There is this strange concept that we Germans pursue in quest of making our personal space homey:
The native spends top Euros to install costly designed custom fit furniture (such as kitchens) in their rented condos, only to rip them apart, and drag them along when they got to move. Later you will find them spending another big portion of dough to get the previously perfectly fitting parts adjusted to make them fit into the new home. Seriously!
And yes, of course we take with our lamps and draperies as well, even if we end up storing them in the basement because they don't fit the new home. I am not kidding you.
However, we were lucky to be able to find an apartment that already had a kitchen and a few appliances (no fridge, no washing machine) in place. But the kitchen was not in best shape, and definitely not our style... not to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Before:
After
You won't really notice it but the surfaces were quite tacky and greasy, and I soaped and scrubbed everything in and outside several times. We removed the top rims and the rustic glass cabinet door, painted the walls and the wooden duct cover, and it immediately brightened up the space. Then I re-adjusted all cabinet doors, used some wood putty (thanks to Martha I know that word now) to cover up some holes and cracks, and changed the wooden knobs to brushed metal ones. After that it was just a matter of setting some colour accents. Guess, what's my favourite colour... It only required little investment but we find it a very satisfactory improvement.
Nice! I like it. Your new fridge looks funky.
ReplyDeleteI always fancied the retro looking fridges, and there is an Italian company SMEG which still makes them that way (with modern technology inside that is).
DeleteNice work. It's amazing how a few small changes can change the look of a room.
ReplyDeleteThank you, we are quite happy with the outcome. A new kitchen would have cost us several thousand Euros...
DeleteVery nice Sonja.
ReplyDeleteSubtle changes but they make a difference. Brighter and more modern.
Love the fridge. Is Alonso jealous you bought an orange fridge?
Brandy, Alonzo was quite pleased with the choice. It is an Italian fridge no less.
DeleteYour post reminds me of my surprise when I first rented my apartment in Erlangen while serving in the US Army. It was all bare as you say, not even light bulbs in the ceiling fixtures! I'd forgotten that.....
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Dom, I really got to appreciate how the North Americans do it. Put it there, and leave it there when moving on. No muss, no fuss. I still miss the walk-in closets though.
DeleteThanks Bob. Germans are somewhat crazy. Didn't you know? We don't need a bigger fridge. Grocery store, a farmers market and a deli are right at our doorstep. No need to stockpile the fridge. Everything is fresh every day...
ReplyDeletegreat job, looks better with the white colour on top istead of the wooden rim. and the orange fridge is great ;-). hope, meanwhile it feels a bit like home?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Yvonne. Surprisingly yes, it begins to feel like home, part of course is having familiarity of the furniture, but I really like it here, too.
DeleteLooks pretty nice. Did you change the tile and countertop as well? They look to be different though it may just be the lighting.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about moving everything including the kitchen sink and it always seemed a bit odd. But that's the norm so everyone expects it. BTW, I like the fridge as well. Both the color and style...
Richard, the tiles and countertop aside from being dirty were in good shape so we decided to keep it. It is merely a trick of lighting that suggests a change.
DeleteExcellent job! It's lovely and bright. I love the small refrigerator. Smaller ones in the US are more expensive and often don't have a freezer or auto defrost. Manual defrost is a pain and I dealt with that for 4 years, but I loved having a small refrigerator. I LOVE the orange.
ReplyDeleteThe window tilts in? I like that. You have inspired me to get back to painting inside my house.
Hi Martha, this little fridge as an auto defrost. I don't think they make it otherwise these days. We don't need a bigger one as I buy almost everything fresh.
DeleteThe window tilts in and also opens to the inside. So much easier to clean.
I never would have guessed that there was that amount of upheaval involved in moving. We were shocked when we moved to L.A. and had to buy a refrigerator though that was tame compared to your system.
ReplyDeleteWe Germans (well, Roland and I seem to be an exception from the rule) rather don't move, and stay put where they are, that's why it makes sense in a way. I know people that have only moved once in their life: out of their parents house into their new home...
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