This weekend we started installing the Ikea kitchen. Everyone had said they were hard to instal, so Jamie got online and watched some Youtube videos. Sure, it was tricky - more on that in a second. But we've done trickier things. This space was sooo ready for a kitchen.

First, let's have a quick look at where we have come from, hey? For those new here, this was the old 80's kitchen. Note the horrible varnish and the tiles. All of that was removed, as well as the wall to the left, opening up the entire space. We also removed that window and plastered it up.

So, the tricky bit about the Ikea set up is that it's designed for a space that has square walls and floors. NO one has a house with totally square walls and floors.

Ikea also has this rail system - you can see it in the photo below.

It's actually a reasonably clever way of making it all square, and it helps stop the cupboards pulling away from the wall when the benchtop is on. All you need is a lazer level and a few other tricks which we'd watched on Youtube.

Once that was done, it was a matter of putting the cupboards together. Some took longer than others. It's much better quality than say a Bunnings Kaboodle kitchen (Australians will know) so we knew we choose the right kitchen, but sometimes those instructions were hard to understand! Thank goodness Jamie's super practical as I think it's be hard for your every day person to do.

And it was pretty exhausting.

All this with the stress of still not selling the house and having a mortgage to pay and no work in a months time. I'm beside myself writing this. A buyer we thought might bite pulled out and we just dont know what else to do. I know crying doesn't help but I'm struggling at the moment big time, wondering if we made the wrong choice. That doesn't help I know but these things go through your head. Maybe I'll die of a heart attack before the kitchen is finished.

Being broke, and horrified at the cost of cabinet knobs, I ordered some from Temu. It totally goes against my principles but $20 vs $500 won out. They are solid wood and I figured most homewares and cabinet ware companies buy their stuff from China anyway and repackage and remarket it for a lucrative DIY and home reno market. That's something else making me cry - I really didn't want to support Temu and I'm upset I'm in this position. Still, perspective and first world problems, I know. .

I love the dark beige brown we have - it's dramatic and looks gr at against the wooden handles. It would look amazing with brass too but we can't afford it.

I love the size of the kitchen and how it fits the space. It's a massive change from what it was.

Still waiting for three cabinet fronts on back order from IKEA. I'll keep you posted on progress I'm sure!

We did want it finished this weekend but then we had a drama and we are actually going away this weekend - yay. We need it. So patience patience!