I’m rapidly approaching the one-year mark in my no-longer-can-be-called-new apartment, which is a shock to the system and also a surprise that I’m still piecing together the kitchen. Planning the space was my favorite distraction last summer (this summer it’s guys and semi-successfully getting their attention). Even before the co-op was 100% a done deal I already had my wallpaper, shades and finishes of paint, backsplash tile, countertops, and of course the range, picked out.
It was BlueStar or bust.
Not so in September 2015 where #goodenough or #goodenoughfornow (I can’t decide which is less bleak) is the prevailing sentiment. In my above mentioned first Kitchen Confidential post, I made fun of GE’s slate color because it was pathetically un-radical. I now own a GE range in slate.
This is part of a perverse ingrained reaction I have when I know I’m not able to get what I want. Instead, I go for ugly. In grade school not having Nikes was a super-shame, especially in early ‘80s Oregon. If I was going to have to settle for Kmart brand Trax, I wasn’t wearing the more appealing blue-and-white striped shoes. It was two-toned poop brown or nothing.
I was vehemently against freestanding ranges, but my disaster with a 30″ slide-in Bosch that wouldn’t fit into my 30″ space was demoralizing. (The only freestanding exception is Bertazzoni, my planned purchase–just the master series, not professional–up until two weeks ago when I learned my monthly expenses would be going up $663 per month for at least the next year.) A design blog-worthy range isn’t in the cards? Should I just go nuts with bisque, biscuit, or almond? Ok, no, I drew the line.
This isn’t ugly; it’s just unobtrusive. This range fits into my guiding force to have no white whatsoever in my kitchen and limit stainless steel as much as possible. If I can’t have a showpiece, lying low is my plan B.