Table for four?

Oh the kitchen - the heart of the home. Many people buy a house solely for this room. I, however, chose a house with a kitchen much smaller than my college dorm room (wah, wah) and the layout is pretty pitiful as well. Not to fear! We have a plan...

Being the gourmet chef I am (those who know me are rolling on the floor laughing - sorry ROTFL), all I really care about is a place for four to sit and have drinks/tapas. Brian and I have already noticed that everyone always ends up socializing in the kitchen, even though it is the smallest room in our house!

Here are some before photos (sorry for the poor lighting):

Yes, that is indeed my oven. Brian and I joke that the house came with "stainless steel appliances". Sometimes when I am in there I feel like I should be on roller skates delivering milkshakes at a burger joint. Alright, it is out-dated, but good lord that oven cooks like a champ! It is exponentially better than the 1990s oven from our apartment. In fact, I will be a little choked up when parting with it when we re-model the kitchen in, oh 100 years or so. :)

The layout of the kitchen is long and narrow. To the right of the oven is the back door, and to the left you can see a peek of the doorway to the master (uh-huh, I said doorWAY) and then this funky little arrangement next to that:

I won't even go there. However, on the opposite side of the fridge is the built-in gem!

To the right of the built in is a window which is where some sort of seating arrangement will be. The beige is gone - replaced by this pretty color: Sherwin Williams Angora

Yes, my friends, that is purple. I painted my kitchen purple. Since we are not going to be able to re-do the space anytime soon, I wanted to find something that would blend the white cabinetry, sand-colored countertops, and greenish appliances. I have a saint for a husband, as he was actually on board with this color! I think once we get a decent light fixture up (post coming soon!), the room will really shine. :)