S/O: Kitchen counters

[kbutton]

7 minutes ago, MeaganS said:

This is first house we've had with a compost pile and we also have a fairly large garden, so dh is adamant we should compost our scraps (despite the city giving trailer-fuls of compost away for free). For a while we just kept them in a regular bowl but that was gross. I'm very happy with the compostable bag-lined bucket with lid we now use. Plus it limits the fruit flies which are a big issue in the summer here. This is the one we have. 

I should probably try one like that. Ours are small, but they are smooth sided so that they don't tend to retain odor once washed. They're several years old though and very beat up! Ours are OXO. What kind of a bag do you use for a liner? 

We don't have a way to get free compost other than hitting up farmers, and we're kind of picky about what kind of manure we want due to weeds. We did get a truckload of rabbit and alpaca manure one summer, and it was still quite hot. It started steaming so badly that I thought we might end up with a fire. It was fine until it was disturbed. I think it's time to get some more--winter compost piles need the heat. 

[popmom]

@Scarlett during the day it looks a bit lighter. This lighting makes it look like Hale Navy. 
 

We just had our white cabinets repainted, and I’m waiting on touch ups and the rest of the holes drilled for knobs. We’ve been renovating this kitchen for—idk—3 years??? We have done one major thing per year. 
 

The last thing is to replace the range with a slide in, so the niche in the backsplash looks right. 
 

I found a dreamy Ian K. Fowler linear chandelier for my island on Marketplace—something I’d not pay full price for. Dh is supposed to put it up tomorrow. I’m excited about that. 🙂

Edited January 16, 2022 by popmom
Wrong designer!

[popmom]

34 minutes ago, MeaganS said:

This is first house we've had with a compost pile and we also have a fairly large garden, so dh is adamant we should compost our scraps (despite the city giving trailer-fuls of compost away for free). For a while we just kept them in a regular bowl but that was gross. I'm very happy with the compostable bag-lined bucket with lid we now use. Plus it limits the fruit flies which are a big issue in the summer here. This is the one we have. 

Mine looks just like that but it’s the .8 gallon version. I keep it under the sink. I need the bigger one!! 
 

The Relaxed Gardener Kitchen Compost Bin (0.8 Gallon) - Rust Proof and Leak Proof - Built Tough to Last a Lifetime https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N8VCU04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_95SZ7SXHR5A5CBX2NHHT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[Scarlett]

@popmom that is gorgeous! That is a huge kitchen.  Gentleman’s grey was one of my 3 final choices, but nothing in my house is in the grey family….although here the color looks more blue.  My MIL is redoing her kitchen…hers is large like yours and she got a gigantic  L shaped Island. She is doing white cabinets and painting her island base a blue….but hers is nothing in the family….not quite torquise but sort of.  I will have to find the color.  I love it.  

Edited January 14, 2022 by Scarlett
I left out the word Island...

[Scarlett]

Dh wanted to know how much we could possibly discuss kitchens?  LOL I told him you would be surprised how much we can discuss ANYTHING.

[MEmama]

13 hours ago, popmom said:

Mine looks just like that but it’s the .8 gallon version. I keep it under the sink. I need the bigger one!! 
 

The Relaxed Gardener Kitchen Compost Bin (0.8 Gallon) - Rust Proof and Leak Proof - Built Tough to Last a Lifetime https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N8VCU04/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_95SZ7SXHR5A5CBX2NHHT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I just use a bowl in my sink for compost and empty it several times a day into the bin in the garage. While cleaning out under the sink yesterday I unearthed our compost pail and am rethinking my strategy. I think I gave up on it because it’s another thing on my countertop while at least the bowl is out of sight and doesn’t really get in the way. It’s not as attractive, however. 

[Indigo Blue]

@popmom That’s what I’d do with my smaller kitchen if Dh would paint the wood cabinets! That beautiful neutral gray on the walls, with white cabinets/counters. I love my kitchen, but if I’m just daydreaming….this is what comes to mind! I love Benjamin Moore Gray Owl with a clean, crisp white. 
 

We’d have to redo our entire house because all our trim and doors are stained wood, 1987 style. That will never happen, though. 
 

You have a beautiful kitchen, too. I love seeing these. 

Edited January 14, 2022 by Indigo Blue

[popmom]

2 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

@popmom That’s what I’d do with my smaller kitchen if Dh would paint the wood cabinets! That beautiful neutral gray on the walls, with white cabinets/counters. I love my kitchen, but if I’m just daydreaming….this is what comes to mind! I love Benjamin Moore Gray Owl with a clean, crisp white. 
 

We’d have to redo our entire house because all our trim and doors are stained wood, 1987 style. That will never happen, though. 
 

You have a beautiful kitchen, too. I love seeing these. 

Our last house was a 70's rancher. I loved, loved, loved that house, but yes it had all the stained trim and doors. We tackled some of it while we were there. We painted the paneling in the den and the cabinets in the bathrooms. About your dh--I'm kinda the same way about wood. Our kitchen table and chairs are vintage Ethan Allen. We picked it up second hand years ago. Dh said he'd let me buy it if I'd paint the chairs. I said I'd consider it. 😉 NOPE never gonna happen. I'm not painting solid cherry windsor chairs. 😂

[Indigo Blue]

2 hours ago, popmom said:

I'm not painting solid cherry windsor chairs. 😂

Oh no…I don’t think I could do that!😲😂

 

[TechWife]

Under my cabinets I have 

a stand mixer

a keurig

a coffee pod spinner/holder thing

a sugar bowl & sweetener packet holder

a saucer with a spoon (to stir coffee & tea)

a food saver sealer 

a ceramic cookie jar that our son made for my dad

a tray that holds: charging phones, watches & earbuds; box of masks; a stationery holder thing for notepads, pens, stamps; an air quality meter thing; a small basket for running gloves, eyeglass cases, etc.

I have a wire fruit basket in the middle of the island. 

Edited January 15, 2022 by TechWife

[popmom]

9 hours ago, MEmama said:

I just use a bowl in my sink for compost and empty it several times a day into the bin in the garage. While cleaning out under the sink yesterday I unearthed our compost pail and am rethinking my strategy. I think I gave up on it because it’s another thing on my countertop while at least the bowl is out of sight and doesn’t really get in the way. It’s not as attractive, however. 

I would do this if it didn't mean going down a flight of stairs every time. lol 

[popmom]

13 hours ago, Indigo Blue said:

@popmom That’s what I’d do with my smaller kitchen if Dh would paint the wood cabinets! That beautiful neutral gray on the walls, with white cabinets/counters. I love my kitchen, but if I’m just daydreaming….this is what comes to mind! I love Benjamin Moore Gray Owl with a clean, crisp white. 
 

We’d have to redo our entire house because all our trim and doors are stained wood, 1987 style. That will never happen, though. 
 

You have a beautiful kitchen, too. I love seeing these. 

The walls in my kitchen are Benjamin Moore Ashley Gray. I chose that more than 10 years ago. I had that one consultation with a decorator several years ago, and she told me to keep the Ashley Gray because it’s a warm gray. 🤷🏼‍♀️. I was glad she said that since I’m not up to repainting right now! 

[MEmama]

For those of you who have repainted kitchen cabinets, how difficult/involved of a process is it?

I love my warm, off-white cabinets but they could use a refresh. I have the paint color that was used originally and only need to paint the fronts. Do they need to be sanded first? Removed? Or is it possible to just paint them while they are hanging?

[lmrich]

If you are just touching up the paint color, it should not be a lot of work. Not an expert, but I  don't think you need to sand. You will need to degrease and clean, clean, clean them first. Then the next trick is to get on smooth and even coat. I have also discovered that having excellent lighting makes a huge difference in being able to see  drips, etc.. (sounds basic but shadows  creep in) 

 

[fraidycat]

Much more than I'd like, but my kitchen is super small with very limited storage. So, things that live on the counter are: a large decorative vase/pot thingy that holds all the large cooking utensils, a magnetic knife block for the large knives, my electric tea kettle, the air fryer, and the kitchenaid mixer. By the sink is a pump bottle of hand soap, bottle of regular dishsoap, and bottle of Dawn powerwash. Then, in the bay window behind (in front of??) the sink is a basket that holds the sink stoppers, scubbing brushes, pot scrubbers, etc.

[Jean in Newcastle]

5 hours ago, MEmama said:

For those of you who have repainted kitchen cabinets, how difficult/involved of a process is it?

I love my warm, off-white cabinets but they could use a refresh. I have the paint color that was used originally and only need to paint the fronts. Do they need to be sanded first? Removed? Or is it possible to just paint them while they are hanging?

You should be able to paint them while hanging but you will need to tape the hinges carefully.

Whether they need to sanded etc. depends on what kind of paint is on there now.  Is the current paint an oil based paint?  If so, you might need to lightly sand.  I would definitely use tsp or equivalent to degrease them.  And I would put on a primer before the color you want. 

I would also do the same for a latex based paint. 

You can use a sanding sponge. 

[katilac]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:58 AM, MEmama said:

I just use a bowl in my sink for compost and empty it several times a day into the bin in the garage. While cleaning out under the sink yesterday I unearthed our compost pail and am rethinking my strategy. I think I gave up on it because it’s another thing on my countertop while at least the bowl is out of sight and doesn’t really get in the way. It’s not as attractive, however. 

We just use tupperware with a lid, it lives on the stove when we're not cooking, gets pushed to the counter when we are cooking. I had a compost pail in the past, and I agree it's more attractive, but this can be cleaned and stacked with the other tupperware if we need the space or have guests. I like multipurpose items! 

We don't usually empty it multiple times per day, though. Do you have a small bowl or a lot of compost? 

18 hours ago, popmom said:

I would do this if it didn't mean going down a flight of stairs every time. lol 

Think of the exercise! You'd never have to work out again. 

[MEmama]

5 minutes ago, katilac said:

We just use tupperware with a lid, it lives on the stove when we're not cooking, gets pushed to the counter when we are cooking. I had a compost pail in the past, and I agree it's more attractive, but this can be cleaned and stacked with the other tupperware if we need the space or have guests. I like multipurpose items! 

We don't usually empty it multiple times per day, though. Do you have a small bowl or a lot of compost? 

Think of the exercise! You'd never have to work out again. 

Both? Lol. 
 

I remembered another reason I gave up on using an actual compost pail. Coffee grounds and other stuff would invariably be left in a …bowl in the sink… because apparently actually removing the lid on the pail was one step too many for certain people in my household. At some point it was easier just to drop the pretense of using something made for the purpose of collecting compost and just give in to the bowl. 

[popmom]

On 1/14/2022 at 1:13 PM, Indigo Blue said:

@popmom That’s what I’d do with my smaller kitchen if Dh would paint the wood cabinets! That beautiful neutral gray on the walls, with white cabinets/counters. I love my kitchen, but if I’m just daydreaming….this is what comes to mind! I love Benjamin Moore Gray Owl with a clean, crisp white. 
 

We’d have to redo our entire house because all our trim and doors are stained wood, 1987 style. That will never happen, though. 
 

You have a beautiful kitchen, too. I love seeing these. 

I used Gray Owl in two upstairs bedrooms. It is very light. You definitely need clean white trim to show it off best. Our house has creamy colored trim, and now I feel like I need to repaint all of it. 😕 It’s always something. But I do really like that color. In my youngest’s bedroom we painted 3 walls Gray Owl and an accent wall in a very dark charcoal gray. I LOVE it. I should post a pic so you can see my trim color issue.