Kitchen Update Part II- Appliances! Paint!

I recently wrote about the updates in the kitchen that I consider my better-for-now upgrade. I showed you the new floor, and some before and afters, and mentioned that my big priorities for the updates were 1. replacing the peeling linoleum 2. lightening up the space 3. buying appliances and a kitchen sink, as there was nothing of the sort in the house upon sale.

As you may remember from the last post, this is how the kitchen started out:







The kitchen came with not a single appliance, and not even a kitchen sink. And it was DARK. Appliances were the first thing I needed once the floors were complete, but I was far more excited to think about painting and making the space look nicer than I was to shop for appliances. Something about kitchen appliances, at least when my budget is so shoestring I know I won't be even considering a Smeg fridge or Viking range, just does not illicit much excitement for me.

So let me first show off some of the things that I am excited about- like how I stripped the wallpaper- with help from my Mom, thanks Mom!- removed all the cabinet doors and hardware, and ultimately painted EVERYTHING.

Here is a video of Evan removing poly from a hinge after it had soaked in paint thinner, which I find oddly calming to watch. We did this for each piece of hardware, as everything was coated in aged, yellowed polyurethane.

See how yellowed the hinges looked originally:

They took a bath in paint thinner, got a good scrubbing, and were all kinds of shiny after:

I also decided to remove a couple of strategic cabinets to let more light into the kitchen. See how much more open things were looking already in this progress shot after removing the uppers on either side of the window, as well as the large upper cabinet that formed a partition between the dining area and kitchen spaces?

First the large cabinet in the front was taken down:

Then the cabinets flanking the window.

The removal of the cabinets left a section of the soffit looking rather out of place, which I intend to remove and patch up, but has been relegated to the later, more thorough kitchen renovation phase. Those things were built sturdy!

As soon as these three strategic cabinets came down, the space instantly felt so much lighter! I was elated.

I considered painting the walls white to just make things as bright and clean feeling as possible, but ended up deciding to use a blue similar to the one I painted in my last kitchen. Which by the way is also similar to the tone I painted in my Boston apartment 7 years ago. When you find something that works...

The kitchen in my apartment on Hawthorne

I decided with the appliances that I just wanted to get cheap ones, and get them in place to make the kitchen functional, and perhaps I would update them down the line.  My only requirements were that they be white and not almond, that the fridge be new-ish to be at least somewhat energy efficient (ie, not a 40 year old beast), and that the stove be gas.

After searching craigslist and box stores,I ended up getting my appliances at a local used appliance store called Appliance City. Their warehouse takes up an entire block, and as you wander inside there are fridges, stoves, dishwashers, and other large appliances stacked in rows upon rows, often with no seeming organization. Luckily the staff was very helpful, and made me what felt like a good deal on a gas stove, fridge, washer and dryer.

The four (including delivery) came out to $1,200, the bulk of which was because I chose to buy newer more efficient washer dryer set (with a gas washer). All four were delivered a few days later, and the delivery team even hooked everything up for me. So easy.

In a strangely lucky coincidence, I came to own a dishwasher before I even closed on the house. Shortly after getting my offer accepted, and knowing I would soon be on the hunt for appliances, I came upon a dishwasher on the street with a sign that said "Free! Works great!" I was walking home from work at the time, and while I did not usually have access to a vehicle that could have transported this sidewalk find (both Evan and I just got around on bikes or on foot, neither owning a car), it just so happened that my friend Molly had left me the keys to her truck while she was out of town that week so Evan and I could use it for errands (she's the best, right? having access to wheels for a while when you can't usually is huge). I ran home, got Evan, we hopped in the truck, and luckily the dishwasher was still there when we got to the corner where I'd seen it.

And that...is how I came to have a dishwasher in the hallway of my tiny apartment...for a whole month.

I never realized I could write so many words just about buying used appliances. And I didn't even get to the kitchen sink. Which was a cast iron double sink I found on craigslist for $25.

So if you tally it all up, for $1,225, I got a fridge, gas stove, washer, gas dryer, dishwasher, and cast iron sink.  Not too bad, huh? Nearly 10 months later all of the appliances still work just fine (whoever wrote the note for my dishwasher was right, it does work great), and I really can't complain. Yes, I'd love to get a fancier stove someday (maybe one with a digital control of the oven? That would be fancy) but my kitchen is a whole lot more functional than it was before.

I mean, will you just look at those handsome appliances?

Oh, and the bright white freshly painted cabinets, far improved floors, and general happiness of my little retro kitchen NOW?

I still have a lot of thoughts and plans for little and big updates I can continue to make in here, but I am much happier cooking, eating and living in this space now that it is a little lighter. Oh yeah, and the fact that it contains a stove, sink and fridge now helps, too.