It's official: our kitchen is done!

I can't tell you how happy I am to post this entry. This has been a loooooong time coming - an epic ten-month journey of mess, clutter, plaster, dust, paint splatters, frustration and anticipation. There are a ton of pics below, and maybe no one but my mom will be interested in seeing all of them, but I'm super excited to get them up here and declare the first room of the apartment done!









This pot rack was probably the thing I most wanted in a new kitchen. My pots and pans are among my most treasured possessions - I just love them. My parents have given me one or two pieces for birthdays and holidays over the past few years, so over time I've accumulated a nice collection. I just love seeing them hanging there, and every time I cook with them they make me happy. I love the thought that these pots will probably be with me until I die.



Our stove has totally grown on me. I was very apprehensive about it when I came to live with it - it had about 30 years of grime inside it, the door hinges were broken, and we didn't even know if the oven worked. I was sure that even if it did, it would bake so unevenly that my cake career would be over. Happily, Mr. MCR cleaned it up and fixed it up - and it bakes just fine. The burner flames are way stronger than contemporary stoves, so it's really powerful and cooks like a Viking. Now I love it.



This vintage medical cabinet came with me from my old place. Maybe some day I'll have it refinished in some crazy color...


These salt and pepper shakers never fail to make me smile!

This is The Wall of Fish and Jello. Mr. MCR wanted to do a collection of fish prints, and I wanted a collection of vintage jello mold and cake prints, so this is what happened.



My mom and I found these treasures - the resin owl napkin holder has been with me for a long time, we got it at a great vintage shop in PA which has now closed down. We found the cake carrier in upstate NY this past fall.





BEHIND THE SCENES

Here's a peek at the kitchen transformation process...

To give you some background, we live in a building that was probably constructed in the 1890's, or somewhere thereabouts. It's still got lots of, shall we say, quaint features, like pipes for gas lamps on the outside of the walls, pull-cord ceiling lights only (we don't have a single light switch in the place!), crumbling old plaster walls, five million coats of old paint on everything, etc. The whole place is crooked like a little old house in a fairy tale. So, we've really had our work cut out for us...


Ten months ago, there was a wall between the living room and kitchen. This was the view looking toward the kitchen. It really closed everything off and made both rooms feel small.



So Mr. MCR tore it down!



Here's how it looked after the wall was down but before the hole was patched back up. Pretty scary.



And here's the same view today! It's so much more open, and it's great to be able to hang out in the living room and still be able to chat with the person in the kitchen.



Next up, I painted. As you can see, there was nothing in the kitchen but this sad base cabinet and sink, and the appliances.


After I moved my stuff in, we were clearly in need of some cabinets!


It was demo time again! Here's what it looked like after we got the old sink out.




And here are the bee-autiful new cabinets coming in! We got these from Ikea, totally their bottom-of-the-line plainest stuff - but I have to say I really like it.



The sink was the most exciting part to me - I just couldn't believe that I would have such a lovely grown-up sink in my humble little home. I'm one of those weird people who likes washing dishes, and this sink and faucet makes it even better.


Mr. MCR actually built and installed all of this by himself, in just two days! (My job was to hover over him nervously, ask questions, and drive him crazy.) I still can't believe he did it all... what a guy!


Here's how it looked once all the cabinets and counters were installed. The next day, I put in all the drawer and door pulls while Mr. MCR took a well-deserved break.




The last step was to install the tile backsplash, and then there was nothing left but to decorate.


THEN & NOW

And finally, a few side-by-side before and after pics. I can't believe how far we've come! I really love this room, it truly makes me happy every time I'm in it. Which is all the time.