6 Lessons Learned from my IKEA Kitchen

During

After

My kitchen is awesome and I can't believe that I made it happen. IKEA has some great products and you can definitely save $$ using their kitchen cabinets. The easy thing to forget, especially when a project is done, is how much labor you put into it. On average, it look me about an hour per box to assemble the cabinets. The simple ones took a little less than that, the more complicated ones took a little longer. If I could do it all over again, this is what I would do.

1. Plan the size of my kitchen based on the cabinets I want. Because of the stairwell, my kitchen is not a standard 10x10 kitchen. It is a little shorter and a little longer, hence the lazy susans in both corners. When I mentioned this to an interiors friend, she said that she always designs the kitchen first.

2. Have more drawer banks. I already knew this from renovating the kitchen in the main house, but because my kitchen is not a standard size (see comment 1) I only have one drawer bank. I do have a pull out by the sink, but that required me to downsize from a double to a single basin.

3. Always, always get a flat surface stove. One exception to this rule is if you can get a gas stove. I've found that in smaller kitchens with limited counter space, the extra flat surface is extremely valuable. When my friend Nan replaced her stove, she went with a flat surface stove and says it was a great idea. I love it when people take my advice and tell me that I am right!

4. Use a drill to attach the doors to the cabinets. The little cartoon instructions IKEA provides does not place an emphasis on using a high powered drill. You need to use a good drill. Why? Because if you just try to screw in the hinges by hand, or use an electric screw driver (which is what I initially did), the doors will fall off after a few uses.

5. Use a square when you are making the first box of your cabinet. Again, the little cartoon people don't reference using a square, but this is muy importante if you are going to: 1. line up the cabinets against a wall. 2. line up cabinets against each other. 3. just want things to line up.

6. Be patient with IKEA. When you are in the planning/ordering phase go on a weekday. Also, more often than not, they will not have all of the pieces available for your project. You will either have to wait until after hours, "because it is in the storage area and we are not allowed to move things back there until after hours" or it will take multiple trips. I had to pick up my supplies at a future date at their warehouse by the airport. One shining light is their customer service. When I lost a few of the leg pieces, all it took was a quick trip with my receipt to get some FREE replacements.

OMG Cupcakes Galore

Back in the day, when we would mix high strength concrete in the lab, my friend and PhD candidate Sandy would say that mixing concrete was just like baking - but with bigger ingredients and equipment. My college roommate also introduced me to the Cake Bible where the author refers to herself as a kitchen chemist. Maybe that is why I prefer baking to other forms of cooking. My sweet tooth probably contributes too.

So where am I going with this? I am a cupcake fan. I read a cupcake blog, visit cupcakes stores in every city I visit and eat more than my fair share of cupcakes. First wife is having a baby shower in August and I really, really want to make some cute cupcakes for the shower. I wasn't sure what I wanted to make until I saw the kupcake kababs.

The End of TV

My television died on Friday. Thanks to a new converter box (only $5 thanks to the government coupon) it is on life support.

Here’s what all the infomercials don’t tell you:
● Your bunny ears will not pick up all the network channels.
● The connection is sporadic. One day I can watch ABC in all of it’s digital splendor, the next day it is gone. Today, only NBC works. Goodbye Oprah, hello Martha Stewart.

Here’s the good news:
● When it works, it works great.
● I now have a remote control.
● I really don’t miss it that much.

Over the past few months I’ve wondered, “Do I buy a new tv? Do I buy a computer monitor/tv? Do I just get a digital projector?” Thanks to my parents, ex-boyfriends and friends, I have never spent a dime on a television. Then again, you get what you pay for.

This week will be a test for me. So far I’ve found that I can watch many of my favorite shows on the internet. I'm now addicted to google video. Coverage of live sports is the hardest to find. Right now I’m leaning towards relegating the box to the garage. In the garage, I can get on my bike trainer and watch DVD’s.

High Line - Open!

Talk about thinking outside of the box - from freight to public open space. You have to give it to NYC. They find opportunities in places no one would think to look. The High Line is a former freight line on the west side of Manhattan in the Meatpacking District. Ten years after the Friends of the High Line was formed to advocate for the High Line's preservation and reuse as public open space, it is now open and I'm going to check it out.

This morning on NPR, they compared it to an open air museum. I picture it as a trail high up in the air and I love trails. I run on trails. I ride my bike on trails. I plan lots and lots of trails and sometimes I even design a trail or two. I know it sounds geeky but I really want to see the guard rails. Where we live, multi-use trails that accommodate bicycles have to use 4'-6" picket railing where there is significant grade change.

Outdoor Inspiration: Claire and Nick’s Arbor

Have I mentioned that we’ve had more than our fair share of May showers? Now that the constant gray sky is gone, I’m back at work on my outdoor rooms and can’t this jasmine arbor out of my mind. It frames in the space, but lets the sun shine through and welcomes you to the back yard of their house. Sound familiar?

My Green Workout

It is official. The gym membership is gone. Like everyone else, I’m cutting back on some expenses. I’ve also found that my little home improvement projects are a great workout! Last weekend I worked on my pile of bricks and was sore for days. The search for more salvage bricks continues. After over 15 years in the neighborhood, my good neighbor across the street is moving to Virginia…and I’m getting ready to pick up some stray bricks.