April 9, 2021

Tales From A Kitchen Remodel

I’ve spent years pinning kitchen images to a pinterest board and tearing pictures from magazines. So, when the time finally came to embark on our first remodel I knew exactly what I wanted. Something light, clean, and bright, after all I spend a lot of my time here as I tinker with new recipes and shoot images for Zen.

This small Ikea Island became the hub of our temporary kitchen

Setting up a temporary kitchen in your own home starts with some serious organizing. I’ve laid out my How To’s below.

Before the work begins…

Pull out a notepad and pen and inventory all of your stuff. Go through each drawer and cupboard in your existing kitchen and color code what’s in each drawer, on paper. This way you will know what there is to migrate and can help plan your new kitchen cupboard space, even before you choose your kitchen. I divided it into 5 sections
- tableware
- small electrical appliances
- pots, pans and bakeware
- food & pantry
- cleaning
If you have a garden shed, utility, or space elsewhere assemble a set of metro shelves to store everything visibly – this makes it much easier to find stuff and work out what you actually want to bring back into your new kitchen
Purchase a set of clear, shallow and wide reusable plastic boxes for storage so you can see what’s there if you forget something
If possible hook up your washing machine temporarily somewhere else! 8 weeks is a long time to do without (I had my plumber re-install after 4 weeks…)
Buy two washing up bowls – one to fill downstairs, and one to have in your washroom / bathroom for doing the washing up in
Bamboo and recyclable plates are handy to have on standby if you can’t face washing up
Have one each of the following plus 2 extra – bowls, plates, glasses, coffee cups, cutlery
Set up your Instant Pot / Slow Cooker to encourage yourself to plan and cook!
Buy an electric induction plate (around $40 on Amazon) for boiling pasta, frying bacon, cooking eggs. I’m reusing mine for camping.
Set up a tea and coffee station for your work crew, away from your own space (this was mandatory in our house because of Covid)
I selected my most used items from the pantry and loaded up my island with the following:
- olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, spices, dried lentils, pasta, nuts, rice, salt & pepper
- sufficient utensils to fit into a large pot
- one chopping board and my sharpest knife
- anti-bac wipes and kitchen paper – the lack of running water downstairs, and hot water was my biggest frustration!

During…

Once I’d set up a temporary camp kitchen the rest was down to shopping more frequently and for less, coupled with meal planning! It wasn’t stress-free by any means. I learned very quickly the do’s and don’ts.
Ever reluctant to buy takeout I soon let go and discovered that it could be my friend.
It became the ideal time to reset some boundaries in the house and have the kids be responsible for their share of chores. The non-negotiables included washing up dishes after dinner, and walking the dog every afternoon at 4pm.

About halfway through the remodel I called Meg for our daily check in and shared “wow I feel like I’m only just holding everything together this is so painfully messy trying to organize everything and everyone plus a puppy!” to which she replied “Jane, It’s like being pregnant and then giving birth to your first child. You’ve planned everything there is to plan, and now is the painful part… giving birth!”

…After

Over the next month we plan to share some easy recipes, and dishes that did double duty on meals. The focus will be primarily on vegetarian and plant based meals. In the meantime why not check out our new Plant Based Cooking Pages on the website.

Today I sit at the end of the counter to work, relax and enjoy coffee with a view of the garden through the new picture window. There is no clutter and a simple quartz worktop to wipe down at the end of each day. It’s a joy to cook in and everything is precisely where I need it. My most favorite part is the spice cupboard and pull out drawers.

If you’ve got any stories of your own remodels and tips to add, please share with us!