Documenting our disastrous move from leafy north London to the grungy south...

Monday 14 April 2014

Trapdoor havoc

After spending a lot of the UK winter in Australia, I got back to our flat (which don't get me wrong... I absolutely LOVE) and freaked out about the size of our kitchen. It's really teenie and half of it is taken up by a set of stairs which lead into our garden. And my mum's kitchen in sunny Oz is HUGE... with no stairs! 

So I racked my brains, downloaded the IKEA kitchen design program and agonised for hours over what to do out here. With a set of stairs smack bang in a tiny kitchen - low windows and a fireplace in the adjoining dining room, it was proving quite hard to re-design.

So what it came down to was our first (and simplest) idea. 

1. Build a trapdoor over the stairs
2. Knock a servery window to open up the space (read: knock a big hole in the wall)

So we enlisted the help of our handyman to build us the trapdoor, frame to support it and to knock out the hole. Then L stained, painted, decorated and finished the room.

What a transformation. Holy moly - it's like we have a brand new kitchen - double the size and all bright and airy. The trapdoor is made in two pieces so it can be easily lifted up (and when the trapdoor is up, it forms a railing) so it's still really easy to access our garden. We are so happy. But really you need to see pics - so take a look.

Here's the first before and after:
http://hithergreenhavoc.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/kitchen-havoc.html

Now check out the difference:

Dusty progress
From top: the new kitchen/dining room; the trapdoor closed, and open; looking from the kitchen through the window; flowers and blossoms from the garden and my clocks... moved to a different wall now

The trapdoor will never be a perfect match to the floor being different wood and all - but we're so excited to have that extra room - and not have to play kitchen tetrus that we don't mind. I might get a mat to disguise it, but for now, we're coming into summer and I think the trapdoor might be in use a little more often!

We have yet another room in progress at the moment, so watch this space for more renovation havoc soon.

Wednesday 29 January 2014

Healthy havoc

I've had such a lovely, long, lazy summer... well winter... I've been in Oz avoiding this rain, cold and grey. And in Oz I certainly didn't diet...! But after spotting these fabulous Banana, chia and oat balls on instagram recently, I decided to make them as a treat for a friend who wasn't feeling crash hot.

Thanks to Karen for the fantastic recipe - which you can find here. The only alteration I made was to add a quarter of a cup of cocoa powder. The dried coconut she talks about in her recipe I used coconut powder which I get from the fabulous Turkish supermarket on Lewisham High Street (cnr Lewisham High Street and Morley Road). I used bananas that were past their best and I don't have a food processor big enough, so I just mashed it all together with a fork. A great recipe for cooking with little ones I'd say! 

Don't forget to check out my instagram feed to see what I got up to over the "summer".

http://karenluvslife.blogspot.co.uk/