We’re Buying A New Kitchen! (With House Attached)
Since starting Southern Plate, one of the regular things I get asked is to show readers my kitchen. Many loving and wonderful people have this grand idea of me having a spacious and functional kitchen with the latest and greatest of appliances and decor. While I do have some pretty awesome counter top appliances, the “coolness” factor of my kitchen ends there.
Whoever designed this house had a real eye for miniatures and they really let that shine in my little kitchen, which I affectionately call my “walk in closet with appliances”. I’ve never actually shown photos of my kitchen because I have a difficult time fitting in there with a camera. The designer’s love of miniatures is further emphasized by the dark finished cabinets and dark blue counter tops. The teeny tiny window pulls it all together, shedding just the right amount of light to make one feel as if they are in a small and cozy cave. Ahh, the baking bliss I’ve known for the past ten years.
~grips the sides of her keyboard with white knuckles as she looks to you in desperation~ I need sunshine people!
Now I know some of you are thinking that I could have painted those cabinets and remodeled that kitchen. Seems easy enough until you realize that I don’t have a handyman handy. I have a husband who can design entire space stations but after ten years I just recently managed to talk him into taking up a paint brush for our living room. This left me with two options: Do it myself or hire it done. My two answers to those are: I don’t have time and I can’t afford it – BUT ….
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…the moment you’ve all been waiting for!
Alright, so I’m the one whose been waiting for it but I’m trying to be all grandiose here because this is a big moment for me so bear with…
MEET MY NEW KITCHEN!!
(with cabinet hardware that is soon to be replaced with shiny chromey silvery looking deals because I can do that much myself!)
MEET MY NEW STOVE!
It has FIVE eyes!
FIVE!!!!
~giggle~
Thank you, GE, for making my FIVE eye stove!
Meet the interior of my new stove!!
MEET MY NEW DISHWASHER!
Isn’t it beautiful? I swear I want to have wallet prints made of it to hand out…
~blows a kiss to Whirlpool~
MEET MY NEW MICROWAVE!
(I think its a toaster oven, too. I’ve never had one of those!)
Now class, say hello to the sink…
~voices pipe up in happy unison: HELLO, SINK!~
Another view of my kitchen!
Yes, I do need an island but that old no-handyman thing comes into play again so we’re just gonna have to save up some moolah and buy one or get creative.
I’m hoping I can come across some type of antique work table or such to use that will prove useful as well as be a cool story telling piece and make me seem all Martha-esque!
Another view of my new kitchen…
This is a photo of MY FIRST EVER PANTRY!!!
And follow Katy right out this door from the kitchen into….
My Southern Plate office!!!!
(formerly known as “the sun room”)
My current office is a recliner by day and my bed by night
Another view of my new office!
My FIRST EVER office which is ATTACHED to my NEW Kitchen!!
This is the upstairs apartment where visiting Southern Plate dignitaries will stay
(That means Terri of Dixie Cornbread fame is gonna come visit me)
Honestly, I never thought in a million years I’d ever have a house with an upstairs! How COOL is this?
VERY COOL!
This is another view of the upstairs apartment, with Katy heading into the big closet that is going to serve as an overflow for my pantry.
Look at me, getting my first pantry and already planning a second!
Apparently, getting in closets is an awful lot of fun.
This is the back view of my Southern Plate office with a view of the balcony on the visiting dignitary’s suite :).
This house is SO BEAUTIFUL, I cannot BELIEVE I am going to get to live here!
I am going to be holding my breath until closing!
This is where I want to have my raised bed garden.
My garden has become quite a point of contention around here but we won’t go into that ~smiles sweetly~.
Now THIS is where you come in!
All of my beautiful new appliances: microwave, oven, dishwasher…one thing is missing!
I am most likely going to have to fill that hole with our current refrigerator for a time at least. The one we have was the cheapest model available ten years ago and it has pretty much held up as expected. Shelves have broken and had to be tossed. A drawer in the bottom cracked and eventually had to be thrown away as well. It’s even missing one of the front door handles!
Bless its little pea pickin’ heart, this fridge runs fine but leaves so much to be desired other than that ~laughs~.
I’ve just been grateful to have it though. Think of all of the people in the world who don’t have refrigeration and its hard to complain about a working refrigerator.
However, I feel like I am moving into a dream kitchen with my new stove, microwave, dishwasher, and pantry. I would dearly love to have a new refrigerator to go along with them. I’ve already been window shopping even though it will be a few months before we purchase one. This is going to be my new baby and I want to get the best I can possibly get for my money.
With that in mind, here are my questions for you:
- What brand of refrigerator do you recommend?
- What features do you find indispensable?
- If you were going to purchase a new refrigerator, where would you go?
- How long have you had your refrigerator and what kind do you have?
AND if you would like, send me a photo of your refrigerator along with a description of it to publish in a future post ! (No, I’m not kidding!) You don’t even have to clean it off, just send me a photo of it as is, along with what brand it is and how long its been keeping your family chilled.
Email photos to: fridge@southernplate.com
So here is the summary of my new kitchen with house attached!
Our current house:
- a little over 1400 square feet
- 3 bedrooms
- 2 baths
- teensey weensey miniature kitchen 🙂
Our NEW Kitchen (with new house attached!)
- over 2500 square feet
- 4 bedrooms plus bonus apartment
- 3 full baths
- GINORMOUS kitchen filled with SUNSHINE and a walk in pantry!
- Southern Plate office in the former sunroom (more sunshine!)
Now there is ONE MORE THING I need from all of you! You know how Martha has names for her houses and such? I want a name for my new home. Y’all know I enjoy having humor injected whenever possible so that would be a plus (but not requirement) in the name. A play on Southern Plate might be fun as well but not neccesary. After you tell me all about your refrigerator, I’d love it if you’d help me think up a name for the new house we are getting (as a result of it coming attached to our new kitchen). Got any ideas?
“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there.” ~Normal Peal (Submitted by Southern Plate reader, Barbara)
To share your positive or motivational quote and read more from other readers, click here!
Thank you for letting me share this big news with you! It still doesn’t seem real to me that we are going to get this house but closing date is set for the end of the month so cross your fingers with me that I don’t wake up!
Gratefully,
Christy
Christy the new home is lovely, absolutely gorgeous. Congratulations!
I totally understand how you feel about it. I only picked up the keys to my house last week, mine was built so in a way it’s almost exactly the way I would want it – EXCEPT I would like an induction cooktop but those are so expensive.
I won’t recommend any particular brand of fridge because you know, being on opposite ends of the world I am sure they don’t sell the same type over here that you have there but a couple things I would suggest:
– you want something with a lot of storage capacity. I’m sure you already know how frustrating it can be to have a fridge that is too small for your needs. I also think they work more effectively when they’re not crammed full of food!
– if you guys have some system of energy rating of appliances, then obviously look for something that’s pretty energy efficient
– I prefer the ‘upside down’ models, that is, if it’s a freezer/fridge combo the freezer section is at the bottom. That means you never have to crouch down to get to the crisper drawer.
– If you get something that’s brushed/matte stainless steel finish you won’t get all the fingerprints all over it.
– Instead of the french door fridge/freezer combo which can usually not have enough freezer space, you can go for a pigeon pair – I don’t even know if you’re going to understand what I mean by this?!?! But in any case, it’s basically just two side-by-side full size fridge and freezer.
And lastly…
HAVE FUN IN YOUR NEW HOME!
My name should have been “Ebenezer” with that meaning. “Ed” means
“it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
Christy, I think of my daughter living by the Chatahoochie River with all you Southern folk as I read your wonderful blog each day, and it helps me miss her and those cutie pie grandbabies a little less knowing there are nice people nearby. I think the best thing about naming your house (someone said call out names to the house and see which one it liked–not too far from wrong) is to have friends with good thoughts pray a blessing on your home as you enter there…sad stories usually precede the bargains available these days. Let your time there be blessed and chase away any sorrow that may have previously existed there. You could call it “Ed” like the Old Testament children of Israel, means: “Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.” No matter what color or size, a good cold fridge is needed down in the deep south, I learned that on my August visit to Alabama, whew!
I don’t have a website but eventually I think I will because I love to do what you do…. I AM HAPPY FOR YOU…. I can feel it. And you deserve it I’m sure….. YOUR A MOM AND A WIFE…. That says it all right there… SO congrats. I have a cheapo hotpoint with a water dispenser and two types of ice to use crushed or regular… But To me the cheapo was the most expensive fridge i’v ever had and is holding up fine. For 4 years…… Love you and keep it comming….And did you get that passport yet….
Great house and even better kitchen!!! As for the fridge, less is better so forget the fancy extra’s such as water, ice on door. Also, don’t get a fridge that has a water filter that will need to be replaced ever so often! I always look at those types of extra’s as something to go wrong and will need fixing!! I agree Consumer Reports is a great starter. When I moved to my new downsized home, I bought a black Whirlpool fridge with the bottom freezer. I love it! Plenty of room and plenty of ice! Also, I can rearrage the holders on the door which is a great feature. I do not like stainless steel…finger prints, but I understand that they now make something that doesn’t take the finger prints or they coat the stainless steel with something to prevent that. So make sure to ask about that if you are going to get stainless steel. Big waste of money getting a side by side…total lack of space!!! As for your ole fridge, keep it and put it in your garage. It will be great for the fresh veggies out of your new garden, drinks for the little and big people, etc!
Oh my dear,
You really deserve it. I know how much you needed it. And I love your new office.
I am so happy for you.
How about Southern Manor…or does that sound too much like a nursing home?? Maybe Manoir méridional which is it in french
La Camera dei piatti is Italian for THE HOUSE OF PLATES
La Chambre des plats is in french… 🙂
Amy