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You are here: Home / STYLE / Interiors / Let’s talk about the kitchen

Let’s talk about the kitchen

September 29, 2016 by Molly 10 Comments

ikea-kitchen

CREDIT: IKEA

Considering it’s the room we spend the most time in it’s a bit of a travesty that our kitchen is the last one we’ve touched since moving into our home over two a half years ago. At the time I don’t think we realised quite how bad it was. It’s the smallest room in the house, and the darkest, despite an interior window looking through into the light-filled open plan dining room.

I don’t want to sully this post with photos of my kitchen as it currently is. Obviously there’ll be before and after photos once the makeover is complete, but for now you’ll have to imagine a really dark and dated kitchen straight from 1993, complete with peeling plastic laminated cupboards, grubby glass-fronted doors and light-sucking ugly blue, red and yellow tiles.

We looked into the cost of ripping out our current kitchen and getting a brand new one put in, but we simply couldn’t afford the one we wanted. A new kitchen would mean a compromise and it seemed silly spending thousands of pounds on something we weren’t 100% in love with.

However, that doesn’t mean we’re happy to stick with what we’ve got. So instead, we’ve decided to do a DIY makeover job and get creative, transforming our dark, dated and dysfunctional space into something light and airy with pops of colour, plenty of greenery and – finally – some proper storage!

kitchen-and-dining-image-main

CREDIT: Also Home

We’re going to be working with a leading paint company to show what you can do with a bit of creative thinking, some decent paint and a bit of hard work to transform a kitchen. So many people live with kitchens they hate, simply because they think they can’t afford the alternative. But our makeover will cost under £500 and be just as effective (OK, so we won’t have fancy new taps or carrera marble worktops, but it’ll be a whole lot better than the current kitchen situation).

Despite many long hours trawling the internet I’ve not quite been able to find the exact shade of turquoise I was hoping to paint the tiles, so we’re going for an all-white, bright and fresh base palette across the walls, cupboards and tiles. We’re going to get clever with some DIY tricks to cover the glass fronts on the cupboards, and invest in some new handles.

The fun will really begin when we turn our attention to the window (looking straight onto the wall of our neighbour’s house and letting in zero light) and an upcycled piece of driftwood I have big plans for. I want to accessorise the space with plenty of pops of colour to let it flow with the rest of the house, and we’re going to remove the glass in the interior window and create a breakfast bar area on the other side.

As with everything DIY, home renovation and family it won’t be done in a weekend. Anyone with young children will tell you these things take twice as long when kids are around. But I’m determined to finish by the end of November at the very latest. I want the busiest month of cooking – December – to be spent in a kitchen far removed from the one we currently have to live with!

Take a look at my moodboard of products below for an idea of the colours we’re going with in the new space…

kitchen-moodboard

Bebe blue patterned vase, £15, Habitat | Hanging planter, Etsy | Carrera tea for one teapot, £30, Oliver Bonas | Retro kitchen wall clock, Yellow Octopus | | Tapio ombre wine glasses, £30, Oliver Bonas | Legata pasta bowl, £8, Habitat | Gold kitchen hook rack, £39, Marquis & Dawe 

Filed Under: Interiors, STYLE Tagged With: Home, home decor, home renovations, interiors, interiors ideas, kitchen

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Comments

  1. laura redburn says

    October 1, 2016 at 11:45 am

    ooh exciting to see how this turns out! i too love the habitat stuff ????

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 7, 2016 at 1:10 pm

      I’m excited to get it done!

      Reply
  2. Alison says

    September 30, 2016 at 1:17 pm

    Ooh can’t wait to see what you come up with! Those Oliver Bonas glasses are dreamy!

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 7, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      Aren’t they? Those colours!

      Reply
  3. Anna International says

    September 30, 2016 at 12:57 pm

    Wow! Even without kids this sounds like quite a time consuming project…with them, well it confirms my wonderwoman suspicions about you! 😉
    My favourite makeovers are actually the ones where people have really made the best of what is there rather than entirely starting again, so I am really excited to see this! Good luck! xx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      October 7, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      Wonderwoman I am not – mad and slightly over ambitious I am!

      Reply
  4. Pamela | Life With Munchers says

    September 30, 2016 at 11:42 am

    All the love for the habitat range!! Stunning!! Excited to see the result. xx

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 30, 2016 at 12:30 pm

      Habitat are on point with their offering for AW16 aren’t they? All the colours!

      Reply
  5. Slummy single mummy says

    September 30, 2016 at 11:20 am

    Ooh, you want to get some LSA Polka pastels stuff for your mood board! We have the wine glasses and the tiny liqueur glasses and they look ace on a white shelf. (Plus they are part of Showroom so you can earn yourself some commission too!) http://www.lsa-international.com/product/polka-wine-glass-x-4

    Reply
    • Molly says

      September 30, 2016 at 12:31 pm

      Ooh fab, will add to my list! x

      Reply

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Hello and welcome! I'm Molly Forbes - podcaster, presenter and blogger with a passion for positivity, confidence and body image chat. Regularly writing and vlogging about empowering female issues from a motherhood angle, I also cover lifestyle and fashion topics for like-minded mums who want to rediscover themselves after having children. Thanks for stopping by! Read More…

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I am not “bossing” it. Or “slaying”. Or “hustling”. Or “smashing” it. I’m not even juggling or spinning plates or doing any of the other words we use as a glossy, marketable, Instagram friendly way to package up burnout culture, under the guise of “empowering” women (💪🤢). 
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What I have been doing, though, is working too hard. Call a spade a spade. I’ve been working too hard, neglecting my health, my relationships, my life away from my laptop. I can not be everything to everyone AND work at the level I’ve been working at BECAUSE I AM A HUMAN BEING. And you are too. We are not robots.
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I care deeply about all my work, and things aren’t always this intense, but I wanted to sprinkle some reality into the Gram because I am so over this lie that *any* type of success or achievement doesn’t come at a cost, or involve many failures in the background, or require many other people to help make things happen. 
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I guess what I’m saying is, let’s be real about all that, as well as showing the achievements. I’m bloody proud of my book. And I’m so excited to launch the social enterprise @bodyhappyorg properly next month. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy, and that there isn’t a price. 
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And with that, I’m taking the weekend off. See you on the other side 🥰🥰🥰
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[Image description: Molly sits in her office with her hands covering her mouth. On the back of one hand is written “Not bossing it”. She is wearing a pink boiler suit with a black and white top underneath. She has pink leopard print earrings on and her hair is tied back.]
This was taken at the start of half term, when the This was taken at the start of half term, when the kids were still enthusiastic about going for a walk. 1,705 walks around the same bit of countryside later... not so much 😬 
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If you’re struggling to get your kids motivated to move their body at the moment, go gentle. You’re not alone. Bad weather coupled with boredom coupled with the lure of screens is a heady recipe for lethargy - and that’s just me! 
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Seriously though, remember: all movement is valid. Even if it’s just a ten minute @cosmickids sesh or a little kitchen disco, it all counts. And if it comes from a place of enjoyment and fun, kids (and adults!) are going to be far more likely to want to get involved.
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What joyful movement activities are your kids enjoying right now (if any?!)?
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[Image description: Molly and her two daughters are standing in a field. They’re wearing colourful wellies, holding hands and smiling.]
I founded a social enterprise 😵 . Introducing: I founded a social enterprise 😵
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Introducing: @bodyhappyorg 🎉
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We are a Community Interest Company dedicated to promoting positive body image in children. We help adults help the kids in their care be friends with their bodies 🥰. 
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Through workshops and classes, digital and physical resources (both free and paid) we help parents, carers, teachers, youth leaders - and any adults who are ever around children - create body happy settings for kids to thrive in. 
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We launch officially next month with a beautiful new website and lots of resources which we’ll continually be adding to. In the meantime give us a follow at @bodyhappyorg - we start posting from today and our page has been designed as a free resource on its own! 
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I’m privileged to work alongside an incredible team of people on this. Shout-out to the original dream team @chelseacoxstrategist @amysnellingpt @effinitupfaye @lottie_storey @bodyconfidencecards_db @rachel_hobnobs & @aceandping 💕 LOVE YOU ALL! 💕
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[Image description: A blue square with yellow and white text which reads “the body happy org”. This is the logo for The Body Happy Organisation CIC]
Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-sta Proof that I did wear clothes other than a tea-stained hoodie and tracksuit bottoms at least once in the past month 😐
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[Image description: Molly is wearing pink dungarees with yellow buttons over a black rollneck long-sleeved top. She has a monochrome striped hairband on and her hair is pink. She is also wearing earrings with boobs on them. She looks very pleased, both with her earrings, the pink hair and the fact she’s not wearing sleepwear, for a change.]
A new report from the Education Policy Institute h A new report from the Education Policy Institute has concluded an obvious gender divide in the well-being of young adults. If you’d like to read more check out this article by Eleanor Peake in @newstatesman (I’ve linked to it in my Stories).
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Every week I get messages from parents and teachers concerned about the impact of social media on their kids’ body image. And of course, I couldn’t write a book about body image in kids and teens without covering social media - there’s a whole chapter in Body Happy Kids dedicated to the subject. 
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The thing is, social media isn’t going anywhere. And just like it can be a force for anxiety, shame and general angst it can be a force for good too. The trick is in knowing how to use it positively (and in holding the platforms to account for not moderating the spread of harmful viral trends and online abuse, and creating algorithms that deliberately create division and harm mental health... but that’s a story for another day). 
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But how can we expect our kids to have a handle on it when we, as adults, don’t ourselves? 
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I don’t believe the answer is to ban social media, but I don’t think kids should be given unfettered access to it either. 
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They need help navigating this stuff, learning about boundaries, developing media literacy skills so they can think critically about the content they’re consuming (just like many adults).
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And we also need to explore how we might be inadvertently contributing to the problem, perpetuating appearance ideals and creating a culture where kids learn it’s ok to body shame under the guise of health and to value each other based on the way they look.
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As ever, it’s complicated. I’d love to know what you think? What are some of the boundaries you have around social media in your house - both for yourself and your kids?
#BodyHappyKids 
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[Full text in Alt Text]
When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnan When I was pregnant with Effie I went to a pregnancy yoga class every week. It was the highlight of my week. I left each session feeling like I was floating on a cloud, and I used the poses and breath work to guide me through labour too. But then I had my baby and found that, as a knackered new mum of two, I couldn’t find the time for yoga. I no longer had the excuse of doing it “for the bump” or “to prepare for labour”, so what was the point?
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It wasn’t until I started reinvesting in myself and unravelling the diet culture perspective on exercise that I found it again, along with running, which turned to hiking, and swimming. 
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It wasn’t about preparing my body for someone or something else. It was about the process itself, the time to unwind my mind and move my body for joy, just for me. I’ve lost a bit of that this past year with lockdowns, and I feel it.
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I recently signed up to @theunderbellyyoga with @mynameisjessamyn and feel like I’m finding it again. I love that my kids can see me taking time for myself, and enjoying movement, and that they sometimes want to join in too. Even if it is a bit annoying sometimes (swipe 👀). 
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#BodyHappyMum 
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[Image description: Molly and her 6 year old daughter Effie sit on yoga and gymnastics mats with their legs crossed and arms in the air. They have their backs to the camera. In the second image they are sitting crossed legged while twisting round to the side, and in the third image Molly is lying on the mat with her eyes closed while Effie leans over her, being a bit annoying.]
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