Kitchen Week One: The Heart of the Home Begins to Take Shape

This week, we finally turned our attention to the most important room in our home: the kitchen. For us, it’s not just where we cook—it’s where the day begins, where conversations happen, and where so many memories are made. So transforming this space felt both exciting and long overdue.

We kicked things off by gutting what we didn’t want. While we didn’t go full demolition mode, we did strip back all the unnecessary fittings—cabinet doors, extractor fan, cooktop, benchtop trim—basically creating a blank slate for what’s to come. The lower cupboard fronts were still in great condition (they’d only been redone a year or two ago), so we decided to keep and repurpose them. A fresh colour and some microcement would breathe new life into them.

One of the biggest changes was the installation of tall cabinets on the left-hand wall—finally giving us some much-needed storage. On the right side, we painstakingly removed the old countertop trim (shoutout to the stubborn, rusted screws for keeping things interesting) and got the surface prepped for its microcement makeover.

Now, if you’ve followed our journey for a while, you’ll know how much Jasmine loves microcement—and this was her first proper go at applying it. After some trial and error, including a very frustrating trowel situation, we switched to a squeegee which changed everything. The result? A beautifully smooth, even finish that we’re honestly pretty chuffed with.

As we continued, we realised the upper cabinets were likely custom-sized, and trying to match or modify them just wasn’t worth the effort. So, with the money we saved on reusing the lower fronts, we ripped them out and started fresh. Rafa, our ever-reliable contractor, came in to help install the new ones once everything was ready (and after a few delivery delays—we see you, IKEA).

We also tackled a few other practical upgrades this week:

• A new hidden extractor with its own built-in light

• A pull-out slide bin that makes clean-up so much easier

• A fully integrated washing machine—a must for us, since in-kitchen appliances still feel a bit odd (but hey, at least now it’s hidden!)

• And a gorgeous new ceiling light, which casts these beautiful spiked shadows at night and really sets the mood

And of course, we couldn’t forget to introduce Letty—our latest furry family member. A pregnant stray we’ve taken in, she’s now enjoying the comforts of our semi-renovated home (despite Aragon’s protective hisses).

We’ve split this kitchen renovation into two videos, because—let’s be honest—our laptop was about to combust under the weight of our footage. So stay tuned for Part Two next week as we wrap up the final touches.

Thanks for being here. As always, drop us a comment, a like, or just say hi. We love hearing from you.

Adios,

Jasmine & Andrew