Bizarrely one of the reasons I decided to buy my house (our house now) was because of the kitchen tiles. Weird I know. I saw a photo of this house on the internet and fell in love instantly with the kitchen, and knew I would end up living here. Thankfully I was right (I love it when that happens). The wall tiles are red (my favourite colour) and cream. I am very boring, every wall in our house is cream apart from the bathroom where I went really crazy and wacky and chose sage green and white as a colour scheme..
Unfortunately the kitchen ceiling resembled a sauna, in that it was clad in scarily orange varnished wooden slats. I ignored that and instead concentrated on the terracotta stone tiled floor. How gorgeous, I thought smugly. It isn't gorgeous. It's a bugger to clean and cold in the mornings. My Mum commented on how dark the kitchen was. I didn't see it. (perhaps because it was so bloody dark), and argued that is was cosy.
My fabulous Dad had the ceiling down and replastered within weeks. No more sauna. Two years after moving in I admitted that my Mum had been right on the daylight thing, and, sick of having to have the lights on in the day time, I had light tunnels installed in the ceiling. Fantastic. Until it rained. A lot. I came home from work one day and went skidding across the cold, mucky tiled kitchen floor due to a large reservoir that had appeared, thanks to a leak from the light tunnels. This happened twice. The problem has now been fixed thankfully, although each time it rains I find myself standing underneath them, waiting to see if I can feel water on my head.
Unfortunately the kitchen ceiling resembled a sauna, in that it was clad in scarily orange varnished wooden slats. I ignored that and instead concentrated on the terracotta stone tiled floor. How gorgeous, I thought smugly. It isn't gorgeous. It's a bugger to clean and cold in the mornings. My Mum commented on how dark the kitchen was. I didn't see it. (perhaps because it was so bloody dark), and argued that is was cosy.
My fabulous Dad had the ceiling down and replastered within weeks. No more sauna. Two years after moving in I admitted that my Mum had been right on the daylight thing, and, sick of having to have the lights on in the day time, I had light tunnels installed in the ceiling. Fantastic. Until it rained. A lot. I came home from work one day and went skidding across the cold, mucky tiled kitchen floor due to a large reservoir that had appeared, thanks to a leak from the light tunnels. This happened twice. The problem has now been fixed thankfully, although each time it rains I find myself standing underneath them, waiting to see if I can feel water on my head.
One of the other reasons I loved (and still do, despite the floor) the kitchen is that there is enough room in there for free standing furniture and 'other crap' (mentioning no names). I bought this wall mounted plate rack (note the lack of plates) with my first pay check from my current job. General 'stuff' lives on it, such as postcards, a freaky number of white jugs which I seem to have a habit of buying, limited edition coke bottles, my wedding bouquet (although you have to have a fantastic amount of vision and imagination to work that out as is now a mangled dried mess that attracts an alarming amount of dust) last years calender, this years calender, lobster crackers (they are red) and a cafetiere. Resting on top is my school photo from approx 18 years ago which I take great delight in getting down when I've had a glass or two and making people try and find me. Oooh, we do throw a wild party....
Having a large ish kitchen means I can also house my large amount of recipe books, which seem to breed overnight. This is a small selection....
We are hoping to put a new kitchen in next year. I am thinking of cream units with beech block work tops. We will keep the horrid tiled floor, although I think the red and cream tiles will have to go if the whole room is re-organised.
My absolute favourite thing of all though, which will never go anywhere and will take centre stage in any refurbishment project, is our fridge. I love it, and have even considered having it put onto casters so if the house ever catches fire I can wheel it outside and save it.
Having a large ish kitchen means I can also house my large amount of recipe books, which seem to breed overnight. This is a small selection....
We are hoping to put a new kitchen in next year. I am thinking of cream units with beech block work tops. We will keep the horrid tiled floor, although I think the red and cream tiles will have to go if the whole room is re-organised.
My absolute favourite thing of all though, which will never go anywhere and will take centre stage in any refurbishment project, is our fridge. I love it, and have even considered having it put onto casters so if the house ever catches fire I can wheel it outside and save it.
The fridge was a fabulous wedding present from Robs Mum, to whom we are eternally grateful. It makes me smile just looking at it, and filling it and cooking from it even more of a pleasure! The postcard on it says, (very sensibly in my opinion) 'Housework is evil. It must be stopped' Just a little reminder, in case I were to forget. Darn floor tiles.....
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