built into the sink.

At some point we’ll probably have it re-enameled.  And one final before and after picture, taken from the butler’s pantry looking into the kitchen.

We’ve still got kick plates, handles, and other things to finish up, but soon our priorities will be shifting to the 2nd floor bath so some of these details will have to wait.