apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've ordered a large 2' x 3' print of a gorgeous photo my husband took of a CA beach on a stormy day. It's going to hang behind our kitchen table and function as a fake window into somewhere beautiful - our only real view is of a horrendous pebble dash wall. Hoping it brings a bit more of us into our kitchen. That's my project.

I moved into a new apartment a couple of months ago and I've been working on a projects list that's a mile long. One of my last projects is to fix the fake tile back-splash in my kitchen. The tiles seem like they're made of plastic or some similar material and all of the tiles are connected together on a sheet. I can tell that the tiles used to be white, but at some point, someone tried to paint them yellow. That person didn't do a very good job because it just looks like swirls of yellow paint on a white background. I'd like to paint the tiles back to white, but I've never worked with this material before I don't really know how to go about it. Any suggestions?

I just bought a house and have a lot of kitchen projects that are going to be done. I am changing out all hardware from the tacky wooden drawer pulls to new stainless ones. I am planning on removing the formica countertop and replacing with butcher block. I am also going to paint the bottom cabinets dark grey , sort of like what y'all featured here:
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/09/32909.html and I am going to paint the inside of the upper open cabinets the same dark grey. I can't wait!

I would like to research undercabinet lighting, make a decision on what I want and how I would install it, and possibly install it, given enough time and $$--I'm also doing a one-room bedroom cure that is a higher priority at this point. But if I just get all the research and decision-making done, I'll be happy.

I am tackling lighting. I have a box of under cabinet lights that have been in my basement since we moved in February. I also want a pendant for above the stove. I love having The Kitchn Cure as an excuse to get off my lazy butt and do some of this stuff I've been meaning to for months!

I am rehoming a pineapple plant that has grown too large for our space. A local business that has lots of space is going to adopt it. Also, I got these nice looking boxes to store my party supplies, plastic bags, and mason jars. http://www.amazon.com/Snap-N-Store-Together-Letter-Height-SNS01533/dp/B0019TRAFE

I am painting the back wall of the kitchen with black chalkboard paint, rearranging some kitchen art and picking out paint colors for the kitchen chairs.

We're finally installing the cabinetry trim pieces along the ceiling and floor that will officially conclude the kitchen remodel that we started 4 years ago. This project has been a long time in coming; I can't wait to see the final result!

an herb garden

I need to wait for the landlord to send someone other to replace the tiles and replaster (he's agreed to, some are falling off the walls, but after that I'm going to take down the yucky wallpaper above and paint it a lovely blue.

Over the summer, I got married. My partner and I moved into our new home in August. I would very much like to unpack all of our gifts which means that I have to finish the thank you notes. (We have a rule that we cannot use a gift until the thank you note has been sent) As for kitchen specific projects, I would like to find something to hold our china and extra dishes that is less than 30 inches high. This is proving quite challenging. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I would also like to get something to hold our microwave. I suppose that the same piece could hold both the microwave and the dishes, but it is hard to find something that is either shorter than 30 inches or no wider than 31 inches.

The Kitchn Cure is fantastic! Although, I must admit that I have yet to dive in. After I finish my exam this weekend, I hope to catch up and keep up!

I'm in desperate need of more counter space in my studio apt, so I'm in the process of revamping a kitchen cart that I bought on Craigslist, and installing some elfa shalving into the wall above. Bought the shelving, refinished the cart, but now I still need to buy and add some casters to the legs. And I'm a little nervous to start drilling into my walls, too....

My hubby and I built a pantry in an old broom closet next to the kitchen. Pictures on my blog at:

http://thehip-e.blogspot.com/2009/11/pantry.html

basic re-organization to make it multi-user friendly and injecting of some functional pretty.

Clearing out a cabinet and adding recycling bins. I'm sick of bottles and cans piling up next to the trash can.