About two or three years back, Dom and I were discussing making some rearrangements in our kitchen and kitchen nook rooms. To start the kitchen itself is a very tiny one. Dom and I can barely maneuver around that space when one of us is washing dishes (usually me) and the other may need to go over to a shelf near the back or pull something out of the fridge. The entryway is also made narrow by an angled shelving unit that was added to make more storage space.
The nook area is slightly larger, about the size of a small bedroom. But it lacked the extra space to store food items or various smaller appliances that were needed. We had a tall metal shelving unit in our basement that we thought would be better suited to go into the kitchen where the fridge resided.
In the nook area, we had an old rolling shelving unit Dom owned that was occupying one side of the nook area and another wider shelving unit on the other side. We discussed moving the fridge over to where the old shelving unit was.
We also had an old wooden table that I owned with chairs that was in the middle of the nook. It unfortunately was overflowing with food boxes, storage containers, pots, and other random items. We also had various other items like extra bags from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods as well as packs of towel papers surrounded the table and some under the table. In short it was a mess.
On one of our few trips to Ikea, we saw a free-standing wooden kitchen island with an overhang for pots and pans that we thought would be perfect to replace the wooden table and provide some additional storage. Ikea wanted around $600 for the set which we thought was a bit high. We said that we would save up for it.
So we made slow progress of making any changes at all. Dom was also starting his descent into having health issues, including not being able to walk like he used to. Over the course of a few weekends, I decided that I would work on moving the tall metal shelving unit from the basement to the nook area where the old rolling shelving unit was.
I didn't mention that the metal shelving unit was full of other stuff that was added to it over the years. So I had to work on removing everything from the shelves before I could move it. So I basically worked to find new places to put those items. Dom happened to get some folding tables that he originally was planning for his dolls that made a perfect spot to put some of the items. Other items were placed on smaller tables or cabinets nearby that were available.
It was another weekend or so before I finally attempted to move the metal shelving. I tried maneuvering it around the stairs but it was too tall to angle it around the next level of stairs, even after opening the back door that served as the midpoint between the basement and main floor. I realized that I would have to bring it in through the front door.
It was a bit unwieldly but I managed to bring it over from the back of the house all the way to the front. I used the sliding washer to keep the front screen door open as I hoisted it over the front stairs and bought it in the house. It made its way into the main hallway where it remained for another week or so. During that time I cleaned it off the best way I could.
The plan with the old rolling shelving unit was to move it into the basement where the tall metal shelving unit used to be. But alas that did not happen. It wound up being moved into the main hallway while the metal shelving made its way to where the old rolling shelving used to be.
Things remained that way for another six months or so. When Dom and I went to the Chante Moore concert in Joliet, we went to Ikea the next morning. We once again saw the free-standing wooden kitchen island which reinspired us. But I couldn't bring myself to paying $600 for it.
Something told me to check out Amazon. I was glad I did. I was able to find another unit which included two stools for just under $200, more than a 66% savings. The only wood part was the table itself and the wood was much thinner than the Ikea brand. But it boasted two overhead shelves in addition to hooks over a bar to hang up to a dozen pots and pans. I was especially happy about that since a lot of our pots and pans made their home on the stove.
So I purchased the Amazon unit and then worked to dismantle the old wooden table and moved it into the basement (where it now resides in the laundry room). The unit arrived but before putting it together, I cleaned up the area since it was full of dust and cobwebs that settled over the time the table was there.
Dom and I were able to put the unit together in about 2 hours and we were so proud of the results and how it looks. We vowed not to fill the wooden table with junk. We were good for about 3 months but unfortunately that promise went out the window.
So the only remaining steps were to somehow move our existing fridge from the kitchen over to the nook area where the metal shelving now resided and then move the metal shelving where the fridge resided.
We weren't really in a hurry to make the switch since it was a hassle even getting the fridge into the kitchen with the tiny opening and angled shelving.
Life of course has a funny way of making things happen. A week ago Dom started telling me that the fridge was not as cool as it used to be. I tried moving things around the freezer to open up the airways thinking they were being blocked. That didn't work. I tried adjusting the temperature of the fridge and that didn't work. In the meantime the fridge was slowly dying and the freezer was getting colder and colder.
We decided that it was time to get a new fridge. We settled on Home Depot after by coincidence his Mom and nieces purchased a new fridge there after their fridge broke down. We had the standard top freezer fridge that almost made it eight years. When we first moved in we inherited a french door fridge which we hated. We mostly weren't a fan of the freezer which always seemed to run out of space. It wound up having issues after a year and a half and we wound up getting the top freezer from a Sears Outlet store.
We settled on a side-by-side model that I thought would work for us. With the limited space, I thought the 33 width model would work for us. The space around the fridge could only fit a 34 width model, not the standard 36 width model fridges that are usually designed. Delivery of that model was today. The younger of the two delivery folks came in and did measurements and after consulting with the older partner, they concluded that the fridge would not fit in the narrow area. While I accounted for the width of the final fridge space, I didn't account for the entryway space.
I was going back and forth in my mind what to do. They were suggesting I just get a top-freezer instead. The funny thing is like I said earlier, Dom and I discussed having our fridge (before it died) move over to the nook area. Dom however wasn't feeling that idea anymore for some reason.
But we needed a fridge so knew we would have to scramble. If we went with their suggestion, they would be happy because they wouldn't have to hoist the new one. However it would likely be another week or so before another fridge would be ready. Also we really wanted to try the side-by-side fridge.
We agreed to have them place the new fridge in another part of the nook area and then remove the old one. Removing the old one proved to be a challenge. For some reason they could not get it to fit squarely through the angled shelving.
The older delivery guy was trying to get me to agree that they did all they could. I wasn't certain they did and Dom was trying to point that out as well. But I was resigning that we would have to quickly move things around but still be stuck with a dead fridge in the kitchen without doors. The older guy suggested we get someone to saw it in half. But that made no sense.
Finally I asked them if we cleared out the sink area and the angled shelving, would they be willing to slide out the fridge that way. They were against it but I offered them $100 each if they would do so. Dom wasn't thrilled about it but they went along with it as long as I accepted responsibility for any damages. Money talks. Thankfully they were able to get it out. Sadly I only had $184 total in my wallet which they accepted. That was a mess but I'm glad we don't have to deal with the old fridge just sitting there unused.
So in the end we wound up rearranging the old metal shelving to go where the old fridge was and the new fridge is now where the old metal shelving resided. It's funny how things almost are where we were talking about having them a few years back. Now will the old rolling shelving unit ever make its way to the basement. That's a problem for another day.
We're slowly rearranging things back in place and the new fridge is cooling off nicely. After this post I will be getting ready to head out to the church for their open-mic karaoke night. I need to sing my heart Louise after the day I had.
