Kitchen English - Part III

The end of the (long) story that began here.

The Cabinets. At one point (Plan B) they were all going to be replaced because that was the only way to buy the bench from B&Q and get it fitted. After our previous difficulties finding workmen, Bill was prepared to just throw money at it. I balked because (a) there was nothing wrong with the cabinets we had and it seemed really wasteful to send them to landfill; (b) there was too much choice and I was struggling to make such a big decision; (c) the number of units on the special sale would only replace about half of the units we have. So we backed away from that idea and started over. I considered painting the cabinets, as this website says every high-end kitchen she’s seen has painted cabinets.

Painting being within our range of skills, I wouldn’t on frugal principle pay someone else to do it. However, so soon after the bathroom cabinet painting experience, I couldn’t really face it. So, they just got a clean and a polish. Some of the handles are broken and need replaced, but not all. We had at some point in the past worked out a plan for moving the handles around and getting a new subset where they would all match on one area. We even went out and bought the needed handles, but never installed them. When I find those again, this will happen. Also, there is an Ikea about 15 miles away, down at the Metro Centre. Frugal Scholar says there are nifty cabinet gadgets from Ikea that can enhance their utility.


I’ve already re-purposed a small two-tiered lazy suzan to hold bowls and saucers in one cupboard. My aim is to have every thing visible and to be able to remove anything I wish without having to shift something else to do so; this will require more culling but I’m open to gadget ideas. Inexpensive ones, of course. Any suggestions?

The Details. Having to take everything out of the cabinets was an opportunity to re-think what needed to go back in, and so we’ve shed ourselves of a few thrift-store flower vases, empty glass jars, the more ragged towels and beat-up pots and pans. We’ve also moved things around to possibly more convenient locations, but that is a work in progress. When painting above the cabinets above the stove, Bill discovered another exit for the extractor fan. It had been vented to the outside, as many are. Even when not in use, the opening flapped in the great North breeze and was another contributor to the freezing kitchen. Brits are famously enamoured with ‘fresh air’ but we decided that flap had to go.


The Finale. Finally, I’m inspired to do something with red, cream and brown patchwork. It was going to be a bag holder, but then I figured out how to move the old one indoors, so it might be a door curtain, something decorative for the buffet cabinet shelves or much-needed seat covers for the 2 sets of 2 chairs (my Grandma & Grandpa's; his Auntie Mary's? Polly's). I expect I’ll keep an eye out for things like table cloths that might coordinate as well. I’ll let you know what I end up with.

In the meantime, I need to do more baking in order to enjoy the kitchen more fully and, more importantly, to reward Bill for all his hard work!