Home on Mondays: Practical Kitchen Add Ons

Renovations have resumed today. We're targeting to finish all indoor fixes by month end. I suspended unboxing the kitchen stuff today since the backsplash was partly installed. I took advantage of the opportunity to renovate the kitchen. I drew a plan on where I wanted to place everything. Here are some practical add ons I requested -

Cooking Utensil Drawer

My goal is to rid of clutter. Seeing all the cooking utensils crammed beside the stove is an eyesore. Saw the idea to put them in a drawer from Pinterest so that's what we did. I already had two Ikea utensil holders and we just re-used it. There are three slots for it, I just need to buy one more. I also started to decant some of my frequently used ingredients (oil, soy sauce and vinegar). Found the container* at Landers. The container was perfect since the liquid doesn't drip down after you pour.

Baking Pan Cabinet

Apparently I have quite a collection of baking pans (lol). I had pans here and in Singapore and it got quite gnarly to pull out what I needed when we stacked it inside a cabinet. Again saw a good solution on Pinterest and I'm glad the manongs indulged me. I excitedly put them in the other day when I finally got them out of the box. I can't wait to start baking again!

Graphicote Backsplash

The original tiles that came with the house looked okay, but they eventually started to stain. I couldn't get the stain out and Architect Wansi suggested to just change it. They gave me several options and I chose Graphicote since it's easier to clean and requires lower maintenance. The last apartment we stayed at in Singapore used Graphicote as backsplash and I never had any issues just wiping it. The supplier only installed half since the factory made a mistake with the size of the other side. 

Dish Drawers

Always wanted to have a dish drain cabinet like what we had in Singapore. Ideally though the cabinet should be on top of the sink. Since dishes can be quite heavy, I relented and agreed to place it as a drawer. It's where we keep frequently used dishes now after they dry. I still need to figure out how to dry dishes without it being an eyesore. I'm unable to visualize it for now since I'm still washing everything that's coming out of boxes. 

Spice Rack Drawer

I had two spice racks in the old kitchen. Retained one in the main kitchen and had the other one moved to our service kitchen. Just make sure not to install a spice rack beside an oven. I had some spices that became unusable because they hardened (whoops!). I'll use the one in the service kitchen for something else. 

Water Dispenser Cabinet

Putting the water dispenser in a cabinet was Arch. Wansi's idea. He said it was an eyesore to have the water dispenser out in the open. We agreed and now it has it's own house. We just need to have the plug repaired because the original electrician removed the ground in the plug (galeng noh?). Mang Jo will repair it soon so we can plug it again. 

You could see from the backsplash photo that the counter is currently a huge mess. I'm still figuring out how to properly store things and I'm also working on retiring items I don't need anymore. It's going to take awhile before I finish fixing the kitchen. 

*Masflex container, around PhP229+ if I remember correctly (it was on sale after Christmas)

**Ikea utensil holder, currently selling at PhP300 at Ikea. It was just half the price when I bought it a few years ago in SG. You can also buy a matching black bottom for it, can't find it though in the website.

Home on Mondays: Practical Kitchen Ideas

I was so happy when I didn't see any bugs and critters last night when I checked my plants. The pest control company did a good job. They're coming back this week for a follow-up and to check the termite bait they placed. They said that would determine the extent of the infestation. We're sleeping soundly now that has been taken cared of.

The damage though means there's some fixing to be done in the kitchen. I have sent a list of what we need to the architect. I'm still clueless on the aesthetic side, but I have some practical things I want to have in my kitchen. 

Let's start with the things I'm keeping. Of course, I'm keeping the induction stove and oven and the exhaust. We just need to hide the hideous bitin exhaust and finally remove the wrapping. I'm keeping the condiments drawer and the huge drawer for pots and pan. I might request thought to add an area for pot covers.

One thing I need to do is to plot where I want to put items. In Singapore, most apartments have dish drain cabinets. You can just leave the dishes and glassware you use often in the cabinet. I have this but it's too small and a bit too high for me to reach. Might be feasible to put at a lower level right beside the sink.

I have two corners that are not fully utilized in the kitchen. Thought about having pull-away trays installed, but they're quite expensive. An alternative is to redo the cabinet so the corner is accessible. Another alternative is to do a corner cabinet. I'm a bit iffy about the cabinet because I want the kitchen to still feel spacious.

Another feature I want to integrate is a proper way to store my baking pans. Saw this cute way to store them.   An alternative is to have a floor level drawer, but I'm not keen on doing that because of unknown creepy crawlies.

And finally, I think it'll be useful to have a drawer for cooking utensils. I now have two holders on the counter and they look hideous. The clutter is stressing me out, so I hope to have a cleaner, more organized kitchen. Well, as they say, you have to declare things to the universe so it happens. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe