Last week my husband and I took a little trip to Lows (our favorite big box store for home improvement) to see if we could live a dream. We have a dream to add a whole wall of kitchen cabinets, counters, and a pantry into our little kitchen.
You see, we have a nice kitchen, and the cabinet space is ok, but one whole wall in the kitchen is totally underutilized.
In fact, it is bare. For practical purposes we put up some cheep shelving and an island I brought with me from my college days, but it is not pretty.
I really don't like having my messy food stuff on display and the island (in the corner) has become a dumping ground for random stuff-we-don't-know-where-to-put.
Our solution? More shelves, more cabinets, a pull out pantry and a little bookshelf for my cook books...all on that wall.
We made an apointment and we went into see Jessica. I love Jessica by the way, she was the sweetest person I have ever tried to buy something from. I didn't even feel bad when I left without buying anything (but I get ahead of myself). We met Jessica, and spent two hours with her designing our new wall in the kitchen.
It was not too hard to make the design because I knew what I wanted.
1) Glass cabinets for my nice glasses and serving platters.
2) A rounded bookshelf on the end. The bookshelf would be the bridge between the open dining room and the kitchen.
3) A large pull out pantry for all my messy food stuff (nicely hidden away).
4) An enclosed refrigerator (on the sides) with cabinets above.
In the end we had several designs. The differences between them are slight, but enough to make me wonder.
The first design had everything I wanted, including four glass cabinets, and I could get the glass in a dimond stained glass look. I really liked that one. Jessica encouraged us to take this one, saying that there was nothing wrong with having your food showing behind the glass. On this point I disagree. I like glass cabinets to be tidy.
We tried out a look with two glass doors and one small wood one on the side, but Jessica said it was impracticable to have a 9 inch (or 13 or whatever) cabinet because you can't really put anything in it. I actually liked this design a lot, but the first design made a stronger statement.
Then after deciding we liked the glass and rejecting the three door option we found out how much it would cost us....$5,000 NOT including installation. That was way over our price point. (Needless to say I was a little bummed, but I understand money is tight)
That is when we tried plan three. The Cheap Cabinets.
No glass, no pull out pantry (just a big cabinet with shelves) and the refridgerator would stick out a bunch (more than you can see here). I was not thrilled.
In the end we realized that even though The Cheap Cabinets were half the price, we still could not afford them. So we made a compromise.
We decided to save our money for the next 8-12 months and get the good cabinets then. We will save a little money each month and by next winter maybe we can get them.
I'm going to have to live with my messy open shelving for another year but we will be working towards our dream. One day it will be a reality. At least we know it can be done.
Here is one last shot of the reality and the dream.
P.S. Keep your eye out for an organization post on the shelves, I hope to at least make them a little neater.
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| I designed this kitchen to be open to the dining room. |
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| Sorry about the mess, I'm working on that. |
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| I like to ignore this side of the kitchen. |
In fact, it is bare. For practical purposes we put up some cheep shelving and an island I brought with me from my college days, but it is not pretty.
I really don't like having my messy food stuff on display and the island (in the corner) has become a dumping ground for random stuff-we-don't-know-where-to-put.
 |
| Dried fruits, baking goods, and Worcestershire sauce??? I have no organization. |
 |
| I can't explain why I have so many open boxes of Triscuits. I like then ok? |
Our solution? More shelves, more cabinets, a pull out pantry and a little bookshelf for my cook books...all on that wall.
We made an apointment and we went into see Jessica. I love Jessica by the way, she was the sweetest person I have ever tried to buy something from. I didn't even feel bad when I left without buying anything (but I get ahead of myself). We met Jessica, and spent two hours with her designing our new wall in the kitchen.
It was not too hard to make the design because I knew what I wanted.
1) Glass cabinets for my nice glasses and serving platters.
2) A rounded bookshelf on the end. The bookshelf would be the bridge between the open dining room and the kitchen.
3) A large pull out pantry for all my messy food stuff (nicely hidden away).
4) An enclosed refrigerator (on the sides) with cabinets above.
In the end we had several designs. The differences between them are slight, but enough to make me wonder.
 |
| The cabinets on the left are glass. |
We tried out a look with two glass doors and one small wood one on the side, but Jessica said it was impracticable to have a 9 inch (or 13 or whatever) cabinet because you can't really put anything in it. I actually liked this design a lot, but the first design made a stronger statement.
Then after deciding we liked the glass and rejecting the three door option we found out how much it would cost us....$5,000 NOT including installation. That was way over our price point. (Needless to say I was a little bummed, but I understand money is tight)
That is when we tried plan three. The Cheap Cabinets.
 |
| The Cheap Cabinet |
In the end we realized that even though The Cheap Cabinets were half the price, we still could not afford them. So we made a compromise.
...I have to add an aside here, my hubby is so sweet, he really wants to give me everything. He felt bad we couldn't get them. He's a sweetie...
We decided to save our money for the next 8-12 months and get the good cabinets then. We will save a little money each month and by next winter maybe we can get them.
I'm going to have to live with my messy open shelving for another year but we will be working towards our dream. One day it will be a reality. At least we know it can be done.
Here is one last shot of the reality and the dream.
Reality
Dream
Oh you are wise to wait and get what you really want; after all you might then be living with it for years. Hubby sounds like a keeper and shared goals are good for both of you.
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