Reno Diaries: A Glimpse At Our Kitchen

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I’ve been tough on our kitchen. I mean, really tough. Since we moved in, it’s the one room I want to change the most but will also take the largest financial investment to improve since one day we want to build a brand new Dreamy kitchen at the back of the house. Until then, a point in the future so far off that no doubt we’ll all be living with robots, we’re stuck with our kitchen and all it’s failings.

The place we’ve come from is a spoiled one – the first home Pete and I shared together was a beautiful one bedroom, split-level flat in West London. It was so bright and airy and although we only rented it, it was really quirky with so many interesting features and hidden nooks and crannies. After 4 years there, we then moved to South East London and rented a two bedroom, Victorian terrace which our landlady had lived in up until we started renting and she’d added a gorgeous light and airy kitchen at the back, creating an open-plan kitchen diner with underfloor heating and limestone floor and bi-fold doors out onto the garden.

In fact, so unhappy was I with the kitchen of our house when I came to do a viewing by myself that I almost didn’t put an offer in (thank goodness my sensible husband talked me round). It was impossible for me to see the vision or potential of what we could create, instead I saw a dark red tiny room with a worn out brick-style lino on the floor, diamond-leaded windows, a tap on its last legs and rotting work surfaces. And don’t even get me started on the ceramic hob and fan-only oven.

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Over time though, we’ve both definitely come round. We painted this tiny room white and replaced the floor and realised that actually, for just the two of us and the dog it’s generally ok (how the previous family of 5 coped I will never know!) . The only issue that we have is that as soon as you do start cooking or baking there is zero work surface space so everything becomes a bit of a juggling act.

Despite that we’ve tried really hard to make the kitchen our own as much as we can so I thought I’d share some of my favourite bits and pieces.

We love colour – the last kitchen we had was a big white space and felt too clinical so we filled it with colourful things and it’s kind of stuck now. The kitchen is where anything goes. I have two of these Joseph Joseph worktop savers although the second one does remind me a bit of psychedelic 80s cartoons (Jamie and the Magic Torch anyone?)

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We bought this lovely little wooden pestle and mortar back from our Sri Lanka trip in January, it’s so aesthetically pleasing and whilst I would love a bigger one at some point it’s just perfect for the two of us.

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COOK! My Mum bought us this super cook book stand one Christmas and it’s been a firm favourite ever since. Although most of the time a cookbook is resting, closed, against it…

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On the wall, we’ve hung these pretty measuring spoons which I bought from Tigerlilly Quinn online shop last year. They’re so pretty and add a dash of colour.

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This corner is my favourite of the kitchen which isn’t exactly hard, the other corners house the bread bin, microwave and breadmaker. It’s also about the only clear surface space we have.

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Also on the wall is the absolute best present we got last year for Christmas, unbeknownst to us Dani had taken all these pictures of Maddie when she takes her out for walks during the day and had turned them all into a calendar. It’s an absolute treasure as it captures all her puppy and growing moments so we’ll keep it even once the year has finished and maybe frame some of the photos.

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And last but by no means least, this pretty plate that I picked up for £1 from a local charity shop a few weeks ago. Perfect for all my cake-eating exploits!

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So in the end, our kitchen isn’t so bad and will definitely see us through the next couple of years. Whether the tap and the oven survive remains to be seen!

What about your house? Is there a room you really love or one you can’t wait to change?

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20 Comments

  1. October 29, 2015 / 12:39 am

    Kitchens are such a nightmare aren’t they. Expensive to replace and often hard to justify until enough things become temperamental. Looks like you’re making the most of what you have and that calendar looks fab X #homeetc

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:11 pm

      ABsolutely. I think it has lasted us better than we thought it would and we’re probably quite fond of it in its own funny way. I’ll keep dreaming! X

  2. Caroline
    October 29, 2015 / 4:02 pm

    Aww it may not be your dream kitchen, but you have made a fab job of making the best of it, I love some of the bits yu have collected for it. We rent at the moment, and I cannot wait to be able to buy our own house. x

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:07 pm

      I hope you get there soon Caroline, it took us a long time of renting but that’s my stupid stubborness for refusing to move out of London 🙂 If we dream, we will always achieve Xx

  3. October 29, 2015 / 11:58 pm

    I feel exactly the same about our kitchen, it was here when we moved in and I knew immediately that I wanted to replace it but here we are, 11 years later, still struggling on with the same old kitchen and desperately hoping we will be able to afford to replace it soon! I think you are taking the right attitude, learning to love what you have for the time being. One day, we will be ready for our new kitchens, in the meantime, we’d best make the most of the ones we have. (Your photos look lovely to me!) xx #HomeEtc

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:06 pm

      Thank you Sue that’s so kind of you to say. Absolutely agree, we wanted to change so much when we first moved in and then the money ran out about 5 minutes later so it’s just doing little bits here and there where we can Xx

  4. Sabrina (The Mummy Stylist)
    October 30, 2015 / 12:54 pm

    That’s the thing about kitchens, I find the accessories really bring it life, and I really love the ones you have chosen. Love the little measuring spoons on the wall, so cool! Sabrina xx
    #HomeEtc

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:05 pm

      Thank you Sabrina, I definitely think us ladies are good at making the best of what we have. One day it will all be different 🙂 Xx

  5. November 1, 2015 / 7:16 pm

    Oh I adore that kettle!! What a fab space x

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:03 pm

      It’s like a little ray of sunshine in our otherwise gloomy kitchen 🙂 X

  6. November 2, 2015 / 1:44 am

    The kitchen… It is a tough one – expensive and a huge hassle to get it changed! We recently did ours, and it is finally, ALMOST, ready. There are always some sort of cock-ups with kitchens, we have been spending ages sorting them out. But once it is done, it is lovely cooking in our nice new shiny kitchen! 🙂 Hoping it’ll work out for you soon enough! #homeetc

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:03 pm

      Ahh I’m so glad to hear it worked out for you, yes I absolutely agree they’re such complex spaces that it’s all to easy to get it wrong. When the time comes I’ll probably be driving everyone involved absolutely crazy 🙂 X

  7. Becky | Spirited Puddle Jumper
    November 2, 2015 / 8:25 pm

    I love what you’ve done with the kitchen, and that you’ve really made it yours and made the most of it even though you know that long term you want to change it. Your accessories are fab, and I love those measuring spoons! I personally find homes with more accessories and personal details a lot more interesting than somewhere too clinical- I love having a good nose!

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 3:00 pm

      Hehe me too Becky! This time of year is great for me you know, when it’s dark but people don’t always shut their curtains straight away. Pete is forever telling me off for trying to take a sneaky peep into people’s homes as we walk past. I do agree with you, definitely one for more personality than stark for sure X

  8. mummyofboygirltwins
    November 2, 2015 / 8:27 pm

    I know. We had a few okay ish kitchens in older properties, and they were okay but once we did them up we were so happy. The one in my new home looks like a show kitchen and I am almost afraid to splash anything still!!!! SO happy with it though. Hope you get there soon – you have such impeccable taste that it will be stunning. Thanks for linking up and sharing, much appreciated 🙂 Jess xx

    #HomeEtc

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 2:59 pm

      Oh Jess I am envious, it must be blissful to have a kitchen where everything is so shiny and new, I’d be buffing it all every second! My Mum loved changing kitchens in every house we never lived in and I never really understood it until now that I’m interiors obsessed! Xx

  9. November 3, 2015 / 5:09 pm

    Yes — this is me all over!! The kitchen was the one room we vowed to change and —nearly — 6 years on we’re still stuck with it!! I’ve painted the units a couple of times but am DESPERATE to give it a total overhaul. Love your yellow kettle by the way!! That would be a keeper 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up with us #HomeEtc

    • Lins
      November 4, 2015 / 2:55 pm

      Oh I feel your pain! I’m sure that our dreamy new kitchens will be well worth the wait, one day! X

  10. November 5, 2015 / 9:49 pm

    You’ve added some lovely touches and pops of colour even if it’s not your dream room just yet. It looks really nice. I’m not overly keen on our kitchen either. The space is a dream but the style of the cupboards is not really what I want in the longterm.

  11. September 30, 2023 / 12:53 pm

    Your efforts have made the kitchen beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

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