The other day I realized that I’ve shown you guys plenty of pictures of the living room (spring/fall) and bedroom (spring/fall), but I’d yet to show you the most used room in my apartment – my itty bitty kitchen. Considering how much cooking and baking I do, it really is a tight space to work in, but somehow I’ve made it work for the past three and a half years.
On the window side, I used to have my table here, but I recently moved this around to make a home office. Now I have moved my microwave stand to hold my beloved toaster oven, store canned goods and house my extensive tea towel collection (I’ve got a problem). I also have one of my recovered chairs for guests to sit in while I cook, as well as my favorite picnic basket. It is garage sale find from years ago and it’s perfect for picnics in the park. You can also see my apron collection hanging above the chair.
On the other side of the kitchen is a rolling cart I bought from Canada Superstore when I moved in. It stores my cutlery and tools, baking supplies and cooking oils. It is also the only usable work surface and has gotten plenty of wear and tear. Behind it is the side of my fridge, covered in the usual coupons and family pictures. That’s my herb garden there, growing quite well. I love having fresh herbs in the house.
A month ago it was a different story in this kitchen:
It was a total mess. I was in the middle of shooting the film and was constantly battling with dishes. I was also continually having a problem where water was collecting at the back of the sink. The whole place is unlevel and crooked, but this was getting really bad. I kept mentioning it to my landlord and after months of harassing, he finally showed up.
This was his solution?!?!? He used caulk to essentially cover up the damage. I was appalled and started calling him again.
In the end, he installed a new, fresh countertop. I loved it, until I tried to turn the faucet handles. They are so close to the backsplash that you can’t get your fingers around them. When I asked him if it was possible to fix it, he told me to learn to only turn the faucet with quarter turns :S
Despite this new little quirk (add it to the list), I love my little kitchen for now. I’ve got great memories in there of preparing my first batch of chili in my new Le Creuset, experimenting with stevia, making my first meal for the boyfriend, falling in love with Cauliflower Pizza Crusts, roasting more pans of brussel sprouts than I can count and sampling my fair share of delicious desserts. When I leave here someday, I’ll look back on this time fondly…but for now, I’ll just stick to quarter turns on the faucet.
You’ve really made the best of that space – it looks light and cheerful.
I must know where you bought that adorable pink strawberry tea-towel…I need one!
Oh the joys of small Toronto kitchens lol i think the way yours is set up makes it a little more spacious than mine. Ive got my fridge and 2 burner stove and then turn around to the sink and bit of counter space. Oy!
Your landlord sounds like a bit of a jerk. If it (the taps) really bothers you, perhaps my hubby can come finagle a solution…. we need to discuss this in more detail!