Time for a New Kitchen

Our kitchen, like our house, is over thirty years old.

It's a mess. I didn't clean it up for the photo at all.

The tiles on top make this a
giant hotplate, and by having a
bench along the right side, the
entire family could sit around
this "table."

Things are falling apart, and some of the crucial planning is totally out of date, like the size of the niche for the stove/oven. When we got our latest refrigerator, our son had to raise the closet over it, since the new one is taller, and a bit slimmer than the old one. Luckily the cabinets were constructed in sections, and he's very talented, so he did it himself. I'm really lucky that he was living with us at the time or we would have had to spend on a carpenter/handyman.

I remember the design time for this kitchen as my not being terribly involved or "fussy" about details, but when I mentioned it to my daughter, she told me that she remembers my very innovative demands and requirements for the kitchen and rest of the house. That has given me a bit more confidence.

 It's taking me ages to get my act together and actually fully plan what I want. In order to help me, my friends took me on a "field trip" to a "kitchen store" to show me what's new. I have seen some of it in people's homes, but not all.

My mind has been buzzing with ideas and images of how it should look and even solutions to possible problems. One of my really crazy ideas is to produce some of the "tiles" as family-designed mosaics. Yes, that's how much I enjoy my "new hobby." I'm sure that the rest of the family would, too.

Kitchen construction has changed enormously since our kitchen was done. And since ours is open to the dining area, which is at the end of the living-room, some styles aren't all that appropriate. Luckily, things have changed a lot in the past thirty-something years.

No, that's not me.

I still feel like I haven't a clue how to go about it all. Besides the basic design, which I feel is getting closer, I need to find the right workmen, carpenter, plumber and someone to close off the doorway we haven't been able to use for about a decade.

One of my sons actually works for a company that does these things, but they won't go as far as Shiloh, sigh...