Why Not Move the Refrigerator?

Doorway from hall to kitchen

After my friend had put up studs, hung drywall, and plastered, oops, I mean finished the drywall, I felt the old doorway from the kitchen into the hall was redundant.

I measured the refrigerator and guess what? 

I bet you've already figured it out.

The opening between the end of the base cabinet and the wall was about 6 inches bigger than the refrigerator! I was ecstatic!!

So, I disconnected the ice maker and moved the refrigerator to the other side of the kitchen. By myself. After working all day. Sometimes I just become possessed with an overwhelming desire to DO something.

Kitchen on the right with 'fridge in original location. Note the cute little shelf on the left.

Kitchen w/o 'fridge.

Here is the kitchen without the refrigerator. Except for the stuff piled all over the stove and counter it looks bigger already. 

I do like the white cabinets and the crown molding around the top. Please take special note of the last half of that sentence.


 
 In the garage I had stored a kitchen hutch. It had fit perfectly in the eat-in kitchen at my previous rental house. 

My philosophy when I moved was to keep everything, store it in the garage, and as I settled in and renovated rooms add pieces and sell the rest.

PS That painted wall is Holmes Cream. Not Pink!


So, I wrestled the hutch into the kitchen and was in for a shock! As any fool can plainly see, it was going to be too tall to fit under the little cabinet on the wall. Grrr.
 

Well, it was time to learn a new skill: removing a kitchen cabinet. It was as simple as taking off the doors, and then unscrewing the four long screws that held it to the wall.


Once the cabinet (and the crown molding) was removed the hutch slid easily into place.


I tried very hard to reinstall the crown molding, but after hours of frustration I gave up. It was not a good feeling to admit defeat. The only consoling thought was that I do want to replace the upper cupboards--one day. And for now it can be dressed up with fake ivy, although I'm sure that's a decorating no-no.

This inexpensive hutch gives me the cottage-y look I love.

Here's the finished re-configured kitchen.

Refrigerator on the left and nearly flush with the base cabinets. This was achieved by backing it into the old opening from the kitchen into the hall.


Cute cottage-y hutch on the right is filled with things that mean a lot to me and that I love.

Ta-da. All done. Well, almost. Did I hear someone inquire as to what happened to the back of the refrigerator--which is now facing the opening in the hall? Funny you should ask. Below you will see the back of the refrigerator, which will eventually be covered with paneling.



 

Remember the cute little shelf from the picture above? Well, it's not cute anymore since I ripped it out.








Here's the hall with a skeleton made of 1 x 2s fastened to the studs and header of the opening. This will give me something to attach the sheet of bead board (imagine that) paneling.

I lived with things looking like this for quite a while.

So here is where I leave you to ponder what will happen next.

Stayed tuned!