So on it goes …. Renovations are disruptive, dirty, disorienting and exhausting. Although I’m making progress, everyday I am forced to ask myself the same basic questions: where is the silverware, what can I make for dinner without dirtying dishes, where can I move a cabinet to get it out of the way, and so on. I cannot wait to have the kitchen completed.
I’m in the process of moving things to their permanent home, which is great. On the other hand, I’m trying to figure out where everything should go and how it should be stored. Deep down, it feels good to make these decisions and figure out how everything will come together. On the surface … I could use a nap.
On the fun side, I chose the backsplash – it will look great – frosted glass oversized subway tiles. They will work well with the granite and the dark cabinets and the white pieces of furniture that will round out the kitchen. I think this was the last piece I had to order until I decide to renovate my bathroom. I know the kitchen will all come together nicely and that once it is done, I will be happy with it. One of the things I enjoy about decorating is pulling something together that is unique. With every decision and action, I can feel the stress start to diminish.
One of my frustrations with many renovation shows on TV is that the results often have a “sameness” to them, even when they use somewhat different materials. It may be white cabinets with dark granite countertops in one instance and dark cabinets with light granite or quartz countertops in another instance, but somehow they seem really similar. This is the second condo I have renovated and I feel like the rooms have ended up looking different from what I see on TV. Maybe I’m fooling myself, but the thought that my style is not the HGTV style makes me happy.
The challenge with living in a small space is that renovations invade every other room. The smaller pieces of furniture that will live in the kitchen are in the living room. The electrical panel and stove exhaust fan are in boxes in my mother’s bedroom. The vases, dishes and other stuff with nowhere to live at the moment are in my bedroom. Nothing is tidy. I like tidy.
I have decided that I’m going to hire someone come in to help me clean. Just once. Massive cleaning effort. Move furniture to clean the floors, dust everything in sight, and clean the area rugs. Maybe even the windows, though I’m not sure I have the strength for that! I cannot wait to have everything clean!
So, I’m posting this but feel like it is not quite fully cooked. Then I realized that it is exactly how I feel. Scattered, chaotic, disoriented. At this moment, that is the true me.
my mother, my cat and me 