Kitchen Improvements

This week, in addition to casting on a new knitting project, and working on my sloper blocks, I finally got up the courage to do something I've been wanting to do for a while; try to make my kitchen more attractive to me.

So, here it is before. I admit its not really horrible.  Its in good condition and I've looked after it well.  I am sure it was entirely to the taste of the couple who sold me the house but it is about the opposite of my preferred kitchen style.  I like pale units, pale floor, pale worktops.  The black flooring and black worktop are the polar opposite of what I would choose.  Its actually a very smart kitchen, and there is nothing actually wrong with it.  The layout works really well, though the extractor hood is too low and I hit my head on it all the time.  There are sufficient cupboards.  Its not worn or old.  But it isn't making me happy.  It feels dark and dull.  I've spent a few weeks trying to work out how to make the kitchen feel more attractive until I can afford to replace it.  I was keen to paint the cupboards but due to the way the kitchen has been installed this would be very, very difficult to do and I'm very afraid of making things look worse than ever. I'm very fussy about how things are finished, and when I do something myself I know where all the flaws are.  I am not sure I am brave enough to take the risk on a kitchen I can't afford to replace for a number of years. 

However, I did feel that the kitchen might be improved if the rather unfortunately coloured tiles were rehabilitated.  I particularly hate the peach and grey tiles against the reddish wood.  So, I bought some tile paint and a grout pen and went at those tiles on Monday night.  The paint I used (Ronseal One Coat Tile Paint in Natural Stone) only needs the tiles to be wiped down with a bleach-based cleaner.  So, on the basis that preparation is always the key, and pure bleach is better than bleach-based, I scrubbed every tile with a toothbrush and neat Domestos Grot Buster (which has a smaller nozzle, so less danger of bleaching everything in the immediate vicinity by accident).  Rinsed and dried the tiles carefully and started to paint.  The paint went on quite well and although very close up you can see its painted, the textured surface of the tiles breaks up the light so from a distance of two or more feet they look just like proper tiles.  You have to get quite close to see they are painted. The grout pen is painted onto the grout lines afterwards and this does make a big difference to the finished look and is worth doing.  I have three quarters of a tin of paint left so will be able to touch the tiles up if they start to peel or look worn, and I have a little left in the grout pen, despite getting the smallest size available.  So, for a cost of just over £25 I have a newly tiled kitchen and I really think its made the kitchen look both larger and lighter.  I also feel it has calmed down the rather red tone of the wood.

Next stage is painting the walls a better colour and doing the woodwork.  Its a dining kitchen so the walls/woodwork have to be done in both the kitchen and dining room.  Then, when I've some money, I want to replace the annoying modern bar cabinet handles that keep catching my clothes and ripping them. I am hoping to find some nice, smooth, traditional handles to give a less starkly modern feel to the kitchen.