A little more before and after

My project this summer was sorting out the kitchen and getting it some sort of workable condition. Despite it being larger than our kitchen in Chicago, it has half the amount of storage and just goes to prove that it isn't the size of the space, it's how well it is laid out. Actually the best kitchen I ever had was the one in my studio flat in London which was a converted cupboard. It was tiny, but every square centimeter had been planned, with a nice big window and it was a joy to cook in. So, here is a floorplan again for reference and onto the beast that had to be conquered here...

Hideous, no? These photos are from a day or two after we moved in. The shot above is taken from the doorway of the hallway and that window (which is the only one in the kitchen) looks onto a light well, then directly into the neighbors kitchen. Charming.

This photo is from the doorway into the study, and shows just how few cabinets there are. That corner just out of frame on the left is completely empty. Now for some visual relief in the after photos from the same angles, although it is almost impossible to get a good photo of this room as there is just no natural light at all.

And here is that formerly empty corner looking into the study. The fridge is out of frame to the right.

 And the stove side of things.

There is only so much you can do with a rental, but it's much, much better. The headache inducing fluorescent lights had to go, as did the charming view and bare walls. The rug is actually made from thread woven from recycled plastic bottles so when it gets grubby, you just take it outside and hose it down. I'm always surprised at how soft it is - you'd never know it wasn't wool unless you were told. The kitchen is actually a place I enjoy being now with art, books and good lighting - you know, the important things!