Here’s what we’ve done to the kitchen to make it more liveable.
Pretty much immediately, we installed some sliding mesh baskets from Container Store into the lower cabinets. Thanks for the help, Stefan!
Installed some open oak shelving we brought with us from the old house. At the time, we thought we might be able to do a minor remodel of the kitchen and wanted to test how some cabinets or shelves here might help. They’ve been invaluable.
Installed a new faucet (Kohler Simplice) and a filtered-water dispenser, and replaced the garbage disposal (which had a paper clip lodged in it and was rusted out).
Ripped out the old recirculating range hood and replaced it with an over-the-range microwave, freeing up valuable counter space in the process. Though I picked the unit with the best exhaust power (CFM) I could find, and while it’s better than nothing, the new project will need a real range hood.
Replaced the stove! The old stove was actually not horrible, given its age. But my Garland in the old house had spoiled me, so I bought myself the same range (now BlueStar brand). We will clearly be keeping this stove in the new kitchen. You can see the OTR microwave here; it’s a good microwave, just not a very good range hood.
Replaced the dishwasher, when the old one started putting food back on the dishes. This Bosch is much quieter, and uses a fraction of the water and detergent. We’ll be keeping this one too.
One thing we did not replace is the fridge. According to its Energy Star label, it was the least efficient model you could buy in 1983. But idly shopping for a replacement led us to the conclusion that we’d probably want something wider — and perhaps counter depth — in a new kitchen. So we’re hoping it survives until it can be replaced.