Small Apartments: Meinhilde’s Before Kitchen

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In April 2013, I moved into my own apartment. Through luck and the help of family, I was able to get this small apartment in a house over 100 years old, renovated.

The Kitchen

I not only work with food, but I love cooking, eating, grocery shopping even when I’m not at my job. When my apartment got renovated, the biggest chunk of work was done in the kitchen. I realize I was extremely lucky, and I’d much rather have a beautiful, functional kitchen than a beautiful bathroom. More work gets done in the kitchen! The kitchen had old cabinets with doors that didn’t close, an old sink, and an ancient stove. The floor was covered with some nasty old linoleum tiles. And the whole kitchen was cut off from the rest of the apartment.

As you can see, it’s quite old and ratty. The cabinet doors would swing open, and I think the big burner on the stove was broken. Once I put out my kettle, rice cooker, and drying rack, there would be no counter space to actually work! The tenants who lived here before even had a small table and a few chairs to make this an eat-in kitchen. 

 

The kitchen was cut off from the rest of the apartment, and this wall was basically wasted space. You can see where the old tenants installed a few shelves, but they weren’t too functional. Plus, the colour was a bit jarring (it’s not a big or bright space, and the window looks onto the building next door across the driveway).

So we started the demolition! We started by taking off all the cupboard doors.

And then we were lucky enough that the contractor found a way to reroute some pipes and cut a pass-through in the wall. This completely opens up the feeling of the kitchen, and makes the now-adjacent living room much brighter.

 

Check back soon for the after photos of this kitchen!

 

Also, have a peek at the before and after pictures of the bathroom.

And the before and after pictures of the bedroom.