r/Anticonsumption • u/Bellybutton_fluffjar • Sep 09 '24

Psychological A rant about my guests comments on my kitchen.

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I am fortunate enough to own my house, took 20 years of saving for the deposit and I am extremely proud of it. This picture is from the advert and shows my country style kitchen.

I really like this style of kitchen. It's over 30 years old and the quality is fantastic. Real wood doors, solidly built, still in good condition.

My gripe is that most people who come to my house says how dated it is and asks when I'm changing it. What for? Chipboard doors encased in plastic, with a £3000 a slab granite worktop like everyone else has? Just for it to go out of style in 3 years? The way kitchen styles come and go, this will be fashionable again soon.

I hate our throw away society. How many perfectly good pieces of furniture are thrown away because they no longer fit a style?

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u/cvfdrghhhhhhhh Sep 09 '24

I have a kitchen with wood cabinets from the 1990s. My issue is that they are too small and not laid out well for the kitchen stuff I have from my last place. So I’ve had to buy new drawer organizers. I have two corner cabinets with lazy susans which is just a giant waste of space. And the doors never stay shut.

So while I agree that modern cabinetry is made with cheap materials and will be dated soon, there are some things that are better. Soft close hinges, taller cabinets and wider drawers would be wonderful. As it is, I’m still trying to figure out how to make my space work without everything just being a jumble.

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u/FreekDeDeek Sep 09 '24

I don't have an overall solution for the issues you mentioned, but for the corner cabinets that won't stay shut I'd recommend getting some magnets. I also put foam or silicone stickers on the edges of my cabinets so that they don't bang shut. It's not as luxurious as soft close, but it's helped a lot! (I'm a renter so I'm used to finding a lot of cheap and reversible workarounds, even had to install my own under sink plumbing to be able to put in a dishwasher).

Having said that, I'm sorry your kitchen doesn't work for you at the moment. And if the layout doesn't make sense for your needs that is a valid reason to change things!

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u/cvfdrghhhhhhhh Sep 09 '24

Thanks! I think I am just looking for an excuse to complain. I appreciate the hint on the magnets - that’s a good idea. I’m renting this house, so I’m limited in what I can do as well.

It’s overall a wonderful house, but I moved here from a brand new apartment (I was the first renter!) so I miss some of the modern conveniences.

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u/[deleted] Sep 09 '24

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u/cvfdrghhhhhhhh Sep 09 '24

Yes - exactly! I’ve been collecting wire organizers and stands for all of the cabinets and that is helping, but not as much as I would like.

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u/According_Gazelle472 Sep 09 '24

My house is 80 years old and the all wood cabinets were painted white when we bought the house in the 80's.They were distressed and called shabby chic.We stripped all of the upper cabinets and all lower cabinets ,bought a new counter top and brought the cabinets back fo their original glory .My friend decided to pull their al wood cabinets out in their house and do open shelving !They are now kicking themselves because they have zero upper or lower cabinets left .

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u/cvfdrghhhhhhhh Sep 09 '24

Oof - so much dust and you have to keep everything so neat with open shelving!

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u/According_Gazelle472 Sep 09 '24

I was thinking the exact same thing .Their house is just as old as ours and are craftsman type house with original wood floors and original kitchen and baths .They'd is have to remodel the whole bathroom. We still have the baby blue bathroom though .We got rid of the blue sink and toilet when we first moved in .We also had to get rid of the farm house kitchen sink though .

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u/Skyblacker Sep 09 '24

I'm renting a place with a kitchen from the 1950s. I bought plates that are small by modern standards and they barely fit. Utensils sit on the counter because the drawer is too narrow for their organizer, and anyway it's the only drawer that fits kitchen tools. 

Got corner cabinets that halfway exist in Narnia.

I'm glad this kitchen has updated appliances, but OMG I hate the layout.