Worm's World

We have a lot of kitchen stuff - we cook, and bake and both of us have done since university - so over the years we have accumulated stuff - so we're going to be a bit choosier about what goes back in. but we've also brought the kitchen some new presents - a new bin, a kettle, tool, ceramic saucepans and silicone oven gloves - that kind of thing I love the fact the most of the stuff in the 'new' kitchen is old / vintage / retro, but it's really exciting to have new things to look forward too as well.

Progress is happening, it's slower then we thought (although I have a theory that Pete's excellent coffee making skills isn't speeding things up at all) - but once the walls are done then and grouted that's it - and it's getting there. Here's the sink unit in place, but not plumbed in. It had to be in place because these beauties are being tiles around it. Tempting as it was to go a bit crazy with the colours of the tiles, I made a a grown up decision to pick up two packs with some overlapping tiles in the same colourway.  Mexican tiles from  http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/corinnacorinna1974   Since we've kept the mint green ceiling we painted ages ago (when we painted the kitchen white and got rid of the magnolia in an attempt to freshen it all up) it made sense to keep the same pallet - especially since the oven is British racing green too. I think Pete had to do a little bit of explaining about how to get the desired eff...

We're on Thursday - the floor is over half done - and should be finished by tomorrow. We've got the weekend to fit the sink, box off some pipes and cover up that delightful yellow squares. Getting the sink unit in will make a big difference - once because although we have hot and cold water thanks to another trip to b&q - trying to do washing up in a little bowl isn't great. it will also give us a little bit of storage back - so we can start moving some of the detritus that's in the dining room out so we can move around again. Highly sought after Ikea sink unit - who knew Finding the right sink was a bit of a battle - we looked at lots of butler / belfast sinks and some industrial ones before finding a now discontinued Ikea Varde unit in Knutsford. It's going to look awesome - and hopefully all done and finished by this time next week.

We first got the idea of a free standing kitchen in our head - we were inspired by the sink unit in Pete's barber shop - which was an old vanity unit with a new sink in it. When we got home to have a look at our kitchen we released we were already there to some extent - having brought a 50's larder in Liverpool, and used it extensively since then. We already had a kitchen table and neither of us are fans of integrated appliances.  We know that's big enough to keep all of our food in, however since we've got rid of all of the built in cupboards we were suddenly very aware if what we didn't have - which was storage. Cue frantic ebay hunting. The first thing we brought was this: We actually only popped around to have a look at it - since it was local - and slightly awkwardly ended up buying it for the listed price since another 16 people were watching it and we were there - and it is huge. I've come to realsie that if you're hunting for 2...

I admit it now, I wasn't really prepared for the chaos of renovating a kitchen - and this in my eyes a fairly simple project - 2 trades (plumber / gas man and a tile man). I hadn't really thought about what not living with a kitchen for any length of time would be like - let alone with a small person - who gratefully is fed 3 square meals a day in nursery and isn't hungry when he gets home. I'm not sure how you'd manage this with a stealthy small person at home - hats off to anyone on Grand Designs that does. We have a mini kitchen set up in the dining room - microwave, toaster, electric kettle (we usually use a gas hob), coffee grinder and beans - very important - and we still have a sink etc so it's ok - but I'm finding not having space for anything, or prep anything hard going (and I admit not really the time or inclination to sort out the dining table when I get home - although that might be tonight's job) What is good is we have everything ...

Until I have an oven back I'm a little stuck on what to cook - luckily Brit is in Nursery full time and gets fed plenty there so week days so far haven't been too much of a issue - I'm not entirely sure what to do over the weekend although I'm pretty sure it's going to involve eating lunch out. I've also been pretty determined not to fall into the takeaway trap - and since our last one from somewhere that used to be good was really disappointing I'm saving that up for a treat. So, we've been good - sort of. So far we've utilised the racelette, the slow cooker (Morocco veg strew, with the left over raclette potatoes and veggies) - I'm also grateful for whichever website / pinterest that recommended using the microwave to perfectly cook sweetcorn. I do have a camping gas ring I could use, but I don't really have anywhere safe to put it. I also decided to raid the exciting world of freezer to microwave cuisine. I don't usually buy convenienc...

I am currently between ovens - as we're mid way in the 2 week kitchen renovation - which I know is a terribly short time in the scheme of things, but it doesn't help. It boils down to this - you don't notice how much you use the hob, or the grill till you don't have one. We've set up a makeshift kitchen, set up in the dining room - all the essentials - microwave, toaster, kettle, toastie maker, coffee grinder - and the dishwasher is still working - which is good since what little room around the sink is full of ramekins full of nails. The worst of it is the not being able to find things - the dining room is currently full of boxes, which also means there's no room to put anything, or do anything - it took me 10 mins of going through bags of things to find chocolate spread to put on some french bread for pudding (I gave up trying to find a bread knife, so I tore it in satisfying hunks of baguette) I know it will end soon - I'm not entirely sure when the plumb...

When we moved in there wasn't really a utility room - just a tiled space, next to another tiled room / outdoor pursuits storage / mudroom / downstairs loo. We were informed they'd had washing machine and chest freezer there and following suit it's where our washing machine and fridge / freezer lives. Utility area with 2 sad shelves It also came to house a wine rack, the recycling, plastic bags etc - and was an unloved, slug trap dumping ground. No more!! Clever and handy Pete has reused cupboards and counter space from the kitchen - This feels like a real bonus to the project - and has made a difference to the entire back of the house.

This doesn't look that exciting, but it is - that relocated dishwashers heralds the end of the peninsular unit of doom It used to take up so much room - and really only served to house the stopcock and plumbing that had once been along the wall of the kitchen before the extension. We're assuming in some jaunty way they used it as a breakfast bar, maybe - but we'd had to keep the front on with cabin hooks, hoped the tiles around it didn't disintegrate any further and wonder why inside the cabinet bit was a double plug connected but inaccessible. And now it's gone, and it opens up the space nicely. Between the wall cabinets coming down and this being taken down the potential for the space in the kitchen is beginning to feel a very real reality.

Pete has a thing about Red quarry tiles - we looked at reclaimed ones, and that worked out at about £3785 (it's a big kitchen) and the cautionary tale that my brother picked up a load to do something with and they are still in the shed because of the effort to clean them. Anyway - new red quarry tiles are very cheap and a bit of a conversation about how to lay them led to this image in my mother in law's Country Living - perfect inspiration. Assuming it was just concert underneath the existing 'floor tiles of death' Pete has just sent me this photo - he's in charge of the manly task of stripping out the kitchen. So we were bang on what we wanted, period to the house - we've just no idea now how many, in what condition or if the lovely tiling guy can work with them - but it feels like a good sign we're doing right by the house not going with a modern fitted kitchen.

The story so far.. Step 1 - Collect 'inspiration' on Pinterest from the day you move in Step 2 - Eventually squirrel together some money Step 3 - Be Brave and go and talk to every kitchen salesperson on a wet Bank Holiday Monday Step 4 - Pick up so many brouchers you get confused, and realized despite your collective advanced education neither of you even have an idea of how to start pricing up a kitchen, you're not even sure you want - and no one seemed that enthused about selling to you. Step 5 - Buy another pint, and something to entertain Brit while you work out what to do - because the kitchen is starting to get on your nerves and make you sad. Step 6 - Get excited by the idea of just getting the utilities moved and the place tiled and filling it with awesome furniture Step 7 - Start a New Pinterest Step 8 - Obsessively scour EBay for things, and then working out how you get them home Step 9 - Start stripping out things in a bit of a panic because ...