Kitchen: small, but with a real stove

The story of Svetlana, Oleg and daughter Alina from Rudensk:

We decided to participate in the competition, since no one has a kitchen like ours. It is not only small in area, but also without windows, with a walk-through and a stove. And I wanted to show what we could do. We do not count on victory, but perhaps someone will appreciate it.

Half of the house, built in the post-war period, I got after the death of my grandparents. And for 24 years now we have been constantly building, completing, rebuilding, repairing something.

In order for everyone to have their own room, as well as a living room, the kitchen had to be located in a dark corridor. Then the doors were removed - all in order to make it brighter. And so, in 2012, they undertook a major restructuring of the kitchen: they moved the gas stove, redid the water supply to the kitchen, and removed the wall between the living room and the kitchen. They left the stove - we are all thermophilic, and during the off-season we heat it every day.

Then we started finishing. The house is wooden, we do not live in the city, we are adherents of minimalism, practicality and simplicity. So we decided to do without "city expensive renovations." For a long time they chose what to “sheath” the walls with. We settled on OSB boards. And since we always do everything ourselves (although we are far from construction specialties), the plates turned out to be a “gift” - they are light, do not require special rough finishing.

The walls were covered with white paint - so lighter and easier to decide what to do with them next. In the end, I liked it.

For reasons of practicality, the ceiling had to be hemmed with MDF panels. The lamp is an ordinary chandelier with a glass lampshade.

On the floor - tiles produced by "Keramin". As soon as they didn’t try to lay it, they didn’t like it. And so such a solution was born - not in a checkerboard pattern, but in a ladder.

On the wall - also tiles "Keramin". My husband did all the tiling himself.

And then the most interesting began. I had no idea what the kitchen should be like. And on the Internet I saw a red sink made of artificial stone (produced by Zhodino) and I wanted to buy it. I didn’t even think then what I would do next, having such a sink. Everyone supported me, and they bought a sink (by the way, it still makes me happy).

We went to the construction market to look at the tiles on the stove. Walked around everything - nothing to like. In the last pavilion, we saw tiles and realized that this was what we needed. The husband drew a stove on a scale, gave each one a copy of the tile, and each drew his own vision of the layout. Then, from the three options, they assembled the final one, bought the required number of tiles, and the husband set to work according to the scheme. What happened - you see. Tiles - production Poland.

The set was made to order in soothing classic shades.

The mixer - production Lithuania. There is a 15 liter electric water heater under the sink.

A gas hob and an electric oven "Hephaestus" were bought because of the low price (compared to imported models). And we don't regret it.

When one side of the kitchen was ready, the other side was left with a white refrigerator, a white microwave oven, an old kitchen table and stools. This side, of course, did not fit into our idea. Therefore, I had to buy a red (I was categorically against the gray metallic color) Atlant refrigerator (the only one that offered red). We bought a microwave oven in metallic colors, since red would have been too much.

The round table, which is more than 50 years old, was restored and covered with matte varnish. The chairs are also old, the seats have been upholstered with new fabric.

This is the kitchen we love. And when the stove is heated, firewood crackles, dinner is being prepared on the stove, no one wants to leave the kitchen, and we sit there in the evenings.

The renovation of the living room has recently begun, and the second part of the stove, which opens into the living room, is still unfinished.

When we carry out repairs, I always write down the costs, so after three years I give the exact prices. The renovation lasted from March to November.

OSB sheets - $135.
MDF panels - $43.
Tiles on the wall - 35, stove - 50, on the floor - 88 dollars.
Headset - $670.
Hob and oven - $500
Washing - 90 dollars.
Faucet - $90.
Water heater - $70.
Hood - $100.
Refrigerator - $472.
Microwave oven - $110.