Multiple kitchen disorder
When Ilva of Lucullian Delights posted two photos of her kitchen, she struck a chord among food bloggers. Her comments filled up with notes from all over, with links to photos and posts. So, knowing a good thing when she sees one, Ilva turned her post into a meme, asking each of her fellow food bloggers to show her their own kitchen.
Which, ordinarily, would be a lot of fun. But at the moment, that’s a little problematic. Because today I have three kitchens.
My first kitchen sits on the main floor of our house, in the usual spot for a 1920s American home. Last night, when I took this photo, it looked eerily empty. At the moment, it’s slightly messier than I like it, given that our contractor and his crew came by today and tore out all of the appliances and cabinets, plus a good deal of the plaster. Since our debris box doesn’t arrive until tomorrow morning, all of said debris is sitting in the middle of the floor. (OK, that’s not entirely true — there’s an even larger pile in the garage.)
Downstairs, in the laundry room off of our guest quarters, we have a little combat kitchen that we’ll use for the next 3 months. Once we realized how much storage space we had, we brought a lot more of our gadgets downstairs than we’d planned. (Upside: We have fewer boxes to unpack. Downside: We have a lot less excuse to eat out.) Other than the obvious lack of a stove, oven, and sink, and the fact that the fridge is in the garage, it’s a surprisingly functional workspace. Of course, I say that now, not having put the whites in the toaster oven and the stew through the spin cycle… yet.
The third kitchen exists almost exclusively in the imagination of three people: Me, Cameron, and our architect. It’s slowly taking shape in the minds of our contractor and his crew… but I don’t think they inhabit it the way we do; not quite yet. But it’s fun to see them peering in and figuring it out, talking through its geometry as they turn blueprints into walls.
But first, there’s the dust, and the Dumpster. And the chaotic existence of having — if only for a day — three kitchens in one house.
Comment by Tea
I can’t wait to see the new kitchen take shape! Best of luck with the stew/spin cycle until then.
Posted on 01.03.07 at 1:03AM
Comment by coffeepot
I really can’t wait to see the dream.
Looks great.
Posted on 01.03.07 at 3:18PM
Comment by Meeta
Awesome! I love when new things take shape. Even though the transition phase can be tiresome at times. Looking forward to how your dream evolves.
Posted on 01.03.07 at 10:57PM
Comment by Kristen
3 kitchens! I can’t wait to see your new one as well. The plans look like it is going to be beautiful!
Posted on 01.11.07 at 5:53AM
Comment by Veron
Wow, that is exciting for you… from the looks of the plan of the new kitchen it is going to be a lovely one!
Posted on 01.11.07 at 4:43PM
Comment by Anita
Thanks, everyone! We’ll definitely be posting updates as we go. I think they’ll have enough done by this weekend that photos will make sense even to someone who hasn’t lived and breathed the plans for 6 months.
Posted on 01.11.07 at 4:47PM
Comment by Kalyn
Yes, I have done this “get a new kitchen” thing. Repeat after me, “it will be worth it in the end.”
Posted on 01.11.07 at 5:20PM
Comment by Anita
Kalyn, my mantra is:
“It’s just three months. It’s gonna be gorgeous. It’s a great excuse to go to the taqueria…”
Posted on 01.12.07 at 12:09AM
Comment by Anjali
I know how excited you must be. 3 kitchens wow
Posted on 01.12.07 at 1:02AM
Comment by sandi @ the whistlestop cafe
OOOh I don’t envy you the next few months. Kayln is right…’it will be worth it…’
Keep us updated on the transition. Granite or Tile? Gas or Electric?
Posted on 01.12.07 at 8:57AM
Comment by Anita
Thanks, Sandi. We’ll definitely post updates when there’s something fun to report. In fact, I posted one today: http://marriedwithdinner.com/archives/567
The short answer to your questions is “neither” and “I wouldn’t live in a house without gas” 🙂 I promise that I’ll talk more about materials in future posts.
Posted on 01.12.07 at 10:27AM
Comment by Sally
Good luck with the new kitchen!
Posted on 01.12.07 at 12:11PM
Comment by shelly
How exciting! Good luck with it!
Posted on 01.14.07 at 11:44AM
Comment by Tanna
This kind of project is alway difficult and a kitchen is doubly hard. You have the right attitude.
Can’t wait to see it emerge! Best of luck.
Posted on 01.14.07 at 12:46PM