Anyone every built their own kitchen (from that flat box) store

[AngliaGT]

When I was a volunteer firefighter we had a few fires in houses that
were so cluttered that you had to go through a path,between high piles
of old magazines & newspapers,etc.

 

[JPSmit]

My wife just became a Marie Kondo "trainer" and really likes the first step "discarding" I can't leave anything un hidden. Actually having seen what happens in a few of the houses where she has helped teach people to start organizing themselves, their lives, their houses...... seeing such incredible levels of out of control makes me appreciate a bit of over organization... as long as no one touches my work area.

I get it - and Doug similarly, I have a friend here in town who is a firefighter who is constantly worried about hoarders - and especially in apartments.

I quite appreciate the Marie Kondo stuff except the 'getting rid of stuff that doesn't bring you joy.' In theory it makes sense but my snow shovel and lawn mower ain't ever going to bring me joy (and truth be told I might have got rid of the MG a few times as well)

 

[DrEntropy]

I get it - and Doug similarly, I have a friend here in town who is a firefighter who is constantly worried about hoarders - and especially in apartments.

Hooboi. We had a neighbor of thirty years who was a hoarder, garage piled so full of newspapers and magazines it couldn't be accessed from the front. The house was the same. Had "pathways" through the piles to navigate. He was also known to "disappear" for a month or two at a time, having two condo rentals in Daytona and a cabin in the Adirondacks. Last March his neighbors started to "small something" and police were called, discovered he'd apparently died in his bed well over a month before. He was over six feet tall and weighed over 300 pounds when alive... Fire Rescue opted to break out the concrete block below the bedroom window to get him out, as there was no way to get a gurney with him onboard out through the house due to the piles of "stuff" he'd collected. A sad, nasty business all around.

 

[JPSmit]

Sad is indeed the operative word. Years ago I was billeted with a family - she had been left to raise 4 kids alone in significant poverty. Though remarried and at least comfortable financially, in their garage (and house) was every piece of furniture, every garment, every magazine she had ever owned, presumably 'just in case' - not hoarders in the 'pathway' sense of the word, but.....

 

[Popeye]

I'm beginning to believe that my Wife can't stand to have an empty flat surface
in our house.
I need to start going through things,& sell the stuff I don't need anymore.

"Nature abhors a vacuum." - Aristotle, sometime c. 300 BC

Second law of Thermodynamics: "Entropy always increases"

Both are true in life... if there is an empty space, it will be filled. If something is neat and organized, it will only get messy until you spend energy to clean it up again.

(I'm significantly more guilty than my wife in our house!!)

 

[Bayless]

Clutter tends to expand to fill the space available.

 

[Popeye]

Clutter tends to expand to fill the space available.

Same goes for food and my belly!

 

[JPSmit]

Well folks, this thread just sort of tapered off to nowhere. Yesterday I put on the last piece of trim (around the range hood) so, I am effectively done. 2 or 3 punch list jobs, but, overall, we are delighted.

 

[DNK]

JP... please talk my wife into drawers for our kitchen. She seems to think you lose to much space.

 

[Hamish Racing]

Draws are great
pan draw under the hob

also the corner cupboard carousel

 

[waltesefalcon]

It looks great JP!

 

[JPSmit]

JP... please talk my wife into drawers for our kitchen. She seems to think you lose to much space.

So much better! and the top drawer in each has a 'hidden' drawer inside. I am amazed at the storage and ease

 

[Gliderman8]

Nice! Great job!

 

[DrEntropy]

Beautiful, JP!!

We need that "envy" icon.

My ambition to finish our kitchen evaporated with the femoral artery replacement surgery. I need to use your example to get back up on th' horse!

 

[70herald]

WOW turned out beautiful !!!! What kind of countertops are those?
You beat me to the finish line. This is what my kitchen currently looks like. Hopefully next week we get countertops....

 

[70herald]

JP... please talk my wife into drawers for our kitchen. She seems to think you lose to much space.

Any space you loose is more than compensated by the convenience of the drawers and the fact that you can easily get at the entire area. We put mostly drawers in....

 

[Basil]

Any space you loose is more than compensated by the convenience of the drawers and the fact that you can easily get at the entire area. We put mostly drawers in....

I agree! We remodeled our kitchen a few yeas ago (existing kitchen cabinets were the cheapest carp the builder could find). All the upper boxes are regular cabinets with shelves, but we decided on a mix of cabinets with doors and drawers for the lower boxes. One of the drawers has a slide out that has two trash bins we use for plastic and aluminum recycle. Another has two large slide outs that are perfect for pots and pans. One end box is completely drawers and we love it! For one thing, it is so much easier to keep things organized in drawers. I also added a small L island to give us a bit more counter top space. Before and after:

Before: (horrible, cheap blond boxes)

After: (I did all the demolition and removal of old cabinets, but had the new professionally installed)

The box on the end, left of the stove, was originally one drawer with cabinets/ shelves below but we replaced with a three drawer unit. Best decision we could have made!

 

[Bayless]

Wow, sweet, all of you.

 

[John Turney]

I agree! We remodeled our kitchen a few yeas ago (existing kitchen cabinets were the cheapest carp the builder could find). All the upper boxes are regular cabinets with shelves, but we decided on a mix of cabinets with doors and drawers for the lower boxes. One of the drawers has a slide out that has two trash bins we use for plastic and aluminum recycle. Another has two large slide outs that are perfect for pots and pans. One end box is completely drawers and we love it! For one thing, it is so much easier to keep things organized in drawers. I also added a small L island to give us a bit more counter top space. Before and after:

Before: (horrible, cheap blond boxes)
View attachment 75784

How did you keep anything on top of those cabinets with a cat in the house?

PS: Nice job on the remodel.

 

[DrEntropy]

Girl-cats are generally more respectful of the "stuff' on furniture than th' boyz!