Ripping a Kitchen and Discovering that Minimalism Doesn't Actually Mean No Organizing

    We had planned to gut our kitchen and completely redo it last year. Then we needed to replace both cars and unfortunately the car The Simple Man replaced his with ended up needing a new transmission. So we put it off in favor of other projects and recently decided that spring would be good because of the weather.

This is after I've taken the floor up and one cabinet down. It's all gone now!

    We decided we would take on the kitchen by ourselves since it's so small, 12 by 8, with 3 doors and 3 windows, so hardly any space to actually "do" much of anything! The kitchen was in terrible condition when we moved in, but I could not convince The Simple Man of that. Consequently I have cooked every day in a dilapidated kitchen, from its upside down top cabinets (oh yes), to absolutely nothing being flush, closing properly, foul pinky coloured tiles, and the permanently stained counter top being supported by the dishwasher. I could go on, but I won't. I have pictures. I plan to whip them out the moment I scent the merest whiff of recalcitrance on the part of The Simple Man the next time I want to fix something, as proof that I am not a complete harpy, and I did wait ten entire years before he decided the kitchen needed redoing.

 

One wall where the pink tile was - you can see a remnant of it at the bottom. Concrete was behind it.

    But I have nothing but good things to say about him because he works like a horse all day at his job, and then comes home and works on the kitchen. I think of myself as being helpful, I'm definitely not as knowledgeable about home repair as he is, but I'm never afraid to get my hands dirty. The first day I was so excited because I ripped up maybe half the floor tiles with a tire iron and then took down one of the two wall cabinets. The Simple Man was not impressed. I felt very indignant. A few days later I realized why my enthusiasm for my job was not properly appreciated by him. In one day, after work, he removed the rest of the floor, most of the wall tiles down to the lathe because someone thought 3 inches of concrete would be a good way to put them on, removed the dishwasher, cut out the counter, removed the base cabinets and cleaned up a dozen times in between. And he wasn't pleased with himself at all, damnit. Not only was it clear to me that I am a weakling, it must have been pretty obvious to him, too.

 

No more sink :(

    One thing I was hugely grateful for was that I had already spent a lot of time trying to make my kitchen as minimal as possible. It helped with the transfer of items from the kitchen to the dining room, and also aided in lessening the incredible messiness of smashing the two rooms together. It hit me though, that my kitchen, despite it's minimalism, was still sorely in need of organization. I was never able to do a great job keeping everything tidy or grouped because I was lacking in good storage. I've had exactly two overhead cabinets, one trio of small drawers, and a revolving corner cabinet. I could never store anything under the kitchen sink because the bottom had rotted out of the cabinet long ago. Many in the minimalism crowd have cried:  "Don't organise! Minimize!" and for the most part, I heartily agree. But at some point, you have to organise. I thought about this fact a lot in the beginning of my minimalist journey, in part because I have always liked organizing. I wasn't sure what our house would look like once I was finished (mostly) with minimizing so the question of organizing anything was in the future. I was a bit of a fantasist, half hoping our collective belongings would be so skeletal as to not need organising, but I don't think I really believed that would happen. And so it hasn't. I'm not too disappointed; I knew it was unrealistic.

    I have definitely seen some people's possessions (usually the "counters," as I call them) who have so little that there is no need for organizing. I have yet to see a family that can do without it. Families with small children will always have enough to organize because of their need for some toys, art supplies, extra sheets and towels (yeah, babies and youngsters spew often, from every orifice) books, and other sundry items. I feel that now, especially after my kitchen is done, I'll be entering a new phase where organizing will take priority over minimizing simply because most of what we have left, we'll be keeping. I might not be totally happy about it, but as it's not my things, and I adamantly believe in not tampering with other people's belongings, it will have to do for now. Of course, I expect that at some point, the strain of keeping loads of ephemera, childhood knick-knacks, unwearable clothes, and other items my beloved family thinks the removal of heralds the End Times, will prove too much and they'll slowly start to unclutter themselves. I intend to be a total martinet about the organization, so I doubt it will take long!

    Now, you can either tell me about how you organize, or what your kitchen would look like if you had unlimited time and funds. Or both. Either way, it will distract me from having to look at my kitchen and give me some good ideas!

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[jaime]

YAY, a new kitchen. It must be really exciting to see the transformation. With your recent discovery of Pinterest, I am sure you have a million ideas swimming around.

As for the organizing, you are right on. After all the minimizing has been done and the goods are gone from the home, we are still left with things that need to be organized. Even if you had a backpack and nothing else, it would need some type of organization. As you point out, there are things that are just part of family life that have to be stored in a logical fashion or else the whole point of easy minimalist living is lost. If you have taken your possessions to the bare minimum and you still can;t find your stuff through the mess, what is the point? Also, I really like your take the rest of your family's things. It is very respectful and something I believe in as well. As long as it is not out of control, i don't see the point of nagging about my husband's and son's stuff. We have recently cut my son's toys way back. He is almost three, but we told him we were putting them in the closet and he could still have them if he wanted them. On some days he asks for something, other days he looks in a tells me the box is for other kids. He has taken a few things out but for the most part he seems okay with letting them go. We're going to give it 6 months (he has an incredibly long memory at his age) before we take them out of the house for good. Scaling back the toys actually makes it easier to organize them.

I can;lt wait to see your newly remodeled and organized kitchen!

[TheSimplePoppy]

Yeah, it's been a long time coming! Of course, there are times when I look at it now and think, "Is this worth it?" but I know it is. And Pinterest, yes. I'm definitely all over that!

I know you had said you felt your son actually plays with most of his toys; I think holding onto the put away ones for 6 months to see what he asks for is a great idea! My daughter remembers things from a long time ago too. I'm still wondering when she's going to get over me weaning her 8 months ago!

I feel that some of the areas of our house are out of control with some people's junk, but I have to admit that I think some of that is due to the fact that we've never really taken the time to invest in the kinds of tools (furniture and other stuff) that would help things stay organized. You can't give a kid two giant bookshelves and expect to see all their things on them tidily. So I have to come up with better, more workable organization that both men (ahem) and children can easily navigate!

Funny, now that spring is here, all I want to do is change my house around!

[Tanja from Minimalist Packrat]

I can't wait to see the end results Poppy! I bet it will be beautiful...

Answering both your questions: 1) My ideal kitchen would be a small European style kitchen that fits trimly along one wall. Not a ton of counter space, but enough for spreading out during cooking. A little bit of well organized storage space, and the must of all musts, a garbage disposal.

2) I am one of those minimalists who spouts off "anti-organizing" rhetoric. My motto is declutter first, organize later, so I'm not really against organizing. I've just seen soooo many clutter books that are really just organizing books disguised under a decluttering title. It drives me nuts! Anyways, that was my little tangent. I actually love to organize my stuff. I truly believe that having the right systems in place can make or break a space. So I say organize to your hearts content darlin'! Especially since you've already downsized. :)

Enjoy that new kitchen!

[TheSimplePoppy]

Hi Tanja, we are actually doing a sort of Euro kitchen; we'll be using or making (depending on the time frame) free standing cabinets rather than built in. Apparently this is popular in Europe and I personally love them!

I know exactly what you're talking about with organizing-your-crap-disguised-as-decluttering books. I definitely think decluttering is the most important thing, but after that, you usually have to organize. As Jaime said, even a backpacker has to have an organized pack! I love to organize too!

[meg]

testing testing--third attempt--your system won't post my comments :(

[meg]

oh, so NOW it will post. sigh. Here goes again, what I can remember of what I wrote, as this is one of my fav topics:

If money/time were no object, some kitchen things I'd consider:

Lots and lots of windows
Commercial or restaurant-quality fixtures, such as stainless steel shelving, worktables, deep sink, faucet, etc. If you go with freestanding pieces, these will work well. They can also be had for a song via eBay, Craigslist, etc.
Polished concrete floors OR commercial grade cushioned black and white checkerboard vinyl tiles.
Repurposed antique malt-shop counter and stools for a snack bar. Cook's side would have ice cream maker or soft-serve thingy, and pull-out bins for dry goods like lentils and quinoa.
Dedicated filtered-water faucet
The very best exhaust fan money can buy (quiet and major sucking power)
The very best dishwasher money can buy (quiet and perfect) or no dishwasher at all
Dedicated and attractive recycling/composting setup--maybe nestled stainless steel step cans
Slide-out shelving in any lower-level storage or base units
Dedicated drawer for spices, with built-in light
Dedicated computer shelf in food prep area--for following recipes online or in ebooks or efiles, to keep it off of food prep surface and at eye level, OR a superthin monitor mounted on the wall for the same purpose, making recipes easy to read from any point in the kitchen.
Loads of task and ambient lighting
Dedicated window greenhouse/plant shelving + grow light for year-round fresh herbs
Undercounter freezer and fridge units, as in Europe
Undercounter washer and dryer, if there's space enough for laundry

Best of luck on your project--I admire your patience in waiting for it this long!

[TheSimplePoppy]

Whoa Meg, you've really thought about this! I guess all the professional cooking you did helped you too ;) My thoughts have been more along the lines of "Anything, ANYTHING but the ghetto kitchen we just ripped out."

I like a lot of your ideas; my kitchen is unfortunately too small for huge improvement, but if/when (please!) I have something more to work with I would absolutely love under counter units of everything. Also would like a mini greenhouse in the kitchen. Saw a fantastic photo of a couple who had built in mosaic troughs for their plants in a sort of glassed in section of their kitchen; they grew tomatoes in the winter! I've heard the slide out shelving is really great; I have an older friend, almost 70, who said they make things a lot easier for her now. We already got rid of the dishwasher, not getting another one, and I can't figure out what to do about an exhaust fan. We had a cheap one, that didn't seem to help much, cooking still smelled up the house and the kitchen still got greasy. Not sure whether to just do without since we can't afford the 5K one or to get another cheap one. Lots to think about as the drywall is going up! Really appreciate you taking the time to list your dream kitchen, even after my blog rejected you three times!

[Erin Kleider]

Let me just say...my kitchen absolutely sucks. And yes, the "absolutely" was needed there. There is no storage, it is choreographed all wrong and it's too small for a family with two pre-teen/teenagers.

If I could redo my kitchen in the house I am in...well, that is an interesting question because I have thought about it long and hard.

We live in an old firehouse. Our basement is the garage where they parked the fire engines. If I had redone this house rather than having purchased a newly remodeled house, I would have made the basement, which has tall windows and outdoor access, our living space. I would have put in a largish kitchen with a sort of industrial dining room complete with antique chandelier (you know mixing stainless steel modern stuff with antiques in an exciting and engaging way). Then made the rest of the area into a great room, so we could entertain (cuz I do so much of that...read the sarcasm) downstairs and the entire upstairs could have been private living area, bedrooms, etc.

If I were to redo what I have now, I would make living room/family room space downstairs with some of it devoted to a work/craft area/room and turn our current, tiny kitchen, living room space into just kitchen (with more storage) and dining room. Of course the floors have to go. Not sure what I'd replace the yucky, peeling vinyl tiles with, but we will be tackling that project sooner than later.

Can't wait to see your new kitchen.

[TheSimplePoppy]

Erin, I completely understand the "absolutely." An old firehouse! I'm sure people always get all excited when you say that and you just roll your eyes because it's probably not all it's cracked up to be, right?

I like the large industrial kitchen mixed with quirky idea. I think our kitchen will probably end up fairly mundane because of budget, space, time constraints. I'm hoping for cute and functional, whereas if I had complete control over it all we wouldn't even be living in this house and my kitchen, my REAL kitchen, the one in my head, would be airy, with masses of light, a mix of old looking white Scandinavian furniture and some stainless steel, and would have french doors that would open out into my private kitchen garden, complete with herbs and espaliered fruit trees, with a field of poppies beyond that. Yeah, I know, I've thought about this way too much!

Vinyl tiles have to go. I know, we had some too, in the basement. Just make sure yours don't have asbestos, some of the really early ones do, I think!

[MelD]

Hm, it is nice to dream but we all have to compromise somewhere! My compromise is that we have no direct outdoor access except to a narrow balcony from our kitchen/living area - but that's because our 1770 washhouse was built alongside the mill, and logically, the millstream, so the "cellar" is actually at ground level and the floor that was converted to living space is up one flight of stairs so it wouldn't ever flood...
My kitchen is solid wood with oak doors and was put in this house when it was gutted in 1989. It is still in perfect condition! I would love to have a white painted kitchen but everyone here is horrified that I could consider painting the beautiful wood. I have to say I would try to avoid top cupboards, even though my kitchen area is not big. I am short (5'2") and can never reach stuff above. Just love the look of only lower cupboards and am diligently decluttering to that end. I would have a below counter refrigerator instead of the bigger one we have now, and also a narrower, smaller dishwasher (our standard in Switzerland is 55cm wide as opposed to Euro-standard 60cm but you can get 45cm wide dishwashers that still hold 9 settings - plenty!!) although having said that I would love a raised oven as I get older. I don't want free-standing units because you have to clean under them, so prefer built-in with baseboards. So much dirt in a kitchen for some reason! Although I would like a small round sink, that is probably not realistic or useful because you need to be able to get oven sheets in there to clean, but simple without a draining board because I always put a teatowel under anyway and hate the look of draining areas, always spotty in stainless steel. I don't like electric gadgets very much, so nothing like fancy steamers or garbage disposals but I have to be able to plug in my tea-kettle and occasionally my hand-mixer. Those are the only things I have, oh right, my husband's espresso maker - I don't drink coffee myself.
The other thing I would change is the tiles on the floor. They are presently uneven-surfaced and mottled greys, I guess to hide the dirt. This they do very well and I always feel they aren't clean, so I would prefer something else, either oak laminate to match my living area floors or white tile that I would know is clean and is quickly wiped each day (I had this previously and loved it!). Well, that's what goes through my head, anyhow!! ;)

[TheSimplePoppy]

Hi MelD, I'm trying to avoid top cupboards too; kitchens look more spacious without them, I think. I love the round sinks! I saw them at Ikea and while, like you, I'm not sure it would be practical, I really want one in this new kitchen. I'll have to think on it.

We are getting free standing cabinets mainly because we live in a heavily urban area and have always had pests (mice, insects) crawling in where we can't get them so while it's probably going to mean more cleaning for me, at least I'll know that they are clean! Thanks for your comment, I love hearing about everyone's ideal kitchens!

[atika]

dear,

if u would like to see this,

Feng shui - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

and then watch this

http://video.about.com/fengshui/Kitchen-Feng-Shui.htm

hope this will work.

[Chase Conely]

Yikes! Seems like you still have a long way to go, and a lot of cooking yet to be done in a kitchen of that state. At least you're getting ahead with the work. It'd be good to start planning out the space, that would make good use of all those waiting times.

[Marble Tile]

Actually renovating and remodeling kitchen really needs lots of time to make it more better and in your case, I there are lots of thing that you work especially in your wall and counter top and also in your flooring. So you should now start choosing perfect wall design and flooring tile on your household and when I also suggest to consult for a expert to work in your kitchen to get better result.