Scheherazade was not happy with her kitchen. It was . . . well, it was just ugly. And inefficient. Not that it mattered too much to Scheherazade, for elaborate food preparation rituals do not intrigue her, and are a vice in which she does not engage.

But ugly is ugly, and Scheherazade does not like ugly. After repairing the leaky roof (she thought), it was time to improve the kitchen aesthetic.

Nasty old sagging rain-stained ceiling Plaster walls cracked and bulging Extremely ugly brown 1960s fake pebble pattern vinyl flooring (not visible in this or other pictures) with very icky visible seams Approximately two square feet of counterspace Warped trim discolored by several decades of culinary endeavor inside an unventilated room Hideous cheap metal cupboard hanging on the wall A decided lack of storage space Scary light fixture hanging by one long screw, through which the leaking roof had dripped Numerous other transgressions against eye and hand, including very funky old masonite countertops that had not withstood the test of time

As with the bathroom, it was only barely adequate. Also like the bathroom, it was just plain ugly.

See the end result See the process