# I hate my kitchen!



## jd_1138 (Feb 28, 2016)

I literally only have like 5 to 7 square feet of counter space once I subtract all the space taken up by small appliances, dish rack, etc..  It gets filled up fast when I am cooking.

And the kitchen is so tiny that there's no room for an island, and we don't have room for a kitchen table either.  And we don't have a dining room, so we have to eat off trays in the living room.  I have to carry all the plates, drinks, silverware out to the living room.

I was spoiled when I was out in California helping my mother fix up her new house.  Her kitchen is massive with tons of counter space, and there's a dining room next to it with a counter/pass through where you can sit food, walk around and then grab it and place it on the table.

I also miss the 2 bathrooms she has in her house.  "My" bathroom was original to the 1904 house and had a super cool claw foot tub, so I could soak my tired bones after 10 hours of construction work.  She'd always ask me if I wanted to use her bathroom (with a shower), but I'd say "no, I love this claw foot tub, mom".

Ok, rant over.


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## creative (Feb 28, 2016)

There are some things you can do to maximise the limited space you have there. 

I, too, have a small kitchen.  When I need more working surfaces, I sometimes open a drawer and place a board across it.  Try it!

Also do you know about foldaway wall tables (if it is just you that is dining)?

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=f...w=1280&bih=564#tbm=isch&q=foldaway+wall+table

(I can at least fit a small table and chair in my kitchen).

If you know of someone that is a designer, e.g. via a friend, perhaps they could come round
and tell you how best to make use of the space you have - maybe a reshuffle or getting a 
smaller version of what you have there.


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## Rocklobster (Feb 28, 2016)

Sometimes I put the cutting board over the sink to have more counter space..

I had an apartment once that was so small I had to go outside to change my mind...


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## Steve Kroll (Feb 28, 2016)

I recently moved into a 1 bedroom apartment after having a huge kitchen for many years, so I can completely relate to your rant. 

I can't offer much advice, but I can relate. 

As soon as my lease is up, I'm getting back into a house as quickly as possible.


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## mlyyates (Feb 28, 2016)

I know what you mean JD. I also have a very small kitchen. It has room for a small table but you couldn't get chairs around it. One of the things I did was get rid of the table and bought  a small chest freezer (5 or 6 square feet I don't remember) and use the top of it for counter space. I also realized all I used the microwave for was popcorn so I got rid of it and just make popcorn on the stovetop. It really doesn't take much longer.


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## roadfix (Feb 28, 2016)

I hate my kitchen too.   House was built in 1978.   It looks totally dated (even with modern built-in fridge) and doesn't get enough natural light too.   It needs new flooring, cabinets, counter tops, and a skylight installed in the very high ceiling.   Basically, it needs a complete re-model.


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 28, 2016)

Another small kitchen here! 

The less "stuff" you have the more spacious your kitchen will become.

Apply the 80/20 rule to everything you have and keep only the 20% of items you use 80% of the time, improvise the other 20% of the time.

Take a tour around Before & After | Apartment Therapy for some ideas on living in small apartments on a budget.


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## creative (Feb 28, 2016)

I suppose you know how to maximise storage space  for drinking mugs and spice racks?

http://liferearranged.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_5772.jpg

You can buy spice racks to hang from the same position too...admittedly I had to screw 2
'L' shaped brackets onto the frame of the spice rack going into the bottom of the unit.   Very basic.


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## jd_1138 (Feb 28, 2016)

creative said:


> I suppose you know how to maximise storage space  for drinking mugs and spice racks?
> 
> http://liferearranged.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_5772.jpg
> 
> ...



Great idea!  No, our kitchen is not set up well at all.  All the spices sit on top of the stove/oven.

I also want to install a rack in the ceiling to place pots and pans.


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## roadfix (Feb 28, 2016)

Aunt Bea said:


> Apply the 80/20 rule to everything you have and keep only the 20% of items you use 80% of the time, improvise the other 20% of the time.



We also have too much junk in the kitchen.   My wife follows the 20/80 rule, not the 80/20. ...lol...


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## LPBeier (Feb 28, 2016)

The only thing about our place I hate is the kitchen! It is a really tiny galley kitchen and can get pretty cluttered pretty fast. 

I put dish racks away as soon as dishes are taken out of them (I don't have a lot of hand-wash dishes). I have a pantry cupboard next to the kitchen which holds all appliances (except microwave and my KA mixer) when they are not being used. The Coffee machine is on the buffet beside the kitchen, etc. We also got a sink that has a fitted board for the large side. 

There is still a struggle when I am making cakes or a large meal, but with rules in place it works.

Having said that, we are planning to sell again and are holding out for a place with a large kitchen!


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 28, 2016)

roadfix said:


> We also have too much junk in the kitchen.   My wife follows the 20/80 rule, not the 80/20. ...lol...



It's a constant battle in my little apartment!


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## creative (Feb 28, 2016)

Interesting to read that so many of us struggle with lack of space in our kitchens but are keen cooks.

My brother has a large spacious kitchen - complete with island, black granite work surfaces etc.  Does he cook?  Occasionally - what a waste!


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## Aunt Bea (Feb 28, 2016)

A couple of items I have found to be helpful in my small apartment are these folding racks.  I have a tall one that I use for a bar, server, extra counter space etc... and a low luggage rack that I press into service as a coffee/tea table.  The top is usually my large bread board with a cloth draped over it.  When they are not in use they are tucked into the closet.


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## Cheryl J (Feb 28, 2016)

I can't say that I "hate" my kitchen, but I would like it to be a little bigger and open to the living room where the TV is.   No room for an island, but the countertops are adequate because I don't keep a lot of stuff on them. I like that it faces east so I get morning sun from the window over the sink that overlooks the back yard, and I can keep an eye on my grandson when he's playing outside. 

The dining room is off the kitchen, that's where my table is, and there's a slider to the patio so there's plenty of light.  I don't plan on making any major changes anytime soon, I live alone and it works for me.


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## Dawgluver (Feb 28, 2016)

My kitchen, while not huge, is perfectly adequate for me.  I have a mobile island, but the top of it is sort of a catch-all for all sorts of non-kitchen stuff like vegetable seeds, drill bits and wood screws, and jewelry parts.


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## roadfix (Feb 28, 2016)

That's another thing I don't like about my kitchen.   It's not an open design.  The kitchen is not open to any other room (dining room, family room, etc) in the house except to a circular breakfast nook.  I don't like my kitchen.


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## creative (Feb 28, 2016)

My kitchen is small but I don't dislike it as such....it has plus factors like a table and chair plus small TV.  I do wish I had more working surfaces but it just means more careful planning, i.e. not having out too many ingredients, putting them away directly after use etc.  Adaptation is key.


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## rodentraiser (Feb 29, 2016)

I'll trade any of your kitchens for mine. My kitchen floor space is 7x3. If I stand in the middle of my kitchen, I can stir something on the oven and stir something in a bowl on the chopping block across the room at the same time. 

First you walk in through the door and 7 feet away in front of you is the fridge. To the right is a 20" stove, next to that, 2' of counter space, next to that, the sink. On the left is a 17" wide hutch with 3 drawers that I use to store my dishes and silverware in. Next to that is my 2' chopping block. To get into my room, you have to squeeze past the fridge and the chopping block, but I have a dead corner there and so I've gotten a pot stand and that's where my pots and pans go. Other ones are hanging under the chopping block. 

I have a small single cupboard above the stove that I don't use because it's too high for me to reach. I have another double cupboard above the sink where all the food goes. I have one of those sink racks with a paper towel holder and a shelf for the sponge behind my sink. It goes all the way across the only counter I have, but that's OK - that puts the paper towels over the counter and not over the sink. I keep a small lamp, my recipe box, salt and pepper, napkins, dish soap and hand soap on it.

Under the cabinet over my stove, I've screwed in a bar and then I ordered a bunch of S hooks. That's where all the utensils hang. As many of them as I can get up there. To the right of my stove, I made a spice rack and that hangs on the wall right next to my stove. I keep three large canisters on top of the hutch and 4 more smaller ones across the back of my chopping block, along with a blender that sits on the corner. My measuring cups are all hanging above the chopping block on the wall and as soon as I can find hooks small enough to hold them, I'll have my measuring spoons up there too. 

I keep a couple large bowls and the dish drainer on the fridge. I was able to squeeze my coat rack next to the fridge so I have a place to hang my purse and keys when I come in. I use the back of my door for a bulletin board and a calendar. At one time I thought I could get one of those over-the-door racks with shelves, but this is an old building and the doors are about 6" thick, so no door rack would fit over it. My chopping block has a shelf underneath and I keep all the pans and casserole dishes and cookie sheets there that I can't fit in anywhere else.

On the wall above my sink, I took two sticky hooks and strung a rope between them, and that's where I hang the dish towel. Under my counter is an open space and that's where I keep the garbage pail. My only work areas are my 2'x2' counter and the 2'x2' chopping block, and only on the space not taken up by sink racks and canisters. My hot pads are currently hanging on the oven handle, but I think I'm going to get those up on the wall, too.

I gotta tell you guys, if you have a walk in closet in your house, it's probably bigger than my kitchen. So if anyone wants to trade, give me a ring!


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## roadfix (Feb 29, 2016)

Small, or even tiny kitchens are fine as long as they're practical.    I grew up in Japan and lived in their typical homes and apartments with tiny kitchens.


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## creative (Feb 29, 2016)

roadfix said:


> Small, or even tiny kitchens are fine as long as they're practical.    I grew up in Japan and lived in their typical homes and apartments with tiny kitchens.


Practical = workable?  Yes of course but work surface limitations are problematic.  It is one thing to rustle up a meal for yourself and/or partner, but the test of space comes into its own when holding a dinner party etc.


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## roadfix (Feb 29, 2016)

creative said:


> Practical = workable?  Yes of course but work surface limitations are problematic.  It is one thing to rustle up a meal for yourself and/or partner, but the test of space comes into its own when holding a dinner party etc.


This is true.....but if I had a tiny kitchen with limited counter space I would never even consider hosting a dinner party in the first place.   Tiny kitchens generally come with proportionately small dining areas, enough to comfortably seat maybe 4, at most?


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## creative (Feb 29, 2016)

roadfix said:


> This is true.....but if I had a tiny kitchen with limited counter space I would never even consider hosting a dinner party in the first place.   Tiny kitchens generally come with proportionately small dining areas, enough to comfortably seat maybe 4, at most?


Well, although here in UK it has become more fashionable to have a kitchen that enables a dining section, this is more a modern phenomena.  Separate kitchens are quite standard but gradually being replaced (e.g. knocking down walls).


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## jd_1138 (Feb 29, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> I'll trade any of your kitchens for mine. My kitchen floor space is 7x3. If I stand in the middle of my kitchen, I can stir something on the oven and stir something in a bowl on the chopping block across the room at the same time.
> 
> First you walk in through the door and 7 feet away in front of you is the fridge. To the right is a 20" stove, next to that, 2' of counter space,...........



Wow, do you live on a 20' sailing boat and are describing your galley kitchen?    That is small.

I don't feel so bad about my kitchen now.


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## CatPat (Feb 29, 2016)

Joyce has a large kitchen and no dining room. The counter space is of over ten feet of one side and almost four feet of the other.

Her husband has made of cabinets of her mother's china cabnet. 

Is there room of this to make cabinets and storage?

Love,
~Cat


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## rodentraiser (Mar 1, 2016)

jd_1138 said:


> Wow, do you live on a 20' sailing boat and are describing your galley kitchen?    That is small.
> 
> I don't feel so bad about my kitchen now.



I wish! No, I rent a room with a kitchenette and a shared bathroom - subsidized housing. I really don't mind the small kitchen, but I HATE sharing a bathroom. Actually, I'm one of the lucky ones. My kitchen, wall to wall, is 7 ft wide. That leaves me enough room to put stuff on the other side, like my hutch and chopping block. Most of the kitchenettes here are only 5 feet wide. But that extra room enabled me to turn a kitchenette into a very serviceable, very, very small kitchen.

And if you think the kitchenette is small, you should see the rest of the room!


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## jd_1138 (Mar 1, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> I wish! No, I rent a room with a kitchenette and a shared bathroom - subsidized housing. I really don't mind the small kitchen, but I HATE sharing a bathroom. Actually, I'm one of the lucky ones. My kitchen, wall to wall, is 7 ft wide. That leaves me enough room to put stuff on the other side, like my hutch and chopping block. Most of the kitchenettes here are only 5 feet wide. But that extra room enabled me to turn a kitchenette into a very serviceable, very, very small kitchen.
> 
> And if you think the kitchenette is small, you should see the rest of the room!



My brother rented a room above a pub about 20 years ago in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The room itself was only like 15' by 20'.  His kitchenette was a counter with a small sink and a small dorm fridge under it.  And the bathroom was shared and down the hall.  I think the rent was $500/month.  Heck, here in Ohio you can rent a 2 bedroom apartment for that amount.  

He then moved onto a docked yacht that his friend owned.  He lived there for free to keep an eye on it.  The galley was tiny.  He barely had room for one pan and salt/pepper.  He'd catch fish off the deck and fry it up for dinner.

I once rented a studio apartment.  It was $50 cheaper than a one bedroom.  I should've paid the $50 extra, as it was depressing having to sleep in your living room and not having a separate bedroom.  But it did have a full size apartment style kitchen which means about 8 linear feet of counter space.  And I had a walk in closet and my own bathroom.  I was tempted to turn the walk in closet into a bedroom.


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## roadfix (Mar 1, 2016)

Eventually, I'd like to live in a tiny house.   You know how tiny those kitchens are.  I also watch Tiny House Nation on tv.   This could be a reality if my wife did not have her shoe collection.


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## Cheryl J (Mar 1, 2016)

roadfix said:


> Eventually, I'd like to live in a tiny house. You know how tiny those kitchens are. I also watch Tiny House Nation on tv. This could be a reality *if my wife did not have her shoe collection.*


 

I've seen those tiny house shows too, and just love them.  I'd have to do some major downsizing, but sometimes it's tempting.  I fantasize about a tiny little house in the great outdoors - but it has to have a grocery store within an hour or so.


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## roadfix (Mar 1, 2016)

Cheryl J said:


> I've seen those tiny house shows too, and just love them.  I'd have to do some major downsizing, but sometimes it's tempting.  I fantasize about a tiny little house in the great outdoors - but it has to have a grocery store within an hour or so.



Yes it's tempting.   I think about it all the time.  I would also need a large home center like within an hour's worth of driving.
Since the kids have moved out it's just me and my wife in our 3100 sq ft house.....way too much space.    Now I dream about living in just 150 sq ft of space with a nice wood burning Kimberly stove in one corner....  I don't mind the compost toilet....I can adapt.    One day soon I'll let my wife in on this tiny house thing.....


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## CatPat (Mar 2, 2016)

You should see of a galley in a fishing vessel!

My Gizzi has made miracles in a small galley! But small kitchens of homes may become nightmares.

I am sorry of these struggles. It may take away of the cooking experience, yes?

With love,
~Cat


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## Cooking Goddess (Mar 2, 2016)

roadfix said:


> Eventually, I'd like to live in a tiny house...This could be a reality if my wife did not have her shoe collection.


I would embarrass your wife with my shoe "collection". Three pairs. I'm SO not a female when it comes to clothes shopping! 

When we moved from OH to MA we went from 2523 square feet and two kids to 1806 square feet and no kids. I'm now cleaning out decades of items that have been moved multiple times but have not been used enough to justify a return trip to OH. Even though we don't plan on moving to a tiny house, I'm sorting through stuff as if that's all the space I'll have for the stuff. 

I just told Himself I would like to build One More House, this last one. If I had my druthers, it would be just a large Great Room (kitchen, eating area, family room) with little bedroom and bathroom pods around a couple of the outside walls. I miss the Great Room from our last house, but I don't need to return to large bedrooms.


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## Cheryl J (Mar 2, 2016)

OK, roadfix and CG just made me go count my shoes.  I counted 23 pairs, *but 13* of those are flip flops and sandals , 3 sneakers, 5 espadrille slip ons, and stuck way up on the closet shelf are 2 lonely pairs of classic low heeled pumps, one light, one dark, for when I'm *forced* to somewhat dress up.  I'm all about comfort and dislike shopping too - unless it's at a Home Depot or grocery store.  

Back to kitchens....my kitchen is around 11x13 wall to wall, big enough for just me, but crowded with 2 people.  I don't like the corner cabinets with unreachable black holes that make me either get the stepstool for the uppers, or get on my hands and knees and have to practically crawl in them for the lowers.


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## rodentraiser (Mar 2, 2016)

My room is 12 x 10, I think, and I've got a bed, 3 bookcases, a dresser, a heater (looks like a Franklin stove and I love it, so it stays), a 5 ft dollhouse on a 4 ft cabinet, and a 7 ft sofa, along with an end table for my computer and a plastic tree or two. I'm actually layering the furniture at this point. I have the bed behind the fridge, separated from that with the computer table and a folding screen, and between the bed and the wall I put two of the bookcases with the third one back against the bed on the other side of it. 

I guess you could say in this tiny room, I've made a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, and a dressing area. I will say one thing about small spaces - when you don't have storage in the kitchen, hanging as much as possible on the walls is incredibly helpful and going against common practice, putting "walls" up in a small room actually gives me more space to put things, as I have have made some artificial walls to push furniture against. Of course, my bedroom is only as wide as the bed and the "living room" space is only 9 x 7 and my dressing area is behind the bathroom door right in front of the dresser. 

I like tiny houses and from looking at those and some trailers, I think the best place for a kitchen is at the end, where you can make it an L- or U-shape. I've seen some tiny house kitchens that have more space than my kitchen.



























On this trailer, I'd have put the stove over on the other side of the sink at the end of the counter there, but that's just me.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 2, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> My room is 12 x 10, I think, and I've got a bed, 3 bookcases, a dresser, a heater (looks like a Franklin stove and I love it, so it stays), a 5 ft dollhouse on a 4 ft cabinet, and a 7 ft sofa, along with an end table for my computer and a plastic tree or two. I'm actually layering the furniture at this point. I have the bed behind the fridge, separated from that with the computer table and a folding screen, and between the bed and the wall I put two of the bookcases with the third one back against the bed on the other side of it.
> 
> I guess you could say in this tiny room, I've made a kitchen, a bedroom, a living room, and a dressing area. I will say one thing about small spaces - when you don't have storage in the kitchen, hanging as much as possible on the walls is incredibly helpful and going against common practice, putting "walls" up in a small room actually gives me more space to put things, as I have have made some artificial walls to push furniture against. Of course, my bedroom is only as wide as the bed and the "living room" space is only 9 x 7 and my dressing area is behind the bathroom door right in front of the dresser.
> 
> ...



What are these pictures of?


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## jd_1138 (Mar 3, 2016)

Cooking Goddess said:


> I just told Himself I would like to build One More House, this last one. If I had my druthers, it would be just a large Great Room (kitchen, eating area, family room) with little bedroom and bathroom pods around a couple of the outside walls. I miss the Great Room from our last house, but I don't need to return to large bedrooms.



Yeah that's how a lot of modern houses are designed.  And a lot of people spend a lot of money knocking down walls to create a large kitchen, family, dining room all nice and open.

So you can watch TV and the kids playing while chopping veggies or whatever.

The rooms can be behind a common wall next to each other with a bathroom in between.  That's how I'd design a house.  Small bedrooms and more space for the common Great Room, because when I am in the bedroom I am in bed so the size of a bedroom is not very important.


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## rodentraiser (Mar 4, 2016)

GotGarlic said:


> What are these pictures of?



Just small kitchens. I collect pictures of small kitchens - well, any kitchens - that I like. I build dollhouses and I'm always looking for decorating ideas that may work in a dollhouse. You're usually missing the fourth wall in a dollhouse, so that really reduces the space you have to work with.

I just thought people would enjoy seeing pics of small kitchens that look workable. If I'm not supposed to put pics up, I can take them down.


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## GotGarlic (Mar 4, 2016)

rodentraiser said:


> Just small kitchens. I collect pictures of small kitchens - well, any kitchens - that I like. I build dollhouses and I'm always looking for decorating ideas that may work in a dollhouse. You're usually missing the fourth wall in a dollhouse, so that really reduces the space you have to work with.
> 
> I just thought people would enjoy seeing pics of small kitchens that look workable. If I'm not supposed to put pics up, I can take them down.



No, I was just confused. You were describing your room so I thought the first picture was of your room. Then there were more pictures with no explanation, so I was confused   No biggie.


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## jd_1138 (Mar 4, 2016)

That 3rd pic that Rodentraiser posted shows a stove just like my sister had in her 1908 house.  It's a 1950's (?) O'Keefe Merritt.  It came with the house.  That house had an awesome kitchen.  Really large kitchen with lots of solid wood cabinetry (original), subway tile.  She had a huge stainless steel island/table in the middle.  It's the only kitchen I've ever seen where 5 or 6 people could comfortably work at the same time.

They now have a smaller house with a kitchen 1/3 the size but still bigger than mine.


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## rodentraiser (Mar 5, 2016)

GotGarlic said:


> No, I was just confused. You were describing your room so I thought the first picture was of your room. Then there were more pictures with no explanation, so I was confused   No biggie.



If my room had a kitchen like that, I'd never leave this place. Most of those kitchens were larger than mine and all of them had more counter space than I do.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 5, 2016)

I don't hate my kitchen but it really needs some upgrades.  I still have not gotten the new stove, the tax return was not big enough and I needed a new mattress more.


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## jd_1138 (Mar 6, 2016)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I don't hate my kitchen but it really needs some upgrades.  I still have not gotten the new stove, the tax return was not big enough and I needed a new mattress more.



Yep a mattress is more important.  

My mom bought a new GE Artistry stove last year.  It's pretty cool.  It has retro styling and just has a simple analog clock/timer in the middle and not the huge myriad array of digital controls like most modern stoves have.  I think it was $530 at the local mom and pop appliance store.  







I like how it just has simple knobs for the controls.  She also got a matching GE Artistry fridge.  She was going to get the matching dishwasher but she wanted a Bosch instead.  And she bought Speed Queen washer/dryer (laundromat grade, simple) that were not much more than regular ones.

She had to get all new appliances because she sold her house to move closer to my sister, and she bought a foreclosure house that needed all new appliances.


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## jd_1138 (Mar 6, 2016)

I just took a picture of the kitchen after dinner was finished.  The other side of the sink is even smaller and is also filled with pots and dirty dishes.


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## Andy M. (Mar 6, 2016)

Interesting.  It looks like you can't load the dishwasher while standing at the sink.


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## jd_1138 (Mar 6, 2016)

Andy M. said:


> Interesting.  It looks like you can't load the dishwasher while standing at the sink.



The dishwasher stopped working 5 years ago.    We haven't gotten around to replacing it, plus it's an odd sized one that needs to be ordered.  Money's been tight.

So I get the joy of hand washing dishes.  Though, it's not too bad.  I keep a small 2.1 speaker setup in the kitchen connected to a Chromecast Audio, so I can listen to Pandora or podcasts via my phone while washing dishes or cooking.


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## rodentraiser (Mar 7, 2016)

jd_1138 said:


> Yep a mattress is more important.
> 
> My mom bought a new GE Artistry stove last year.  It's pretty cool.  It has retro styling and just has a simple analog clock/timer in the middle and not the huge myriad array of digital controls like most modern stoves have.  I think it was $530 at the local mom and pop appliance store.
> 
> ...




I LOVE that stove! I was looking at Elmira stove and fridges, but I think the average cost for one of those is something in the range of $5000!


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