Pigs, pigs, and more pigs!
I have quite the pig collection. I have been receiving pig things for gifts since I was a little girl. Loved ones have thought of me when they have seen these items, so they are extra special to me. When we moved into our home, I figured that the kitchen was the most appropriate room to display them.
Why pigs?
My love of pigs began as a very young girl watching the Muppets and admiring Miss Piggy. She was beautiful, smart, and had no problem sharing her emotions. When you think about role models geared towards young girls in the late 1970's, she was a pretty good one. In early elementary school, I fell in love with Wilbur from E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. (That book is probably why spiders do not bother me.) Then Babe and Babe: Pig in the City reaffirmed my love these lovable and intelligent creatures. I even had a pet pot-bellied pig named Gus when I was in high school.
Wall of Pigs
The photos of the pigs are from wall calendars. I had some students that needed a shop project make them for me. I paid them for the materials and their hard work. The "When Pigs Fly" sign was a gift from a good friend. The matching of the bead board paint and the this sign wasn't planned, but turned out great. I receive the wall calendar for a birthday or Christmas gift every year.
While this kitchen is not my ideal kitchen, I have done my best to make it functional and fun. I pondered the idea of have my cabinets refaced, but after learning the cost, I decided to have just them painted and change the hardware.
Furniture
The kitchen island is from IKEA. I used to have a table and chairs there, but we rarely ate there and it was too low for food prep. I chose this particular island, since it allows me to have stools underneath it on one side and storage on the other.
The baker's rack is a recent purchase from Kmart. I wanted to be able to hang my pots and pans, but I don't have room on the ceiling for a pot rack. I chose a ceiling fan, since we don't have central air. The baker's rack was cheaper than a pot rack and offered more storage, so I thought that was a no-brainer. As you can see, I also use it to store potatoes, onions and garlic, a food scale, the microwave, my Keurig, and recycling bins. (Which need to be emptied.)
The wall of free standing cupboards was in the house when we purchased it. We use them as our pantry. My husband mentioned that he wanted to be able to watch TV in the kitchen. Thankfully, the cable was already there for our small TV.
Appliances
The very first change we made to our home was adding a dishwasher. We lost one cupboard and drawer, but it is so worth it! I love to store my dirty dishes in there until it is full enough to run a load. My husband purchased the stove and refrigerator. Absolutely love having the double oven! Great for holiday baking and entertaining. We use the smaller oven more often, since it heats up more quickly. We went with a refrigerator that fit in our space. We do have a stand up freezer in our garage. I do like the freezer being below the refrigerator and that the freezer has a drawer. However, the drawer can be a challenge to organize, hence the extra freezer.
You'll notice that I don't put much stuff on the front of the refrigerator. The note pad is a shopping list, and the magnet holds important stuff. I'll show you the sides of it later. The towel hanging on the stove is a compromise that I made with my husband.
My kitchen is rather small, but it is functional. I have tried to have as much counter space as possible. I am probably one of the few people that doesn't want an open concept.
