Over the last month, it’s become pretty clear that as renters, there are limits to what we can be bothered to do for the name of beauty in someone elses house. We’ve reached that limit.
We started a ‘mini-makeover’ a few months back, ordering worktops (we got this one), tiles, grouting and tools from Homebase and, optimistically waving our scrapers around, we smugly insisted that it would be done in a matter of weeks. After all, what could be so hard about changing the worktops and tiles in a teeny tiny kitchen?
As it turns out, plenty. We’re now a few months in, and feel like we wish we’d never started – after we merrily prised the tiles from the wall (SO satisfying when they come off whole!) we discovered that whoever put them on was a bit lacking in DIY skills; there were holes that had just been tiled over, the section by the sink hadn’t been sealed properly (which had resulted in one of the most disgusting patches of mould I’ve ever seen) and there were plug sockets popping up all over the place, with loose wires poking out. At the same time that we were trying to deal with all this, there was a series of problems with the worktops, which meant that rather than taking a couple of weeks to arrive, they took a couple of months. Then came the summer holidays, long working hours and time away, and all of a sudden September has arrived and we’re still crying into our plastering trowels, wondering whether we’ll ever cook in there again.
The only thing keeping me going is planning the finished room; we’re keeping everything minimal and practical (too much vintage china equals way too much dusting for my liking!), and have decided to squeeze in a few plants and storage baskets. Lots of white and grey, plenty of wood and some beautiful ceramics – I’d love to change the light fitting as well (we’ve got one of those old fluorescent strip lights), but I don’t know how enthusiastic Ali will be about that!
1. Gris Easy Fit Pendant, £11.99, Homebase
2. White Plant Pot, £9.99, Homebase
3. Urban Grow Terrariums, various prices, Urban Outfitters
4. Stockholm Salad Servers, £9, IKEA
5. Small Plate, £4.99, H&M
6. Vrac Winter Blend Tea, The Future Kept
7. Candle in a Concrete Holder, £7.99, H&M
8. Mountain Ceramic Coffee Dripper, £29, The Future Kept
9. Glass Vase, £12.99, H&M
10. Jute Storage Basket, £14.99, H&M
11. Iris Hantverk Pot Holder, £9, Tea and Kate
12. Wooden Hanging Rack, £9.99, H&M
13. Sittning Bowls, £17.50 per pair, IKEA
Many thanks to Homebase for collaborating with The Owl and the Accordion on this post.