Cooking heaven!

My word, this one has been on our minds for a while!  I must admit, we've put redecoration of the kitchen off, then off again, because of the daunting amount of chaos it would generate.  Having the entire contents of our cupboards - pots, pans, plates, food, the microwave - piled up high on our dining table is not my idea of how to keep a tidy home, but three weeks ago we bit the bullet, poured out the paint, and got started.  Every evening since then - and every weekend - has felt like a thousand years of sanding, priming, painting (and repeat...) through four walls, three drawers, 13 cupboard doors, cabinet ends, skirting boards, door frames... if it was there, the chances are we painted it.  But in the end, we turned it from this:

Into this:

So, now that we've reached the end of this madcap project, what do we like best?  Well, there's a lovely new bread bin, toaster and kettle, tying in with the airy Mediterranean feel that we were looking for, which also fits perfectly with Lizzie's Dachshund serving board (a find from the amazing Pug & Puffin of Lyme Regis.)  We also got hold of a nice cast iron casserole dish which I've had my eye on for a while, along with a splendid wine crate, and some continental olive oils and vinegars.  This is, of course, first-and-foremost a working and cooking space, so we've added a swanky new fruit and veg crate, as well as an inoffensive little compost caddy, keeping every utility perfectly on-hand.  Finally, every kitchen should have its favourite herbs - on our windowsill it's basil, thyme and chives, complementing the rosemary, oregano and mint which grow happily in the garden.

To finish the space, we took a trip to Newton's Frames and Boxes for a browse at their selection of pictures and prints.  We ummed and arred amongst their excellent collection of wall art, before plumping for a Becky Bettesworth print entitled Ooh La La.  Mmmm I don't know about you, but with the Vespa, palm trees and easy-living, I can almost smell the warm seashore of Nice, Cannes, and the Côte d'Azur.

All-in-all, it's been three pretty hard weeks, but the result makes us both very happy - it's a thousand times better than previous, and will at least keep us going until we can afford that complete kitchen refit.  Now the only thing left to do is cook, cook, cook... Oh, and make sure we keep it nice and clean, of course!