the kitchen renovation: another update
So two things that have still not happened: 1. My baby has not been born. 2. My kitchen is not finished. No real surprise there with either of them, though! Baby is now four days overdue and just when I think things might be kicking into gear, they stop and it's back to just UGH. The kitchen on the other hand, is getting closer. The windows went in a while back, then the plasterer finally came and fixed the walls and then finally came back to sand and then the electrician after a few delays managed to get the rangehood in and so all the major work is now done. HURRAH! So it's just up to us now to paint, sand and stain the floors and put the fridge in the right space. Oh and tile the splashback - it's just going to be the simple white subway tiles again - same as the bathroom for a bit of consistency. And also because I just love them. I did it myself last time, so here's hoping I'll be able to do a smaller area just as well.
At this stage my plan is just to tile under the windows and up to the rangehood - the tradies kept asking if I was planning to tile on the wall to the left as well but I just can't imagine that looking great having one wall tiled and the other not. Your thoughts?
I was worried the windows might look funny being so small, but I'm so glad I went with windows on either side of the rangehood and not walls. And cheers to the builders to suggesting we square-set the windows and not architrave them as was originally planned - I questioned the squishiness of it and they came up with some other options - don't always think you HAVE to stick to plan A. It was worth the very long wait! Architraves would have looked so busy and weird between the wall and the pantry.
And on the other side of the space is a black wall - Dulux Domino. It needs a second coat and a serious touch up thanks to the disastrous painter's tape I used. I have used millions of them now and this one was just terrible (Unipro?) - not sure if it was just a bad batch or what but it just might as well have not been used. I'm trying a Japanese washi-tape version for the glass doors - will let you know how we go with those once they're done.
We're pretty exhausted in the home DIY department at the moment - a few storms in the past few weeks brought to light an existing problem we never noticed before: the roof leaks. Always good. It used to just leak against the back wall and wasn't noticeable at all (well we never noticed it - just assumed it was wet from the TERRIBLE patio job that someone erected out the back before we bought the house. The whole thing might as well not be there - water comes in everywhere) but since the doors have now replaced the wall, when it leaked it was leaking onto our doors, over the top of them and inside. We freaked out about our unprimed doors warping and everything being ruined and got priming ASAP once they dried. The builders made a few trial-and-error fixes (there were a few things it could have been!) and a few rain storms later, we're no longer leaking. Yay! Doors are still only primed though.... We'll get to it when baby arrives. Well Steve might - he's been my painter lately (bathroom needs one more coat!) and the cubbyhouse builder. And the hardware stalker. It's been weird NOT being the person to hit the hardware for timber or paint and other bits and pieces... I kinda miss it. But honestly, I'm struggling to walk now - sore back, broken toe (I nearly did the splits in the rain a few weeks back - if my toe hadn't stopped me, am pretty sure I'd have broken legs and given birth on the ground. Or something. At least the baby would have been here...) and huge baby belly = awkward.
Nordic Taburet Counter Stool, Click On Furniture // Tractor Stool, Freedom // Replica Tolix, Everywhere
We also finally decided on stools for the kitchen island - there were a few options. I had my heart set on some Danish-style timber ones I saw on Instagram ($$$) Then I saw the price - $325 each. Considering we need 4 of them, it was never going to happen. Then I fell for the Freedom tractor stools ($$) but there is several months wait. Steve found some $15 timber stools at a shop near his work - FIFTEEN DOLLARS EACH!!!!!!! But then decided he'd prefer something metal so we're back to the Tolix ($). He loves them, I love them, so it's settled. I've seen some absolute bargain ones at The Reject Shop and at Mitre 10 for less than $40 each so the hunt is on. For the price of one tractor stool or half a Taburet, I can get all four. Which in my clever mind means I have saved so much money I can spend it on more frivolous, pretty things like this collapsible copper basket I fell for from Dear September. Fruit bowl, perhaps?
In other renovating news, I picked up the latest Real Living mag last night and was looking forward to the kitchen and bathroom special (despite having already done them both!) and I was, well... disappointed. I just didn't feel there was anything helpful in there at all - aside from the tips in Deb's letter. The pics were pretty, yes. But just pretty. Not totally practical. Too trendy. Too expensive. Too... unrealistic. I'm not here to pick on magazines - I love them! ESPECIALLY Real Living - I still think of it as my baby. But it's not what it was meant to be anymore and while I love the direction it's going for prettiness and gorgeous covers, I feel there is a big gap in the market again for real tips/real-life living/real budgets/real needs. Pinterest and blogs have caused mags to up their game - I have no doubt. But usually only in terms of inspiring images. And to be perfectly honest, I've seen projects in the mags that I've already seen on Pinterest. And as for great information, I get it all now from endless google and blog searches because I find I just don't believe top interior designers are speaking to me when they reveal their "top tips". I have come across the odd great tip every now and then, but I just can't relate most of them or their work. And one more rant: one would think only architects, interior designers/stylists, graphic and fashion designers or shop owners are the only people with nice homes! Bit tired of seeing the same old designery interiors - surely there are teachers or police officers or something out there who have some taste and creativity!
And so long story short, when I eventually do the final reveal of the bathroom and kitchen, I'm also going to write some helpful things I learnt along the way. I'll include prices and contacts and links and honest reviews of products. And if you have specific questions or things you'd like to know about for your own upcoming reno, please ask away and I'll see if I can address those too. Let me know in the comments what you'd like to know about the process.
Fingers crossed my next post will be an introduction to our newest addition! One can only hope....
{top three images by Belinda Graham for The Happy Home}