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Thursday, March 22, 2018

Out With the Old . . .

It's been a very busy few weeks. As many who follow this blog know, in mid-February, we we (finally) completed the long-awaited sale of our VA home.

As soon as that was done, we prepared for an early March kitchen/bathroom renovation in the mill apartment that's now our only home. We'd negotiated the updates last November at lease renewal and they included new kitchen appliances, cabinets, flooring and new flooring and vanities in the two bathrooms. 

But, first, contents of the kitchen, bottom pantry shelves and floor and items in the bathroom vanities had to be emptied and relocated. Here's what our dining area looked like after stuff was moved to the dining area where it was covered or put in containers.
The new refrigerator was delivered the weekend before and placed in the dining area as well, so the current fridge could be emptied.
The old kitchen was woefully outdated as shown in these before photos taken after everything was removed; the toaster oven was still being used.
Ready for the after photos?
These photos show the difference after installation of new countertops (not granite), cabinets, and appliances. Basically, the appliances are identical to the previous white models, except for the stainless exteriors and with one additional item. 

We now have a microwave, something we'd done without for the past 2 years. The VA house had one and it was used mainly to reheat afternoon coffee. Since apartment counter space was limited and one wasn't included in the kitchen, we bought a new toaster/convection oven instead. But, the update included a microwave, unfortunately at the loss of over-the-stove cabinet space.

Moving on, the new kitchen flooring is an improvement over the previous flooring and it's the same in both bathrooms.
 

Lots of kitchen and pantry items did not go into the new kitchen (by choice). Some were donated to local thrift stores. A soon-to-married niece happily accepted duplicate and unneeded kitchenware. 

Of course, after the update and clearing out, we bought some new stuff. Our everyday cutlery set was over 18 years old — way past time to replace. This stainless steel Oneida set and the bamboo tray were bought at a local Bed, Bath & Beyond store. (We used a few of those 20 percent discount coupons that often come in the mail.)
Does your kitchen have a designated "junk" drawer where you place odds and ends? We used to have one, but one of the the new cabinets replaced 2 drawers (including the junk one) with a single large drawer. Our solution was two-fold: a bamboo tray to group knives and another with compartments for everything else (giveaways meant less items to store.) Now, we can actually find things in this drawer.
We've been using the redesigned kitchen for the past couple of weeks and really enjoy it. One drawback is the black stovetop is much harder to clean than the previous white top. After a few failures at cleaning it, we checked the manual which recommended vinegar and water. It works, but cleaning the stovetop is still harder than before. If anyone has a similar stovetop and can offer suggestions, please share in the comments.

Overall, this renovation was much easier than when we did it in our former VA home. The difference now is that if anything needs repair, we notify the management office.

We like that — a lot.

18 comments:

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Wonderful new kitchen! When we redid ours a couple of years ago, I wanted the microwave placed up on the wall, above the stove like yours. I love it because it gave me more counter space. My new stove is glass top and a pain to keep clean as well. -Jenn

MadSnapper said...

i really like your new kitchen and would love to have the over the stove microwave, we have one and it resides in the space under the counter where a dishwasher would go.. we can't have glass top because bob prefers cooking his breakfast in cast iron skillet which can't be used on glass. that means i don't have any advice which is rare. ha ha... love the floors

Anvilcloud said...

The process kills, but the results are good.

We have a black car. We once had a white one. The black one shows the dirt much more.

Emma Springfield said...

Try a mixture of vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. It works like a charm.

William Kendall said...

A lot of work, but it was well worth it.

L. D. said...

Wow this is fun to get new, but not fun to do what you have to do to get there. I like your new cupboards. Kp up the good work as you put it all back into the new kitchen.

Connie said...

Everything looks so nice! I'm sure you will enjoy such a bright, new work space.

Valerie said...

Isn't it exciting when you move house to find homes for everything?
I thought I was the only one in the world who had a junk drawer.

Anonymous said...

It looks great! You are lucky to have such a good landlord.

DUTA said...

Enjoy your new kitchen! The colors look more solid and practical than in the former one, and this is important.

possum said...

Time to renew your silverware???? That threw me. I still use my grandmother's and great grandmother's silver everyday... except for the cat food. They have their own stainless. And I now use the Bavarian bone china or Spode for everyday dishes. No daughters to give them to- so, at age 74, I may as well enjoy them. I might not be here for the next "special" occasion. So, breakfast is my next special occasion!

For the stove top- I just use windex and a paper towel. Works like a charm.

baili said...

wow i loved your new kitchen with new fridge and other appliances ,it is looking great!!!

this is nice that in new apartment you are feeling much easy to access your stuff and space is more to arrange things
i am so happy for you my friend that your life is taking one pleasant change :)

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Lovely new kitchen! Keep your old silver..........the new stainless these days is so thin! I use vintage silver that I have gathered up through the years and I use stainless for pet food and when my husband went to work during his working days......I would pack stainless in his lunch box.
Enjoy your new space!

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! You two must be elated with this renovation/improvement...it looks amazing!...:)JP

Christina said...

Kitchen renovations are fun - once they are over! Your new kitchen looks great, I like the dark cabinets. I am glad you are enjoying it. I don't think I could be without my drawer of doom :-)

My name is Erika. said...

How exciting to get the updates. Plus it's always good to do some cleaning out. I sure need to do that. Your kitchen looks nice! :) And I would love to get together sometime. Probably it would be best for me (unfortunately) until school wraps up as I am heading to Japan in 3 weeks and have a bunch of stuff going on in May. But lets plan on meeting up after that if it works for you. Hugs-Erika

Lynn said...

Very nice! Doesn't that make cooking more fun?

DeniseinVA said...

Congratulations again on selling your home. Your new kitchen looks wonderful. I have had fun catching up on all the posts I missed :)