full sun.
That’s the color title of the paint in our kitchen.
Full sun.
The first room you enter if you come in through the back door.
Which I imagine you would if you came over for a visit.
Although the front door makes for a more dramatic entry point, it’s pretty inconvenient for carrying in groceries and stopping by to say hello.
I didn’t edit these photos at all, just snapped them on my phone with the plan to let them speak for themselves.
(Well, not entirely. I couldn’t let the photos do all the talking, now could I?)
Here we go.
(It’s a work in progress, of course. Like this entire house. Or the whole of our lives. You know.)
That’s the corner of the kitchen. There’s a hot water heater right there. It can’t be moved elsewhere. I placed a cloth over it but there’s no real disguising it. I do like my colanders hanging on that rack, however. One of my favorite things about decorating a new house is reinventing all of my old stuff. That was an Ikea rack bought about four years ago and used in the kids’ bathroom for towels and such. Now it’s even cuter I think.
Next, please.
I thought about trying to get all of the dirty dishes out of the sink before this shot was taken. Then I realized that I don’t care.
I love that little goat paining. Riley made it for me when she was in an art class in junior high.
Yes, the cabinet door is open. No, it won’t stay shut. Actually, I’ve kind of gotten used to ignoring it.
Otto is in love with the his-height-exactly door lock. I have no idea what logic went in to placing that there. Sure, we could remove it – but why?
On the other side of the door frame, you’ll find this:
What’s been fun about this house is that all of our regular furniture seems to fit so perfectly in this old home environment.
Maybe because most of our stuff is from an old home originally.
This little hutch never received the attention it deserved before.
And I think it’s so sweet with it’s enamel top and red door knobs.
Now it’s the perfect baking station. Filled with anything a cook could desire.
I’ve long had the old coke crate as a spice rack too but it has never looked so ideal as it does here.
And that bulk milk cooler sign? The real deal. Taken from my grandparent’s dairy farm in upstate New York.
For this next shot I took a risk.
I climbed on top of the counter to try to get a fuller scope.
You see the shelves I have yet to decide what to actually do with.
And you see Otto Fox mid-cry about something.
The kitchen area was roomy, but not big enough for a table for our family.
I didn’t see the point in an extra small table in that space but I knew I would miss the island we had in our former kitchen.
So I created a work space for us.
I lined up a table and our trusty butcher block. (How does anyone prepare regular meals without the aid of a butcher block? O Butcher Block, how I love thee.)
The table was a $20 craigslist table I bought about two years ago for the kids to use for school. I painted its legs black and its top a great turquoise color. I rubbed sandpaper all over my paint job and then painted polyeurethene over the whole thing. And the counter chairs we had at our other kitchen bar fit perfectly. (Those guys are going on about ten years old – and man, are they showing their age.)
This table has been the favorite spot for the kids.
It’s still not as spacious as a real island, but it sure beats having no space at all.
The counter space in the kitchen overall is pretty meager.
Take a look.
The sink, the small space above the dishwasher (placed in front of a window, no less), the next small space and then that hot water heater.
That’s it.
It’s that very lack of counter top space that has led me to make a decision.
I haven’t put the microwave out there yet.
In fact, since we moved a few weeks ago we have been microwave-less.
Which leads me to ask you guys a question.
What’s your opinion of microwaves?
Have any of you ditched yours permanently?
I know there are plenty of people who cite health reasons for tossing theirs and I can honestly say I know nothing about those reasons.
I am not against learning about those reasons nor against being swayed by them, but I mainly am thinking of tossing ours simply because of space. It’s an ugly little box and I don’t have any free counter top to spare.
Do any of you place yours in some better, hidden location?
Originally I had hoped to stash ours on the enclosed back porch right off the kitchen but there are no regular outlets out there for it.
And you know what?
I haven’t really missed it.
For baking I have found that the stove top melts butter just as fast and dirties up the exact same number of items – one.
Melting chocolate is actually easier in my make-shift double boiler than in the microwave.
Heating up leftovers has been a bit bothersome but not terribly so.
So, aside from humoring me through my kitchen tour, I really want to know your opinions about this microwave issue.
Should I give it up forever?
Hints on heating up leftovers?
What do you do in your house?
Oh – and don’t forget – if you come to visit, feel free to enter through the full sun.
14 Comments
Kristie
Your kitchen is a fun color! I have not used our microwave for about 6 years now, I think. We quit using it for health reasons. I don't have much extra space in my current kitchen, but even when I had lots of counter room in our last house – I put it in the laundry closet to get it out of the way. Right now, I still have it in the house, but it is only used to zap the kitchen sponge and also when others are here and ask to use it. I keep it in the laundry room and I never even think about using it. I heat leftovers on the stove or in the oven. And, I have never had a butcher block…what am I missing?? 🙂
LaceyKeigley
Thank you!
1. You zap your kitchen sponge? Why I have never heard about this process?
2. A butcher block – my favorite kitchen space. You can do everything there. Put your out-of-the-oven hot pans and dishes there, cut up everything, roll out doughs for cookies and breads, toss your pizza on top and slice away, scrape everything off right in to the trash. It's perfect!
Marie from Germany
Seven years ago i moved out from my parents home to have my own apartment – or at least my own room in my own apartment. And during 5 of those years i have not had access to a microwave – for the same reason you have not put up yours: my kitchen does not have enough space for another electronic supply.
Well, i don't have 6 children and don't need to fix big amounts of meals – but i have not missed it at all. You can basically heat up everything in your oven or in a pan on the stovetop. And don't worry about popcorn: i always make popcorn without a microwave in a simple pot 🙂
LaceyKeigley
We make our popcorn on the stove top too. A couple of years ago some pals showed us how to do that and the popcorn tastes so much better it's unbelievable – we won't go back to microwave popcorn again.
Alicia
It drives me nuts to live without one. I cook meatloaf in mine, thaw meat, cook and reaheat sides when I'm out of stovetop space – especially for big holiday meals. That said, my mother had seven children, and is happier when people get the microwave out of her tiny kitchen so that she has more space. She doesn't miss it at all. It just leaves my dad with no means to make his popcorn, lol. I think the bottom line is you and your preferences. I would try it out for at least a month and see if it's making me crazy to heat up things the old fashioned way. If it's not, then, sure, lose it. 🙂
LaceyKeigley
Good idea – my goal is a month! We'll see how it goes.
Meaghan
Thanks for sharing your kitchen pictures! Our kitchen leads into a porch-turned-laundry room. The previous owners of the house actually cut a hole in the wall between the two rooms and stuck the microwave there (and another hole for a TV but we use that for cabinet space). It works really well because it saves valuable counter space in our small kitchen. The downside is that if the microwave ever breaks I think it's going to take a lot of work to get it out.
LaceyKeigley
That's funny that your kitchen leads into a laundry room/porch too. Is yours heated? Ours in not! I;m getting a little nervous about doing laundry in the freezing cold.
But the box idea is a good one!
Meaghan
Ours isn't heated either – it does get cold! We have washer/dryer hookups in the basement but I much prefer a few minutes of cold to going up and down our teeny basement stairs with a laundry basket.
marion
My parents moved theirs to the basement for limited counter space reasons. Mine is an above-the-range microwave so I don't have those limitations (at least not when it comes to the microwave). And regarding the safety issues, I will always have a microwave for one simple reason: I think that boiling hot dogs is disgusting.
LaceyKeigley
Oh my beautiful friend.
Whenever we are in a kitchen together let us agree to never dine on hot dogs, because I think microwaved hot dogs taste as disgusting as you think boiled ones taste.
Cindy
We have owned only one microwave and it is almost 27 years old, so you can imagine how big it is!! I use mine quite a bit and would miss it if I didn't have it. Yet, I could probably adjust without a lot of trouble. I really don't like small appliances out in the open in my kitchen. My microwave is in the pantry. Along with the stove top and oven, you might be able to use a toaster oven for heating up some leftovers if you choose to remove the microwave or you might be able to put up a shelf to hold it if you decide to keep it.
LaceyKeigley
I agree with the small appliances. I once visited a fancy-pants house at Smith Mountain lake and the kitchen was magnificent. It had a giant "pantry" off to the side and in that pantry was a long shelf with every appliance so you could basically do all of your cooking and messing up stuff in their and your kitchen would still look clean and beautiful.
Maybe one day – right? 🙂
Cindy
Yeah, those big pantries are REALLY nice. When we started this whole renovation process, I thought I would get a big pantry and a laundry room….I would LOVE a laundry room, but it didn't work that way. I also wanted a kitchen island…..not very feasible in a galley kitchen. Yet, Mark eeked out every bit of usable space in my little pantry and my laundry closet is coming along. In old houses, there are always limitations. I'll try to post some pics on facebook soon.