My Kitchen Renovation Will Be An Interesting One

The kitchen in this house is one of the reason I liked the house when I first saw it: it felt cozy and full of light, since it had 4 windows.

Today, after more than 2 months of thinking and not sleeping over it, I know the kitchen is our worst nightmare. The layout is just absurd. The obstacle plenty (remember, 4 windows!)

I posted a design dilemma on Houzz about it and got tons of great responses. But none of them hit the mark for me.

We are trying to save money as we renovate. To me calling a contractor to come and do the work is not saving money. So we can't call a contractor, unless we really have to and for small jobs, not the whole kitchen.

The point is my husband is handy, so as much as he can do, he will do. So far I've figured he is not comfortable with plumbing, so we have been in touch with a plumber. As for everything else, he might be able to do it on its own.

The problem is I still have no idea what to do with it. It is so weird, and everywhere I turn I find a problem or an obstacle to deal with.

If you look at the map you can see a small space where stove and portable dishwasher are, in front of them a sink with little counter space (above the sink the whole wall is taken over by two windows). The arch is so low, and it has pipes running through it. The fridge is at the end of it all and away from his triangle friends, stove and sink.

Not to mention that everything is from, who knows, 1950??? Also, please note the tiles, the wallpaper and the paneling. Oh, and don't forget the red laminate formica whatever that counter top is.

I don't know what I am going to do in here. Seriously.