Tuesday 30 December 2014

Presenting: our kitchen!

This story begins a long time ago and is a long time waiting to be told.  When we bought our house in 2007 it had been a student house for 20 years and it showed.  The plan was to do it up, which is taking a lot of time as we don't have the cash, time or inclination to spend every weekend plastering and sanding!

This is how our kitchen looked.


See the 80s kitchen cupboards?  The big patch on the wall where the boiler used to be?  The burnt oven which must have been 30 years old at least?


There was a nice bit to the kitchen, my white painted shelves with the bunting!  The open door is the door to the dining room, the closed door is the door to the cellar, it was a real squeeze to get down there!


That's the back door with the lovely exposed pipes and the wide drawers which were too big to be organised.


Not forgetting the gorgeous lino, torn and stained all over.


And then, in April 2013 it was time for a new kitchen.  The dining room was full of the new cabinets, delivered and waiting to be fitted, so we moved our kitchen into the living room.  This was day one when it all seemed like an adventure.


Slowly the kitchen started coming apart.  Appliances removed.


Down came the cabinets.



On day two all the units were removed and the kitchen in all its beauty was exposed.


And that's when the discovery was made.  The plaster wasn't coming away from the wall above the door, the wall of the house was falling down.  Marvellous.  What followed was months of hell arguing with the insurance company, who in the end refused to pay up, then full building works for 2 weeks whilst our house was put back together.  The entire time we lived without a kitchen.  I will never ever eat another ready meal.  This was also the catalyst for my depression, so it sparked an extra year or so (please don't let it go on much longer) of hell.  All because of this innocent looking patch of bricks.


November 2013 the new kitchen was finally fitted.  So why am I showing you this over a year later?  Because I'd been waiting for kitchen curtains!  It turned out that they weren't going to sew themselves from the fabric I bought back in November 2013 and I had to do it.


We went with white units, black counter top, black floor, then injected colour with the multi-coloured tiles.  That meant I could use any of the colours in the tiles (all colours except purple) for accents.  I chose yellow for the curtains.


Unfortunately the exposed pipes remain, a year later I'm still waiting for them to be boxed in!


So ta-dah!  These cafe-style curtains herald the end of the nightmare that was our house falling down.  I love my new kitchen.


22 comments:

creations.1 said...

What a difference - I can just imagine how nice it is for you now - even with the exposed pipes! They will go in time meanwhile enjoy the luxury of home cooked meals! Funny how things don't make themselves isn't it!!

Rachel said...

I am so glad your house is no longer falling down. Not an experience for anyone to cherish...

Pam @Threading My Way said...

Oh, what a difference, Wendy - a beautiful kitchen!!!

Chrissy said...

Your renewed kitchen is beautiful. I love the tiles, they look very modern, with a hint of vintage. I'm sorry you had to go through hell to get it, but it is wonderful now you have it.

Flickenstichlerin said...

Congratulations to your finished curtains and your kitchen. Both look great, bet it is fun to cook in it.
I admire your patience and working through all the trouble.
Greetings,
Sylvia

Elizabeth Braun said...

Eeek! Well, thank goodness you found out in good time to prevent a tragedy!

Looks good now though. :)

Una said...

That must have been very stressful. When we had subsidence years ago the insurance company insisted on monitoring it for 2 years before paying up. The cracks just got bigger and more expensive! I think kitchens are the hardest rooms to renovate. We are tackling out bathroom and possibly our kitchen next year. Happy days ahead.

Sarah in Stitches said...

I am so sorry you had to go through that hell! Your kitchen looks absolutely amazing now, though. Great job with the curtains! :D

Kathleen said...

Looks great! I would have been depressed during all that "reveal" as well!

heart of charnwood said...

Looks fab, and good work with the curtains, despite the pain! In my experience, get it all done at the same time, or it's a nightmare to get finished, i.e it doesn't. After 12 months waiting for my tiles to fit themselves, I finally did it myself, now if only the grouting would do itself!!! :o)

Alison said...

I can't believe your curtain didn't make itself, disgraceful! I have some fabric that is supposed to be covering our dining room chairs, it hasn't done it yet either...

Your kitchen looks amazing, and the curtain is the perfect finishing touch!
A
x

Second Chance Tan said...

Wow that has been a long and torturous nightmare...... so glad the kitchen is finished and looking really lovely now. The curtains are great xxx

Sheryl said...

Gosh, what an ordeal without a kitchen for a long time, but look how beautiful it is now. You must be so pleased. Happy New Year Wendy

Sandra :) said...

WENDY the after looks fantastic - it's just so NICE! And I love the multi-coloured tiles - they're FUN :D The before pictures, though - OMG that's awful - you were pretty brave to have endured that as long as you did, lol! That is just FUGLY!

Jane said...

I remember when this all happened, so glad you've got a nice, new, clean kitchen. Well done on the curtains, they finish the room nicely

margaret said...

certainly you have a lovely kitchen now but what drama you went through, insurance they are so good about finding a way not too pay trust you have changed companies now and maybe 2015 will have those pipes boxed in. My house needs so much doing to it when all I want to do is move into somewhere much smaller

Celtic Thistle said...

Gosh you really have been put through the mill with your kitchen Wendy. It looks lovely now though, and your cafe curtain is the perfect finishing touch (well apart from the yet to be boxed in pipes!)

Star speckles said...

Your new kitchen looks fantastic, and the curtains set it off a treat! I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that to get there, but it looks fabulous now xx

Anonymous said...

Your kitchen renovation journey sounds as if it's been a nightmare, so pleased it's all over for you and now you get to enjoy your lovely new kitchen with no ready meals in sight!

Jillayne said...

I remember you mentioning your wall issue a long time ago and have wondered from time to time how things have progressed - so glad to hear it's all sorted out. You guys did a fabulous job - your kitchen looks cozy and cheerful - love those tiles!

Anonymous said...

I love you multi-coloured tiles ^^

pennydog said...

Well done on getting those curtains done, I still couldn't have done it. Love your tiles too.