New Kitchen Units

My husband and I go mall-walking with a herd of other seniors several mornings a week. On our circuit, we pass the Hudson's Bay Company, which is sadly going bankrupt after 355 years. I wandered in one day, curious what they sold, as I don't think I'd been in one of their stores before, at least not in many years. In addition to liquidating all their inventory, they were also selling the furnishings---tables, shelves, etc. Well!

Flash forward to us renting a Home Depot van and buying an entire kitchen-worth of units for the church at ridiculously discounted prices. Two of our sons helped with the hefting and hauling, returning with my husband to the city while I stayed on to organize it all. Our chef son had some ideas about how to lay it all out, but hubby had other ideas, and in the end we've come up with a workable design.

On the south wall, there's a stainless steel restaurant table on each side of the stove, as well as the fridge. The shelves below the tables will hold the baking pans and pots. On the north wall, the sink is flanked on each side by a short baker's rack with laminate "butcher block-looking" counters, where I'll store dishes, glassware, etc., and then there's a third counter unit turned inward to serve as a peninsula. This will allow me to stand facing into the room rather than working with my back to the room. (I worked for a couple of years at a mental hospital and a year at a police station, and I'm uncomfortable having my back to the room). One the west wall is a window, and on the east wall are two tall baker's racks with plastic bins holding canned goods and dry goods. There's also a shelf of small appliances, where I can plug in the crockpot or bread machine or dehydrator, etc. out of the way of the work surfaces.

It looks a bit, well, full, since the open racks allow you to see everything you own. At some point I will splurge on nice opaque or coloured baskets to hold everything, but for now, the clear plastic bins from the dollar store will have to do. It feels good to have actual counters, as we've been making do with folding tables until now. I think it will work out fine, once I'm used to it. And the best part about having free-standing units is that, when it comes time to install flooring, they're easily moved in and out, or rearranged if we decide to try a different layout. Having everything in totes and bins would make moving stuff around easier and makes my little Admin Assistant heart happy, as if I'm filing my tins of soup and beans.

I don't have a camera with me, but will add pictures at some point. When hubby comes back to pick me up, we'll see what he thinks about the way I've organized it. We have a cooking area, a serving area, a washing-up area, and a prep/baking area. To be fair, hubby does the majority of the cooking, so he gets the final say. The baking, however, is usually my domain, so I'll have the say in that part of the kitchen.

Ta da! Progress!