Sometimes a room is what it is. It's hard to try to turn a small home into a grand palace, so you work with what you have.
A small kitchen is especially challenging because we are sold the 'dream-kitchen' concept and won't accept what we have as good enough. How much cooking are we doing? Are we all chefs who must have miles of counter top space and sink troughs? Most of us are lucky if we get a decent meal on the table for our family before we rush the kids to soccer practice, so a gourmet kitchen is probably lost on us. Yes, it looks great but so does a $3,000 suit. Would you actually use it?
For those who have a small kitchen, I say make it the best little kitchen that you can and appreciate it for what it is. A small kitchen update on a small budget is a challenge but doable.
I had mentioned a few weeks back that I was painting my kitchen cupboards. Well, that week-long project took a few weeks to finish but it looks fresh and new. I love my small kitchen. Yes, it could use more counter space but I wouldn't want to change the old-fashioned painted cupboards (circa 1950), nor replace the regular white appliances with stainless steel, because that would change the entire feel of the room and the house. I like the vintage look and the history that the room has. It's comforting.
My project consisted of a new neutral paint colour and updated hardware. The copper-finish handles and hinges that where here since we moved in were driving me nuts because they did not reflect the era of the kitchen. They had a 1970s feel and had paint splatters on them from prior updates. It took me decades to finally get to this project but I'm glad I did.
My husband and I went looking for new hardware one day and had in mind a brushed-nickel finish in a simple style, befitting the era of the home. We lucked out when we dropped into Windsor Plywood and they were clearing out much of their old cabinet hardware stock. Drawer pulls and cupboard handles that would normally range in price from five to nine dollars apiece were under $2 each. What a great deal! I especially love the seashell inspired drawer pulls that we found. We had to go elsewhere for the hinges, but lucked out and found the right ones at Lee Valley. The price was very reasonable compared to the big-box home-renovation stores.
If you're planning on replacing hardware on any cabinetry, be sure to take a sample of the old pieces with you. They come in different sizes so, unless you want to be drilling new holes and filling in old ones left by the current hardware, you'll want to be exact in the size you purchase. Even though the hardware sizes we bought were an exact match to the old ones, we still had to fuss with them a bit to get them to fit. Thank goodness for my husband's patience with that part of the project.
The toughest part of the task was the prep work for the paint. Sanding and cleaning cupboards inside and out by hand took a long time. The kitchen paint that we bought was lovely but needed two coats, the first needing to dry overnight before the second coat. I actually set aside an entire week, thinking that I would be done and could also paint our fence (ha ha), but painting the cupboards took up all of my time. So, be patient and set aside enough time to do the job right.
It's hard to live without a kitchen for a few weeks, so prepare ahead of time with pre-made freezer meals or good take-out menus. When you remove the doors, be sure to number them so that they go back to their original spot. Even though they may all look the same size, there's always a little variance in where the hinges were originally set, etc.
My kitchen has the feel of our feature photograph. This Kohler kitchen boasts retro-style taps and sink which suit the old-fashioned kitchen décor. The room is comfy and inviting, like your grandmother's kitchen might be. That's the feeling you want to achieve in a small kitchen. There are no bells and whistles or lavish appliances, just a great, welcoming room where you want to sit down with a good friend over a cup of coffee.
Love your little kitchen and it will return the favour. The heart of the home doesn't care what size it is.
connieoliver@shaw.ca
