The story of Suzie the Foodie’s kitchen

One of the expenses that showed up recently is getting people in my home to paint my kitchen. We need the whole house done but the kitchen is where I want to begin. As you can see, one side of my kitchen is oak and the other:

Eggshell white which NEVER looks clean. This has been a great mystery since we moved into the house a year ago, why on earth would someone want what feels like a mismatching kitchen?

One day my neighbour came over for tea, we had lovely cucumber sandwiches and scones and she told me the story. The lady who lived here had mentioned to her kids that she had always dreamed of a white kitchen so when she was on a trip her kids decided to paint the kitchen for their Mom but couldn’t get it all done in time.

Suddenly I was released from feeling bad about wanting to paint over the oak cabinets; this is what the owner wanted and I am going to replace the really not-so-great job they did with professional painters lacquering it up with tough and super glossy appliance-white paint.

My kitchen faces north and gets very little light. Even in the summer the light will be diminished once the leaves on the trees come out. That’s why we’re going to latex paint with an almost diamond sheen in it to boost the light in the kitchen and make it gleam. I’m also going to use a happier and brighter lighter green on the walls, olive tone is just about my least favourite colour in the world.

I have two hesitations about this project: 1) money 2) creating my perfect kitchen. My first quote on the kitchen knocked me off my feet: $1200! The second one wasn’t that high but I was surprised how high it was considering I chose to go with student painters. Turns out that because of all the precise work on the cabinets and the doors…it takes a lot more time which means a lot more money. Ugh.

I am almost scared to do this because if I have my perfect kitchen, perhaps I won’t want to leave. The last kitchen I had was so small I couldn’t open the oven door all the way if I was in front of it! When I go back to BC (and yes, I am going back one day hopefully soon) I will have to get used to small kitchens again. My kitchen here in Nova Scotia is my one sanctuary. It’s big, has tons of counter space and is one of the few places I have found comfort since I moved here.

What made me decide to go forward is the realization that kitchens sell houses. If my kitchen gleams and looks professional and bright despite the lack of natural light, someone else will fall in love with it like I did. And that’s OK. I will enjoy my kitchen and continue creating until the time to leave is finally here. In the end, I know it will be worth the money to finish the story of my kitchen and have it the way the original owner intended it to be.