Step Up

one of the items on my list of Must-Have's was a step ladder that i could store IN the pantry so we could get to our IKEA Hacked pullouts at the top of the pantry & fridge.  both of us are only 5'5" & we cannot ask Tucker to come over every time we need the pizelle maker.  

4 of 5:  Handy Step Storage

so a LOOOOONG time ago, i found this ladder at The Container Store

but was too stubborn to buy it.  i was certain i could find something (1) local & (b) cheaper with my focus being on the former.  i also made the mistake of only concentrating on how flat the ladder could fold up & if it was shallow enough to still slide into the bottom of the pantry.  i never really focused on the height it would give me (or lack thereof) when unfolded.  so with that misguided priority in mind, i ended up buying a single step step stool from Target.

not a bad little step, but really what was i thinking?  one step?  i might as well stand on my tippies!

so i finally did an online chat with a CS rep & explained my delima & she graciously agreed to get someone to measure this thing folded up.  "it cannot exceed 23" front-2-back when collapsed or the pantry door won't shut & this MUST be stored in the kitchen or we will continue to stand on my refurb'd stools" i told her - that poor poor woman!  it came in at....drum roll.....dramatic pause.......i don't remember, but it was less than 24" hooray!  so of course i ordered right then & there...........NO!
i don't know why, i just didn't.  wait, i think i mentioned something about being indecisive?  yeah, that would be it.  so FIIINALLY i got my crap together & ordered it!  but not before online chatting 1 more time to make sure i'd made it absolutely clear that this thing HAD to be 23" or less when folded.  dear dog!  someone help me!  yet another CS rep chatted with me online & assured me he understood my question & it was definitely whatever measurement i didn't remember yet again - i have a feeling i'm flagged at their Call Center now.  so all that for this!

and i love it!  these upper cabinets by far are still one of my favorites HACKS in the remodel, second only to my wine storage.  and how did the ladder do when collapsed?  

perfect!  do we use it often?  sparingly, but the whole point of the top cabinets is for seasonal/lesser used items that had to stay - unlike the mounds of crap that never made it back into the kitchen!  but when i do want to get to it, it's not a hassel & i'm not digging stuff out.  
the only complaint i would say about this ladder is it's not easy to collapse back down.  i saw that in the comments section before i bought it & it does take me a few seconds to get it right, but it's worth it not to have to lug a step ladder through the house, watch Nacho stand on the counters, or risk some horrendous Darwinian episode from standing on those bar stools.

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Wave of the Future

sorry for the drought, but we were on vaca & i never seem to get back into the groove quickly. so another IKEA Hack brings us my next kitchen customization!

3 of 5: Microwave & Cutting Board Station

one of the early ideas i found when researching the kitchen redo was to place the microwave under the counter. most of the examples i saw had it positioned in the island.  i have always hated any appliance that sits on the counter (with the possible exception of a Kitchen Aid Mixer cuz they are so stylish right?).  of course, appliances on the counter take a way distant 2nd to the microwave above the stove.  uggh!  yuck! grosse!  we lived with that beast for almost 10 years ourselves

yeah, sexy right?  and yes that is a missing drawer front to the left of the stove. believe it or not it was the drawer front that broke the kitchen's back & kicked our redo into gear! sure glad i tore that off...uh, i mean too bad it fell off!
anywhose...the great thing about that microwave was, NOTHING!  there was nothing great about it. the lighting was terrible and the venting went straight out the top and into the kitchen.  i love when people do that, not properly venting a stove!  right up there with eating their toe nails that one!
so i knew 6 years ago that the microwave was not going back UP into or onto anything. it would be hidden out of the way.  and here we have it!

we started out with the Akurum Base With 3 Drawers (18" wide i believe) in Nexus Black/Brown

Akurum Base w/ 3 Drawers

oddly enough when i went to their US site today, i could not choose the Nexus Black/Brown option so that might now be discontinued.
moving on....the only drawer kit we bought was the bottom one.  leaving the rest open, we simply used a piece of shelving, cut a piece of Black/Brown wall panel to size for the front, & attached the front panel to the shelf with the hinges to create this - some of these pieces you can't find online, so be sure to ask for extra shelving and panel pieces for custom stuff like this, you'll be glad you did.

put the shelf in the cabinet & slide the microwave in.  to compensate for the extra depth, we just cut a scrap piece of OSB down to the correct width & dept & set it in the back so the microwave would not slide around.

now we were ready to dress it up.  either we own a biscuit cutter or we borrowed one. i have no idea which, but Nacho cut slices in the cabinet frame & the panel pieces that would cover the white.

he then wood glued/snapped those pieces together to give it a finished look.

and here's what it looks like in use

we have since changed the panel to pull down instead of flip up.  it's a toss up really, but bending over to see what i needed to grab was cumbersome so we are using the flip down for now. and since it's so narrow, it makes for a great place to store cutting boards.  i corralled that with a hand tray from Target.

nicely done i think!  and here is a more complete finished view

yes, i know you can still see the white inside of the cabinet, but i just can't bring myself to line that with anything just yet.  perhaps a future project.  thinking either cork or metal panel.....but we will call it finished for now.

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My Favorite IKEA Hack!

late as usual, but delivered as promised!

2 of 5: Upper Pantry Storage

Like pretty much anyone else who's ever planned an IKEA anything, it doesn't take you long to realize that what they don't make, you can easily hack.  i mentioned the hack that we did to create our boxer feeding station!  of course, that wasn't really an IKEA thing, because we'd done that years ago with an unused drawer in our old kitchen.  however, it showed us that just because it may not "fit" in the planner, doesn't mean it can't be done.
I guess we only really have 3 hacks (one more coming soon) in the kitchen, and the pantry/fridge storage is my favorite
i've never been a fan of that useless black hole over a fridge or at the top of a pantry.  whether it's the same depth as the fridge or not, doesn't matter. that space never gets used. at best we throw nic-nac plastic-y pic-nic-y crap up there that we think we'll use for some cookout we're never going to.  with the remodel i swore i would not do that again. and with the remodel, we opted for a counter depth fridge (not sure that was a wise choice but maybe i'll talk about that in detail later, maybe not). so with the pantry & the fridge cabinets, one side of our kitchen was looking like this

pretty standard.  pantry on the left with the upper cabinet & the fridge cabinet overhead.  We used the AKURUM WRD and HD to create this:

AK WRD 498.867.72

+

AK HD 398.868.38

You can see from those pics the the refrigerator cabinet & the top of the pantry cabinet is typically open space.  SO here's where things get all hackey!

Pantry pullout

Refrigerator pullout

Ta-da! not only do we have storage, but we have pull-out storage!  now every time i've shown this to anyone, they've all commented "yeah, but how often do you have to get up there?"  not very often, but they are missing the point!  when i do have to get to something up there, at least it's easy to get to. with 24" deep cabinets, i don't have to struggle reaching all the way to the back to dig something out!  yes, it's still way up there & i'll explain that soon too!

The idea for the shelves came from the pantry actually.  you can tell from the IKEA photo above, that we went with the pantry that included pullout drawers.  well, why not use those same drawers in the top?  seemed simple enough.  we just ordered an extra drawer that matched the ones installed in the bottom section.

Rationell  501.099.84

and

Rationell  201.323.87

For the refrigerator pullout it was a bit more complicated.  we found out quickly that they don't make a 36" wide drawer if you look in the Storage Organizer section.  the widest drawer they have is the Rationell 30" & it's not a Deep Drawer.  i could live without the DD considering this is going above the refrigerator where i hope NOT to spend a lot of time!  but surely they make a 36" drawer b..e..c..a..u..s..e.....we used a 36"AKURUM Base Cabinet with 2+2 Drawers!  see, you gotta think outside the BigBox!  of course i can't find the individual drawer online, but we simply ordered an extra 36" drawer like the base cabinet & used that above the refrigerator.  

UPDATE:  Thanks to Sam's comment below asking for clarification on exactly how we did the refrigerator pullout.  I think at the time i wrote this, i simply didn't remember all the details & didn't want to bother my husband with repeating them.  so i took the time to go back over that hack with my husband & here is what i told Sam:

(1) because we used a 36" base cabinet drawer, there is no hardware for the front.  that means, unlike the pantry drawers, the base or shelf is exposed.  that's the gray-ish part you see running across the bottom of that pullout. they don'tt make a 36" Drawer Front (or didn't at the time), 30" was as wide as they had.  so we bought an extra Drawer Front (901.323.92) just to use the left & right pieces.  this holds the bottom shelf piecce, the tubes that run to the back of the drawer & the "silver" horizontal piece across the front (that's up next).  so you will have to deconstruct the Drawer Front to use pieces of it.  
(2) the "silver bar" going across the bottom front is actually a modified piece of the Rationell Drawer Divider (501.822.53) which does come in 36".  we just used 1 horizontal piece because the whole thing (3 horizontals) would not fit in the Rationell Drawer Front (901.323.98).  we did this just to give us some stability in the drawer & to create a stop for anything that might roll forward.  so you don't have the deep/tall front piece that the pantry drawers have, but at least it's some sort of "lip" that holds things in.  

here's a photo so you can see where we had to chop the Divider down to get it to fit into the Drawer Front 

so the formula is:  Extra 36" Base Drawer + Rationell Drawer Front Kit (size doesn't matter cuz you just want the left & right pieces) + Rationell Drawer Divider (deconstructed to use just the part that will snap into the Drawer front).  

You can see from our finished products that, due to the door hinges, we could not install the drawers in either cabinet at the very bottom.  i wasn't sure i was going to like this at first, that tiny bit of space below the drawer might be wasted.  but so far, it's come in handy for storing flat trays and serving plates.

up next!  how do 2 people who are only 5'5" get easy access to these drawers even though they do pull all the way out.  stay tuned!

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Dinner is Served

thanks a comment i made on Chezerby's Kitchen Follow-up, another reader asked for some info on the Boxer Feeding Station we incorporated into our remodel.  at least, i think she asked me. hmm, now that i say that... oh well, whatevers! you know i was gonna post this anyway!
let me tell you, in all seriousness, that we planned this kitchen remodel starting with the Boxer Feeding Station. really!  ask Terry.  when we sat down with  him last Fall, i said "here are the things that have to happen in this remodel..." and first on our list was the Feeding Station.  yeah, our kids are spoiled, but seriously, this is the smartest thing you can do if you have dogs & live in a small space - which we do.  and this is not a new concept to us!  in our original kitchen, we had a bottom drawer that was not being used.  i had Nacho create a Feeding Station there that served us well for gosh, 8 years?  in simplest instructions, he put a board across the open drawer, cut out 2 holes, then dropped the bowls in.  it was probably the smartest thing we did in our little space because everything was put away when they were done eating.
now on to the show!  BFS v2.0 looks something like this....

and the full cabinet...

okay, but here's the problem, neither one of us remember exactly how this was ordered, but here's the gist:   

we started by using 2 upper cabinets for the "back side" of our island. we used uppers because base cabinets back to back would have created a 48" wide island & that was simply too big in our minds. so the wonderful people at IKEA, who also thought it was awesome we were designing a part of our kitchen with the kids in mind, suggested the uppers.  we also saw a vignette in the store where they used this same config for uppers that sat right on the counter top instead of up on the wall.  these uppers are 12" deep & that's just enough room for the feeding bowls.  Nacho built a frame that sits down in the drawers & the bowls drop into that frame:

so you can see, it's simple plywood on top, a board across the back for stability, & 2 boards coming forward for more stability. where you don't have to get so fancy, is with the hinged top that creates the little storage place on right hand side in the above pic. you could simply do one solid piece across the top & cut your hole for your bowl in the center. i suggested the hinged piece so we can store extra collars, etc. there if we want...which we have not yet!

and it's nothin fancy people!

this was Stage1 before Nacho got all FancyPants on me & decided to cover it in the same Marmoelum we used on the floor. oh, and also, you can see he planned on them both eating out of 1 drawer! i mean really!? the nerve!  it was the Inspector who said, that will not do - 1 bowl per drawer is code!

you can see it can't you?  that look of "you really expect me to eat from the same drawer as her?"  and so it was to be, separate dining facilities for each boxer!  although SOME PEOPLE (ahem BOXERS) eat from whatever drawer they like!

this would be the boss for those that don't know!

the finishing touch is the little latch you see in the center

that's just a magnetic spring loaded latch.  why you ask?  we found that the glide on the drawers was so good that when they were eating, the drawer wanted to close. we never thought of that in our old drawer because that drawer was such a piece of crap, you actually had to lift the drawer up to close it. so they're eating & the drawer is slowly closing on them.  now, we simply push down on the latch, it pops up in a locked position. when they are done, push the spring down & close the drawer!

and it's like it was never there.  one word of caution though....it's probably just the combinatin of Nexus Black/Brown & Boxer, but our guys can get a little messy when they eat, so i have to make sure & keep the doors & drawer fronts wiped down.

and where do we keep the food?  on the opposite side of the island

this was not our ideal size, but, again, because we didn't want our island to turn into a monster, we had to compromise on the width of this cabinet.  we would have LOVED to been able to do the 24" wide with the 3 bins, but this has worked out nicely. we do keep a container of Senior food in the pantry behind (to the left) of this but since it's all right there together it works perfectly!  and i love that i can keep doggie meds, brushes, etc in the drawers above the bins. it's all very convenient.

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commitmentphobic

it's no lie & definitely no secret that i am a commitmentphobic. it is by shear alcohol & an awesome prenup that i even made it down the aisle & out the door! actually nacho claimed he was pregnant. don''t believe me? about the commitmentphobic thing not the nacho pregnant thing.  then take a look at this

i am so afraid of making an actual decision, that i would not even attach the cabinet hardware. i taped all of them in place cuz "i might change my mind". oh, not about what hardware i bought, but WHERE I WOULD ACTUALLY WANT THEM INSTALLED! really? it's not like there are a lot of options about where to attach this stuff.  but you never know & i want to be prepared in case it becomes the fad to attach them all backwards & in the back of cabinets.  Cookie agress with me completely

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what a difference a morning makes

what started out as this...

Now looks like this...

There's still a lot to do like securing the sink, tweaking the position, etc.  i'll post more pics tonight about the process & the 6 guys it took to get it into the kitchen, but couldn't resist posting something quick now.

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weekend update

no, this is not an SNL skit.  lots, i mean LOTS! of work got done this weekend. and here is the pic to prove it?

okay, it's late & it's crappy because it came from my phone, but i  DELIVERED!

can't see those? guess it would help if i actually took some & uploaded them.  well i did take some but got busy trying to salvage what is left of my gabion garden. i'll try to post those tonight when i get home.

so nacho got all the base cabs on the West wall finished - with only the top door of the pantry to do. we are holding off on that while we decide if a pull-out drawer is what we want to do.  all "boxes" on the North wall are built but not screwed in place. 

the white cab on the far left of the North wall was originally on the far right (by the small windows).  this was where one of our miscalcs came into place. our Ikea person didn't think an 18" on the left would allow us to open the drawers without hitting the hardware of the corner base cab. so we changed that & got a 15". turns out an 18" will work. so we stole the 18" from the NE corner to verify this. i'll be going back to Ikea Friday to get an 18" cab. so now we have an extra 4-drawer 15" (the cab in the forground) that i'm trying to find a home for & therefore a blank spot on the NE corner.

the big push came Sunday when nacho got the range hood & stove installation finished; he also assembled the remaining cabs that will create our island.   keep in mind we did our usual Sunday breakfast AND went to the Border Collie Trials (let me just say wow!) AND he had to pack to leave for Ind that afternoon AND it was mom's day so we still had to go to his P's.  the man is good under pressure!  we used 12" deep cabs on the East side & typical 24" cabs on the West.  i'm excited about the 2 middle cabs on the East side because those will be the new dog feeding station that this kitchen remodel was really built around.  i'm not kidding people!  when i say my dogs run the house, they really do! 

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it's beginning to look a lot like a kitchen

it was a busy busy weekend & there's lots more to go.  but nacho got a great start Friday night.  after i spent Friday bringing flat packs up & organizing them (you're welcome nacho), he spent the weekend getting them in place.  he was very impressed with this whole Swedish system!  we made one miscalculation & that was very easily remedied by pushing everything up 1" on the wall - seems the fridge has some hardware on top for the doors & we didn't account for that. who knew?  you do now!
so he got the first set of uppers in place when he realized we'd have to move it all up to accommodate the fridge, but no worries.

and before you know it, he had the first cabinet technically completed.

another thing we never even thought about....those side panels are meant to hang longer than the upper cabinet because most people would have some trim piece across the front to hid any under cabinet lighting. we're going to do a trim piece but it will be in stainless (gee, that's no surprise huh?). so we're toying with the idea of instead of cutting the extra off the side panel, we're gonna float it at the top of the cabinets (see it in the photo?) & run a trim piece around the top so we can do some sort of up lighting on top of the cabinets.  i hate the dead space that you get up there & i can't stand putting stuff up there for decor. martha stewart i ain't!

and officially nacho had the uppers & the West wall "completed" last night. yeah, we still have to secure the side panel for the pantry & get the shelves & doors for it & the fridge cabinet, but i'll call this done enough.  thanks Barry for helping move the fridge.
we did actually put a few things in a couple cabinets tonight. just some silverware, bowls, plates, & glasses. i don't want to start loading things up just yet cuz i still plan to go through & get rid of some stuff.  but i had to get some things out of my laundry room.  can't wait to move the coffee maker out of the bathroom - i'm sure we'll miss that little convenience!
what do we have left?  well, the bottom cabinets along the North wall (in front of nacho in the last pic) & the island.  no, we are not doing uppers on the North wall.  we have a stainless hood & we're going to do a hanging shelf thingy that i will actually be responsible for welding.  no pressure there!

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hey my kitchen is in!

it's in the bathroom
it's in the living room
it's in the laundry room
it's in the garage
and now it's in the kitchen

oh, you didn't think i mean IN IN did you?  i forgot to mention...
it's in the office/Moser's bedroom too cuz now most all the flat packs are upstairs, so, they too are spread out everywhere.  now would NOT be a good time to flood!

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progression

there's really not that much to report. since we're waiting on the flooring, we can only do so much.  we did pick up the cabinets from IKEA just over a week ago. so they've been sitting in my drive way for now. i like to call it Kitchen In A Can!  my sister can appreciate that!

never let it be said that i'd hold up progress cuz i helped load this even with the monkey pox i was carrying that day!
nacho is trying to do anything at all at this point, so he started exposing the header between the dining room & living room this weekend.

Tucker will be glad to know, that header is coming out & going up!  so we're raising that whole opening up to be flush with the ceiling like it should have been done to begin with.  it's really in prep for a bigger change: the living room floor will come out to be even with the dividing wall.  again, like it should have been done to begin with.  and part of that opening (on the right in this photo) will be taken up by the banquet seating - you'll have to check my previous post & Sketch-Up drawing to see what i mean.  so we're really excited about that.

other than that, the guys came & installed the drywall in the window area last week.  what a mess!  i don't mean the construction guys, i mean nacho's attempt to clean up their drywall dust!  ugh!

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