The kitchen facelift

I love kitchens. I get depressed when I walk through the kitchen sections at any store because I can’t afford any of them and so I walk really quickly through the whole section usually… for reals!

I love white, bright kitchens – usually with lots of seating. I was lucky because the cupboards were already white when we bought the house (everything else though, I hated). I got subway tiles for the back-splash, from Home Depot, which looks amazing, and the white counter-top is from IKEA (they have a great selection of counter-tops).

This kitchen has very little counter space, so I used the same counter-top and created a space on the opposite side of the kitchen, which has enough space for a couple bar stools.

I got rid of the makeshift pantry that I had in the kitchen and so I had to find an alternative solution for storage. I got the shelves and drawers from the IKEA as-is section. I left the area open, but because everything is grouped in baskets, I think it works.

The kitchen is my favorite remake so far!

Battle scars

I am probably wrong, but I feel like the house is trying to kill me.

Exhibit 1:

It’s not a very good photo, but I have red blotchy marks on my hands where my skin was grazed by various surfaces, most often, the walls…

Exhibit 2:

These are faded now, but I have blue-black bruise marks all over…

Yeah. So. Ok, “kill” might be a bit harsh, but definitely injure right?

Mmmm… happy

Round 1

Round 2

I had a Round 3 as well, but I thought it would look ridiculous if I took yet another picture of my plate of crab legs! Also, that’s pretty much all I ate… because, seriously, why eat anything else?!

Bathroom on a budget

So. I have a teeny tiny bathroom, and a tonne of stuff. The over-the-toilet storage is excellent for people with the space issue. This one was from Rona and was relatively inexpensive, although I bought it about 3 years ago and until last week, it was happily (or unhappily) living it’s life in my garage!

The most expensive thing I did was to put in tiles – glass tiles are my absolute favorite, but it’s quite pricey so I had to minimize it’s use. I got subway tiles, because I really adore them and they are affordable. If you can install tiles yourself, this is a great look and can be achieved on a modest budget.

The hand towels in the basket idea I stole from my cousin, who we visited in Maryland last weekend. Along with her hospitality and yummy food, she gave us some germ-busting tips! Although the towels are single-use, they are easily washable and reusable. I got the towels from Home Sense on sale and the baskets at Bouclair where you can find a great selection of baskets in different textures and colors.

Props to sid for the painting job! It’s green, although I am not sure that comes across in the photos.

PS. I am still looking for an appropriate mirror!