The Kitchen

The kitchen is a constant work in progress. Because of costs I can only do bits of it at a time. But work does indeed progress. When I first moved in I was so determined to have the horrible wallpaper gone that I simply slapped lavender pain on it and asked questions later. As my idea with the trailer grew I sometimes regretted covering that really ugly 70's era wallpaper.

Hideous ain't it?

But once I had removed the cabinets I decided that the loss while sad, wasn't that great a loss since it appears that the wall will need to be replaced. There are major holes in the bottom of the wall and because I removed the cabinets and the range hood I now have small upper holes and wiring to remove.

Cabinets removed...see the dirt marks?? Ewww...

I wish I'd thought more about taking before pictures. But I was so eager to remove the cabinets I didn't think. But the kitchen sink is still in place. I plan on removing that as soon as the new plumbing is on the other wall. But that needs to wait until the sheetrock is in. But meanwhile here is the sink area.

What a lovely window!

I put in the dishwasher shortly after I moved in. The dishwasher has it's own history that maybe someday I'll write about. But meanwhile, my plans for this area are pretty intense. This entire area of cabinets will be removed along with all the plumbing. All of the appliances and the sink will be moved to the wall where the cabinets were removed. (unless of course I change my mind and go on the other wall which is doubtful) all the appliances will be space saving. I will no longer have a large fridge but will change it to an under the counter model. Possibly glass fronted. As it is only two people here we don't need a ton of space. An under the counter model is also larger than a dorm fridge so we will have more space than people realize. Also I will be changing the laundry area and getting stackable washer and dryer and putting in a small chest freezer to hold more food and anything my son gets while hunting. Right now the dishwasher appears to work well so replacing that isn't a priority even after the renovations. But a new one is possible if the budget changes.

Right now I have no stove. For the last two years we have been cooking in a convection oven and on a indoor grill. (we also have a George Foreman grill) The plan is to get a cooktop. Glass if possible. Electric no matter what. I refuse to deal with propane or gas deliveries. I'm that lazy. I want to flip a switch and fry my bacon. The oven will be a combination microwave/oven.  The microwave will probably be the big ticket item. Unless of course I can find it used or on eBay. The color at this time is white. Unless I can get all the appliance in chrome. With white I know I will have no problems and it will go with any decor.

I have two ideas for the sink area. One is to put in a single basin sink. While small, keep in mind that I have a dishwasher that scrubs even pans so dishwashing isn't crucial. And while small the sink is more than big enough to rinse dishes or vegetables or to get a drink of water. If I can get one I also plan on the faucet being the type with a water fountain ability. No spray however. They only spring leaks and cause problems. This is the same reason I refuse to put in a single handle faucet. My second idea is to get a cornered sink. This type I would have to special order. But I could have to basins with that type of sink.

The floor is in rough shape. No holes or rips, just grungy Harvest Gold. No amount of cleaning it seems to help. So with every extra $20 I have I plan on getting a box of laminate. (if you'd like to help in this goal don't forget my donate page) I figure 10 boxes will make sure I have enough when the cabinets are totally gone from under the window area. And if there is extra I have a lot of places it can go. I've decided on an oak laminate.

You are probably curious why I'd remove this wall of cabinets anyhow huh? The window area itself looks on brush. But it's beautiful brush. Sumac and pine trees. And deer and turkeys have been seen in that part of the yard. So I'd rather create a nook area for our dining pleasure. Under the soffit area there is a fluorescent light that I would like to switch out to a pendulum or bar style light. This area is deep and I have a feeling it will become my favorite part of the house once done. It is another area to the trailer that was badly designed and is a bad waste of space. There is nearly 4 FOOT of space between the back of the sink and where the window is. By removing the cabinets I give a place for the table that isn't the middle of the floor, and I create more space by making all appliances and plumbing on one wall only instead of the wrapped design that this place had originally. That is normal for most houses. However this isn't a house and why try to make it look like one?

What about decoration? Well....I'm slightly evil lets face it. And because my son is now 14 and easily tortured I've decided to make the kitchen totally annoying to him but really fun for me. So the walls once they are replaced will be the same lavender I started with. The small appliances however will all be Hello Kitty. Along with the curtains and any other linens. I've started slowly working on my HK collection for in here. Because HK is 30 years old she could very well have once been seen at That 70's Trailer before. Probably in a  bedroom rather than the kitchen but the times they are a changing and I will be able to keep the retro look better than you'd think ;) I've always been a HK fanatic since my own childhood so I thought this was a great way to honor that and drive my son crazy.

Bi-fold doors

Don't mind my mess. The day I took these pictures was the day I pulled those cabinets out and inside the range hood was a mess of insulation and newspaper. Don't worry, it was old mouse nests not fresh ones. Our cat and poison seem to keep these beggars out the entire time we have been here.

The doors were from a house my son had a summer construction job on. I need to rehang them at some point but meanwhile they do the job excellently. It isn't until you are on top of them or photograph them that you notice that the doors are hung badly. Only a 1/4 inch difference but it matters.

This is the area where the kitchen and the living room meet. I'll discuss the new exterior doors when I talk about the exterior to That 70's Trailer. Meanwhile I'll explain the divider doors.

I wanted something to close off the kitchen if it was messy or I wanted privacy. So I had planned on making some 3D dividers on wheels. Then my son and his boss dropped these off. They had been intended for the laundry area but we discovered they wouldn't fit. So they sat on my back deck for a few weeks while I debated on what to do with them. Suddenly I knew they were probably big enough to use as a divide in the kitchen. They weren't. They were in fact too small. But no matter...I recalled some lumber I had that was as thick as the doors and just wide enough to extend the wall out to make up the short area. I installed the wood to the wall then mounted the one door directly to the board. The other door is mounted to the wine cabinet wall divider. (more about that later) They still need work, I need to either paint them or freshen them up somehow, and they need to be remounted to the walls on the side with the board. I'm seriously thinking of painting them white although a part of me feels that much white could be overwhelming.

So that's the kitchen. Hope you enjoyed the tour and watch this page for updates.

Click Kitty to go home.