My husband and I set up home together in our mid twenties. We’re getting to the stage where one thing after another needs replacing having run its course of 10-15 years use.
Flicking through a catalogue at the weekend, I thought, “Some proper curtains would be nice,” having put up with draughty blinds for ages. We could do with swapping this tatty sofa maybe next year when Ted is totally toilet trained. Our cheap bed will be 8 years old next year, creeping up to the recommended 10 year mattress change. We’ve delayed and delayed improving our bathroom too. But it’s the kitchen that will cost us.
A decent size kitchen was high on the wish list when we were looking for this house. We struck lucky with a fully renovated Victoria terrace where the back reception room, scullery, coal shed and outside toilet had been knocked into one 18 foot room. Thus far we’ve barely lifted a paintbrush throughout the house although metaphorical cracks the developers papered over are starting to show.
The big problem in the kitchen is that the tiles have cracked in a straight line where they were laid over concrete and wooden floors. The floor has sagged leaving a 2 inch gap between the skirting board and tiles (cunningly hidden under the window seat). It needs ripping up and probably joists replacing.
We were never under illusions that this was a fancy kitchen; the oven is the smallest cheapest built in model possible, the cupboards poorly planned and space wasted. We never liked it much but couldn’t justify ripping out a brand new kitchen. Waiting a few years before changing it, we have put up with quirks such as the boiler cupboard door flopping open whenever it likes, the drawer panel at the sink falling off regularly and increased the storage space with metal shelves from Ikea.
We would like to knock doors through straight to the garden, reorganise the layout to give us space for a dishwasher, a bigger oven and better cupboards. I dream of big French doors where I can take photographs of food in good light and a double oven so I can grill and bake things at the same time! How wonderful it would be to walk straight into the garden to eat during summer instead of having to loop back on yourself to the door all the time.
Ideally, if I had the 40K that PayPal are offering users the opportunity to win in their current competition, I would also extend the kitchen sideways, put a glass roof on the extension and knock a door through into the dining room. Ooh and a loft conversion… although that might be pushing the budget somewhat. Maybe it’s better to have enough left over for a holiday – or two!
To enter PayPal’s competition, visit www.paypal.co.uk/win. You just need to pay for things using Paypal, and what better time of year than the run up to Christmas to notch up as many entries as you like. There is a draw each week until 5th December 2010 and you get an extra entry for every purchase you make using PayPal. Terms and conditions for the competition are available here.
If you have young children like me, you might use PayPal to buy them a bike from Halfords, chocolates from Woolworths, Toys from Toys R Us or if they are older, what about sportswear from Nike or downloadable music from Napster?
So how would you spend £40,000?
Enter now for your chance to win
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sarah id die for a kitchen like that now…so much space n i love how uve done it up..one look at it..and its perfect but i completely understand what u mean by the bad planning and waste of space bit.
having an open kitchen sucks esp when u have guests over and the kitchen is a bloody mess
To be honest, I am very lucky to have my kitchen of my dreams. It is exactly how i’d like it (and it should be, as i designed it when we moved into our house). I guess my only complaint would be that i’d want my kitchen to be bigger. So i guess i’d get a huge extension with lots of light and windows.
*kisses* HH
Yep, light, windows, all good for food pictures!
Lovely to see you tonight Sarah. Trust me your kitchen is a palace compared to mine which is tiny. Ah if only we could have the Waitrose kitchen all the time!
Yes you too, sorry we didn’t get to chat much but I took great pic of you shakin that cocktail shaker!
The kitchen big and tidy. Alas it’s a bit shoddy and lacking in groovy gadgets. I could quite happily move into either Waitrose or Miele I think.
I feel your pain! I have put off and put off renovating the bathroom and now can’t avoid it any more, with a permanent leak from the shower. I’m spending £3000 – and that’s not for a total update. That’s a compromise!
Yeah, £3000 sounds entirely modest for all the work you’ll be doing. I’m in the wrong job, should have been a builder.
I don’t want to depress you or anything…but I finally got the kitchen I’ve always wanted after 29 years of marriage! But I love it to bits, oak work tops, beaten pewter handles on the off white cupboards. Hang in there and you will get your dream kitchen 🙂
Ah you guys sound like us and we’ve been at it for 23 years! I want my dream kitchen and I hope on getting it when either I win Euromillions or when our son becomes an architect and builds our dream home for us. He’ll still probably leave his dishes in the sink for me to wash …
23 years?! Don’t depress me!
Sarah your kitchen may not be your dream but it is incredibly organised! If I won £40K I think I’d pay you some of it to come over to my house and make it look that tidy. Love all the hooks, tins, tupperware, labels etc. I have a big kitchen I admit but god lord it’s such a mess! Hope you get your dream one soon 🙂
That is a great space for your someday dream kitchen – and it’s not too shabby now! I think it had loads of charm, actually. It’s virtually the same size and layout as the one in the shared house where my partner used to live (Victorian mid terrace in Clapham). I used to dream about what I would do to that kitchen if it were mine…
I spy Nigella’s Kitchen on your bookshelf! Really enjoyed this post, I always like having a glimpse into other peoples kitchens! 🙂