Eleanor’s Cure: Catching Up

So, catch up day! I was hoping that today I’d be able to show off some photos of my refrigerator triumphantly opening on the left hand side, complete with step-by-step instructions on how I managed it, and perhaps a celebratory shot of me drinking champagne in front of my handiwork afterwards (any excuse?). Unfortunately, this was not to be.

If you’ll remember; my fridge is in the corner of the kitchen, and opens, annoyingly, into the corner. I’ve long wanted to reverse the swing and was all set to complete the project last weekend, but my plans were thwarted by physics. Thanks to some warnings from the clever AT community, I decided to double-check the clearance I had on the other side of fridge before picking up my tools. A few eagle-eyed readers had suggested there might not be enough room to open the door and use the drawers, once I’d made the change.

They were right: while there’s enough room on the left side of the fridge to open the door and get into the drawers, there’s not quite enough room for the door to open wide enough to easily remove that crisper, which, as several people pointed out, would be undesirable if I ever felt like cleaning my fridge (I do). Specifically, I’m about 30° short of this DIY being a good idea, and thus had to abandon the idea.

So, with no “main project” to do, I decided to revert to my list and see what little tasks I could cross off, instead.

Hang Kitchen Art

As a self-proclaimed foodie, I have a lot of food-themed art. After living with bare walls for the last two years, I decided to hang two of my favorite pieces, a vintage sugar sack given to me by my grandmother and a print of spices (bought on Etsy years ago as a birthday gift from my sister), on the far wall of my kitchen.

I wouldn’t normally hang two pieces on top of each other (I’m a bit neurotic about following that 57″ Rule, but it wasn’t possible in this case), but given the lack of wall space in my kitchen, this was the only arrangement that works. I love the view into the hallway now, and that the art reminds me of family members makes my home feel even more personal.

New Bedroom Light Fixture

I’ve been living with a bog-standard Ikea paper shade since I moved into this flat– serviceable, but hardly inspiring. Ever since I saw it at London Design Week last year, I’ve had my eye on the Vita Eos feather shade as a replacement and this month I decided to bite the bullet. I love the glow it gives my bedroom, and it makes me smile every time I walk in.

Clear Linen Closet

The large downstairs closet in my flat is ostensibly for storing linen and extra coats; in reality, it becomes an Outbox, a dumping ground for sports gear, and a convenient storage place for anything I don’t want to deal with right now. After a trip the charity shop and a thorough tidy, things are looking a lot neater in there.

So, I might not have reached my main Cure goal, things are definitely looking nicer and feeling less cluttered around here. On this week’s list is tackling my living room bookshelves (looking a little bare after the flatmate got rid of all those books) and doing an Ikea order for organizers, lampshades and other small items.

How did your “big project” go? I hope it got off the ground, at least!

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