The Partner in Crime and I moved in together about 9 months ago. He'd been living in a hipster hovel in Greenpoint, Brooklyn but his lease was up and his roommates were moving to Portland. Considering our jobs, and our finances, and our available options the best one was to move into the apartment in my parents' house. It wasn't ideal, but it was (and is) the best possible choice.
The only catch? It needed some sprucing up. The kitchen and bathroom haven't been updated since the 70's and proudly sported yellow tile (and fixtures), faux wood paneling, and 'Harvest Gold' appliances that hadn't seen any use since my grandmother passed away in '91.
In a word, the apartment was dated.
Since I'm not only building a relationship and a life with my Hubby to be, but also building a 1950's skill set that will sever me well if the Tardis ever transports me back 60 years, getting the kitchen up to date was important to me and my belly.
I'd been using the kitchen as an impromptu studio for years, the sink was my spray hood, covered in layers of spray adhesive and rust. The backsplash and counter we covered in paint and cuts from over-zealous x-acto knife usage, and the stove was older than I am.
It needed work, time, and a lot of elbow grease. Contrary to the blog, I'm more Rosie the Riveter than June Cleaver. I swing my own hammer, wield my own paintbrush, and use my own power tools. Both my Fiance and Father (especially the latter) put in a ton of sweat equity to help bring my ideas to life and their contributions shouldn't go untold.
All told, we needed to start pretty much from scratch... we ripped out the stove/sink/countertop/backsplash. We painted the cabinets, tiled the backsplash, had a new counter installed, installed a new sink and fixtures, changed the light fixture- requiring patching and repainting the ceiling, put up new custom molding, a new under-counter lighting, new cabinet hardware, and a ton of other small details I'm sure I'm forgetting. I ended up with a kitchen I'm not only proud to cook in, but a kitchen that I'm proud I created myself.
Here's the before and after:
We weren't quite finished when I took those photos- there's still more work to be done in the apartment overall. But despite the 20 inch stove and the 5' tall fridge- this is my kitchen. This is where I get to feed friends and family and my Partner in Crime from.
Basically, this is where I make my tea.
