Kitchen renovation

[bixaorellana]

Aug 16, 2021 20:16:45 GMT lugg said:

choose something bland

I have to echo what Htmb and Mark said about the splashback. Great choice and it will make you happy every time you go into the kitchen.

The house we sold in Louisiana had complementary but different paints on different walls. Some prospective buyers loved it, and some wrinkled up their noses and said it needed lots of white paint. Yeah, well -- we painted it, y'all can too. My favorite, though, in terms of different tastes, was the cow who stood right there in my home and said, "I would take a weedwhacker to all that mess out front". She was referring to my garden which, I don't mind saying, was stellar. Did her opinion bother me? No, I just took in her dyed hair, her ample figure stuffed into a white jumpsuit with gold marine motifs, and her toes splaying out of little high-heeled gold sandals & considered the source.

I have to say that I absolutely love the whole finished product. Practically speaking, it seems like a great kitchen to cook in plus I love your choices and the feel of the whole space. It's sleek, but with a warm, welcoming vibe to it, and really quite beautiful.

[kerouac2]

I think younger potential buyers will love the splashback. Some of the older people will just nod and decide silently that it needs to be changed either to white or stainless steel.

I really like it myself.

[mich64]

I really like the backsplash alot, love it actually. I have never seen anything like it. I think it is a perfect addition to complete all of your other design choices Lugg. The new clock must compliment the backsplash.

Were there other colour choices?

This coming from a person who dislikes almost every backsplash I see and who also does not have one herself because of that. I can never find anything I could be happy with, so I chose nothing. Just a painted wall that is really boring, but I do not dislike it.

[kerouac2]

I still don't have a backsplash after several years, but now I have some new ideas.

[bjd]

I too think your backsplash is a great addition to what is otherwise quite muted. The only picky thing I would say is that you should have bought a bigger fan -- it doesn't fill the space enough. We had the same problem between two cupboards and a 60 cm fan just looked too small. But as you say, you are selling next year.

Mich, the problem with a painted wall behind your cooktop is that it gets dirty and the paint will quickly look lousy if you are constantly having to clean it with something stronger to get the grease off. I have a plain glass backsplash that matches my counters and is much easier to clean than a wall. The person at the glass store where I bought it told me that if you put a clear glass one (my initial option), then you can see the glue marks where it's attached to the wall.

[mich64]

Aug 17, 2021 4:15:05 GMT kerouac2 said:

I still don't have a backsplash after several years, but now I have some new ideas.

Me too! I searched on-line for about an hour last night, could not find anything locally. I have come to think that I might be best to order a piece of tempered glass to measure locally and maybe paint my own design. I just have to find out the correct type of paint and glue to mount it.

bjd, I agree, the painted wall is more challenging to keep clean from splatters and I knew that would be the case. When frying something, I quickly clean the wall as soon as I am done cooking. The wall looks the same as it did when we completed the kitchen. I think it also helps that I do not have a flat top like Lugg has, I have a control panel above the burners that takes most of any splatters. I also sometimes put a tea towel over the panel, that works really well when I cook bacon.

[kerouac2]

I have a big cutting board (which I never use as a cutting board since I have others) behind the stove. It helps a lot.

[lugg]

Thank you all - it seems that it is mostly a hit for you as it is for me . I understand what you are saying Bjd re the fan - but it was the right size for the space and kitchen size re output ie keeping it eco friendly as far as poss but able to do the job. Anyway it is a whole lot better than what I had before , re-circulated through a filter . This goes directly outside now through a duct and so far I am impressed . but it is quite noisy.

Mich - I don't know if you have anything similar where you are but I chose a company that could 1. cut the glass to the size I wanted and 2. had a huge catalogue of shutterstock photos that I could choose from. So yes to answer your question there was a lot of other options available both in terms of colour but also design. If you want Mich / K2 I can send you a link to the company I used to see if there is anything similar in Canada/France.

Aug 16, 2021 22:58:06 GMT bixaorellana said:

My favorite, though, in terms of different tastes, was the cow who stood right there in my home and said, "I would take a weedwhacker to all that mess out front". She was referring to my garden which, I don't mind saying, was stellar. Did her opinion bother me? No, I just took in her dyed hair, her ample figure stuffed into a white jumpsuit with gold marine motifs, and her toes splaying out of little high-heeled gold sandals & considered the source.

Too funny Bixa , although maybe not for you at the time,. My sis has just sold her lovely house to someone who refers to it all the time as a project !!! I am not sure which one of us is holding back a slap the hardest.


Edited to add that I did have to make some compromises due to budget - my local company was just too expensive, and secondly, using one of my own photos ( which was my first choice) was also prohibitive re cost.

[htmb]

It’s too bad you were unable to use one of your own photos, Lugg. How nice that would have been. You have many lovely photographs. I’m guessing the company you used for the glass has a contract with shutterstk, allowing them to download a maximum number of catalogue photos for a subscription price. The stock company gets a nice fee, the glass company gets good quality photos for very reasonable prices, and the photographers who supplied the stock company earn an absolute pittance.

[mich64]

Lugg, I would really appreciate the link, it might help me in my search. Although I love the design you chose, I can imagine from seeing many of your photographs you would probably have had a difficult choice to make there as well!

Kerouac, that is a great idea to put your cutting board there!

[mossie]

and I thought the splash back was as a natural result of your exuberant cooking

[kerouac2]

Some people think it is the result of male urination.

[tod2]

Lugg - You have done very well old girl! (That is a term of endearment....) I love the way your colour scheme goes together and is so easy on the eye. Well done.
Now - I have to ask. Your lovely shaped sink has a plastic bowl in it. Please tell me why you don't run the water directly into the sink and keep the plug in if you want to save the wash up water for later?
Maybe you can explain this " Ënglish culture" phenomena as I see in all English/British kitchens - having this method of washing up the dishes.
This is not a critic, like Bixa's white jumpsuit cow, but merely an observation that puzzles me no end!

[onlyMark]

Having a bowl, which I hasten to add is not always used, saves water when only needing to wash a few things.
In Spain we have a double sink. My Slovenian mother in law will always put a bowl in there when just washing a few pots. It's not just the British.
You can also put some stuff in there to soak and leave it on the counter top to free up the sink.

[kerouac2]

My grandmother always did it, too. Saving water was important even in places where it rains a lot. Until I was about 3 years old, my grandparents didn't even have running water -- there was a hand pump over the kitchen sink and I'm sure that my grandmother had better things to do than pump water all the time.

[tod2]

Yes I catch your drift Mark and Kerouac, but I have British friends who came to live in South Africa for many years and I was intrigued when she put a plastic bowl in her sink. Even washing a few things can be done in the normal sink and plug way can't it? So much easier pulling out a plug than lifting and tilting a plastic bowl. You won't find many homes here with a single wash up All double so that you wash in one and rinse in the other. Let's face it, the only true germ free method is using a dishwasher where grotty old sponges do not get used over and over and a tea-towel that has dried dozens of dishes. Not in my home I say, but there are many who think the "Fairy liquid" still kills 99% of all germs....
I have a sneaking suspicion that Kerouac has given me the answer....it's a traditional way of doing certain house chores. From Grandmother to grandaughter, and so the plastic bowl continues to live.

[onlyMark]

Aug 19, 2021 12:03:05 GMT tod2 said:

Even washing a few things can be done in the normal sink and plug way can't it?

Often don't get the water deep enough.

[bixaorellana]

Tod, using the bowl inside the sink probably started decades ago for a number of reasons -- saving water, for one, which others have mentioned. You often read in older novels of a person finishing up washing the dishes, then throwing the water out the back door on some plantings.

Also, a bin or bowl would save the old porcelain-clad iron sinks from getting chipped and, with modern stainless steel sinks, from getting scratched.

Since rubbery plastic bins which are the exact size and shape to fit inside a modern sink are easily available, I think the custom of using one inside the regular kitchen sink must be pretty widespread.

[tod2]

Bixa, you are 100% right when mentioning the saving of the wash up water by taking it to the garden. One doesn't really think of all the water that goes down the drain....so to speak. I have not considered this but we are about to spend more money on a back-up for the solar geyser. The pipes from the roof geyser are a very long way away from the tap in my shower. It only took one shower to realize we waste 25L of water before the hot comes out the shower head. So have been saving it in buckets but now have a new method. Adding a gas heater.

[mich64]

This discussion has brought back of memory of a turquoise tub my mom used in the kitchen sink to wash up the breakfast dishes and then taking the tub out to the flower garden. Also something about the soapy water helping to get rid of some type of invasive bug?

[kerouac2]

I think that the phosphates in most dishwashing liquids are also supposed to be good for plants, in moderation.

[onlyMark]

Dish washing liquid - bad for aphids. That's what I seem to remember.

[mich64]

Aphids seems correct Mark.

Kerouac, I guess just the water will have to be the only benefit now a days as most dish detergents are now phosphate free!

The discussion brought back some happy memories that felt really good including some kitchens I had not thought of in a very long time.

[lugg]

Aug 19, 2021 8:12:35 GMT tod2 said:

Now - I have to ask. Your lovely shaped sink has a plastic bowl in it. Please tell me why you don't run the water directly into the sink and keep the plug in if you want to save the wash up water for later?

Well tbh Tod I have never had a plastic bowl in my sink before ...it is a remnant from the kitchen works when I needed it to wash up in another room when my kitchen was being fitted. I placed it in there afterwards and now quite like it , not so much water to fill, easier to clean and if I accidently drop something into it , it is less likely to break . Will it have a permanent home ? I am not sure yet.

Mich _ I will pm you some links in next few days.

[tod2]

My own kitchen is in photos somewhere on Anyport and is not likely to be updated anytime soon. But I have the pleasure of cooking in this very modern kitchen at The Beach House in Pennington where we have just spent another lazy long weekend. It has one bit drawback however. There is no water pipes/taps in the main kitchen and one has to walk through to the scullery to fill a kettle. The plus is no dirty dishes are ever visible!!

[kerouac2]

The vast majority of us can only dream of having that much space (I think). However, I would need additional staff to keep it clean.

[mich64]

Very nice Tod! So much space and room for family to enjoy meals together. I would like to see a photo of the scullery I imagine there is plenty of space in there for clean up? Good area for the wine storage too, I assume Mr. T. is in charge of storing/retrieving the bottles?

[tod2]

Thank you Mich - Funnily enough we have never sat inside at the dinning table off the kitchen as the really big table is out on the deck near the BBQ. Big aluminium sliding doors open up the space as much as you would like between patio and lounge/dining area.The scullery is a fair size but houses the washing machine, tumble drier and two deep freezers. It also house the store cupboard.



Mr.Tod is a life saver when it comes to retrieving a nice bottle of wine from above the refrigerator.