An ode to my kitchen.

When we began looking for a new house, we saw many kitchens.  Some were so-so, some were downright beautiful.  But none of them spoke to me.  Except to say HANDS OFF! the way a lady might slap a frisky man.  I was looking for a plow horse, but all I found were prima donnas.  Until SHE walked in.

my kitchen

My kitchen is not showy.  Like the rest of this house, it is old.  It is not cherry & granite, stainless steel, status and POWER.  It is simple.  It is trying in some ways, like an elderly relative who needs help finding their glasses.  You wonder WHY DON’T YOU JUST PUT THEM ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND? But you search for an hour anyway.  Out of love.  My kitchen has character.  That rare attribute that only comes w/ age.  From its retro counter to the curve of its built-in shelves, my kitchen makes me happy.  I like its red color.  I like the way the vintage cooktop wobbles.  I even like the way the tap leaks unless you turn it slightly to the side.  MY KITCHEN.  Like a favorite pair of sweatpants, it’s what you turn to when you’re hungry.

cooktop

Even though I don’t have a dishwasher anymore, I am not angry.  Each day & night as I wash dishes by hand, I look out my lovely window to my nice next-door neighbor’s house. I think about living in this most historic home.  I think about what it was like 250 years ago, when EVERYTHING was work.  And then I feel humbled, and grateful.  For all the modern conveniences I do have.  Like my OVEN!  Even though the dial doesn’t correspond to the temperature, so everything is guesswork – It sure beats cooking over a campfire.

my oven

And there’s my washing machine!!  Which is right there in my kitchen.

my laundry room - in my KITCHEN!

Sure, some people might think that’s odd.  But I don’t.  I am so happy – b.c I LOVE DOING LAUNDRY!!!  And I LOVE to cook.  So now I can do them at the same time!  My husband even wired the clothes dryer into the kitchen, so now I can fry bacon and dry my pants, simultaneously.  But there’s more.  The former owner – when he modernized this kitchen in the 50s, thought practically.  He knew there’d be a need for counter space as well as convenience, and he didn’t want to sacrifice one at the expense of another.  So he crafted a special countertop that lifts and/or slides out from atop the washing machine.

cool countertop

So you can access the machine whenever needed, but when not in use, it functions as normal workspace.  Pure genius!

I know you are all wondering WHERE IS THE FRIDGE??!!  WHERE DO THEY KEEP THEIR FOOOOD??!  When my husband wired the clothes dryer into the kitchen, we had to move the refrigerator into the adjacent keeping room.  Mostly b/c there wasn’t anywhere else to put it.  It took a little getting used to, but now the fridge LOVES it!

fridge in keeping room

He gets to hang out right next to the fireplace.  So he stays cozy warm, even while he’s keeping our ice cream icy cold.  Plus he likes being part of the action.  Sometimes we even throw him scraps when we’re eating.  GOOD BOY!

14 thoughts on “An ode to my kitchen.

  1. I love your kitchen and its unique quirks. you could possibly hide a dishwasher somewhere if you really wanted to…I hate doing laundry…what is wrong with you LOL
    I adore the keeping room!!!

    P.S. Thanks for the treats…you are too kind…a surprise is forthcoming as soon as I finish packaging one very breakable item 🙂 I am calling it the Dish Family’s Autum Extravaganza

  2. Honey, step AWAY from the paint fumes! I’m still trying to work out why you reach for your sweat pants when you are hungry. You intend to eat so much that nothing else will fit? I don’t know. (You KNOW I love a red kitchen!!!) And I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier looking fridge. Even if it isn’t black. I also agree with you that having your laundry room as near the kitchen as possible just makes sense, cause if you’re not washing dishes, you’re bound to be washing laundry. Actually, I like washing dishes by hand. It’s relaxing somehow.

  3. The ‘keeping room’ looks AMAZING. I don’t know how I’d feel about having the fridge in there but if that’s what it takes to stay in that gorgeous house, than viva la freedom from conventional design!

  4. *sigh* love laundry? and cooking? what is wrong with you?!?!?!

    i do love the counter over the washer, though–genius! i wish i had something like that to put over the little round circles that make fire in my counter (a stove top, i believe it’s called). when i throw parties (catered, of course), i could use the extra counter space that the stupid stove top uses up.

    i think the house suits you so well. i’m more of a modern amenities in an old fashioned package type of girl. (ex. old house that has been completely updated {by a contractor!} but still has charm and character…but limestone counters, subway tiles, and a bread warmer.)

    xoxoxo

  5. Thanks Bouncy babe. PS: I showed my house some pictures of you last night & He totally thinks you’re hot too. MMEoooeoeooeoowwww.

    Connie, laundry & cooking are the only two housewifely chores I enjoy. Everything else falls by the wayside. So my kids smell good, look good (generally) and are well fed. But the dust is an inch thick. Which is a good thing too I think. None of us has allergies! PS: I am WAY EXCITED!!!!!! OOOOooOOOooHH GOODIES!!!

    Tracie what do you mean what do I mean?? You don’t eat sweatpants/?!! PS: Third hint: We are boxes. We are a matched pair. AND we can be fixed.

    Hey Hayden! Yep, John was not into the whole fridge in the other room either, but it never bothered me.. I like to spread out. Just ask Curly – I’m also a hoarder.

    Nat – I see you in a Victorian mansion. Completely gutted. With only woodwork and a single settee. And a laptop, of course. xo

  6. A washer and a dryer? Unless by fixed, you meant, like, a cat and a dog. But they aren’t exactly a matched pair. And they are rarely boxes. Maybe a boxer…but what would the cat be? ( I am assuming you mean a box shape and not an actual box box. I know I should never assume. But most people don’t fix their boxes, per se, although i guess with the recycling rage…Oh, I don’t know what you are going to be!) Hey, you could be inside a fridge box, or the box the washer or dryer came in, as if you were new appliances, still in the boxes… I gotta quit, my pea-brain hurts.

  7. I love your vintage kitchen! The placement of a worktop over the washing machine is genius. Not sure I’d like the fridge near the fireplace but hey, at least you’re not stuck with an old fashioned ice box!

  8. Okay Trace – one more clue before the unveiling. We are boxes. We are a matched pair. We can be fixed. And we can be played. Any guesses??

    Thanks S. Le! We actually saw a reproduction fridge & stove at a local store. All the aesthetic appeal of antiques – but w/ the beauty of modern technology. Only downside? The $15,000 price tag.

  9. Dice? (Box shaped, matched pair, “fixed” and played).

    BoxERS? (like the sports kind) – no, of course not.

    video games…

    No, I’m going with dice. That’s my final guess.

  10. Cool! I can’t believe I (finally) guessed it! Ya’ll look great. And I’m glad you said something about the game, because I thought it wasn’t on until Sunday night and I would have missed it, which would have bummed me out. I want the Phillies to win – but I do like to see Andy Pettite pitch!

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