Just a peek into the rest of the cupboards in our new kitchen. Plus a few more takeaways for you to consider in making over your kitchen! This cupboard is only 15 inches wide, but it is worth its weight in gold. Cutting boards, cooling racks, pizza pans, trays, jelly roll pans and various sized cookie sheets are stored here. I can take one out with ease and not have to move more than one or two pieces to do so. Previously these were all in one pile in the garage storage! Plus more. I got rid of six jelly roll pans. SIX! I have never made a jelly roll and have no plans to ever make a jelly roll. I use the pan once or twice a year for big sheet cakes. I have no idea how I accumulated six!! This little drawer is the other 30 percent of the drawer space in the kitchen. It is next ... [Read More]
Kitchen remodel
Kitchen Remodel: Create workstations to Improve Storage
The peninsula is the main work space in my kitchen, as it is in many kitchens. Chopping, mixing, rolling out cookies, kneading bread dough -- a lot of food preparation happens here. So you'd think that storage in the peninsula would have to do with food preparation. Like most kitchens, this one falls a little short of the ideal. I like anything that requires less time on chore stuff and makes life easier so come along and I'll show you some of the ideas behind this part of the kitchen storage. This drawer represents a full 70% of the drawer space in the kitchen! The left half is closest to the dining room so that's where the tableware is stored. The right half does indeed have tools for food preparation and is used at the peninsula - ideal! Dividers essential in staying ... [Read More]
Kitchen Remodel: Six Steps to Improve Storage
One of the goals in our kitchen remodel was to improve the amount of storage available. This is the pantry wall. For this wall I wanted it to be storage from floor to ceiling and to make the refrigerator look like it "belongs". We met -- and exceeded -- the goal so much that I'm going to make a separate post on just this wall. Here's how we gained a huge amount of storage space ending with the takeaway for planning your kitchen remodel! Before: the upper cabinets were a standard 12 inch depth. I couldn't even reach the handles on the cupboard above the refrigerator! Because the kitchen was built before the microwave was standard, this was the only bit of counter space available to put a microwave. I actually liked it at this height (have I mentioned I'm not a tall ... [Read More]
3 Reasons to Remodel a Kitchen
Below are pictures I used to show designers of the old kitchen and the problems I needed to solve. Using pictures made it easy to compare the designs and to keep the focus on what needed to be done. Improving storage is the number one reason given for remodeling a kitchen. It certainly topped my list! Improving functionality is a second major reason. Our kitchen was built in the Seventies before microwaves became common in every home! That's just one change in lifestyle that has taken place since the neighborhood was built! An improvement in appearance is a third major reason for remodeling a kitchen. 1. Improve storage. The Kitchen Aid mixer took up fully half of the storage space available in the peninsula! Some of the storage wasn't even in the kitchen! ... [Read More]
Transition Kitchen: How to make do while your kitchen is remodeled
Cooking is definitely a challenge when your kitchen is a major construction area! I made a temporary kitchen in the dining room. Sharing this morning in case you are thinking of ripping out your kitchen for a redo -- a dose of reality!! It will be so worth it all in the long run. This is Crockpot Central. I have the lunch crockpot going and am getting ready to load the dinner crockpot. The Work Station is on a corner of the dining table. I'm making a crockpot peach cobbler. You won't be reading that recipe here. Total fail even though the work crew gamely ate a portion each -- they were really hungry, which helped it go down :-). The all important coffee, tea and snack station. We break about 4ish each afternoon for a sit down snack, because we are usually involved in ... [Read More]
