The amazing kitchen cart

John and I have been looking for years for a cabinet to replace the little shelf under the window that holds the yellow-topped coffee machine. Almost everything we've been able to find would stick out too far, blocking the doorway.

On Wednesday we found a cabinet that fits the bill. It adds counter and storage space, and doesn't it look like it should always have been there? 

When we finally had to get rid of our 1960s-era harvest gold stove a few years ago, I mourned it and complained about its replacement, with its glass top that forever needs scrubbing. When we replaced our bulky white refrigerator with a sleek metal French Door model earlier this year, I called it a "play fridge" because it holds so little. So I think John was on tenterhooks today when we hauled home a big flat box from Canadian Tire that contained something new for our kitchen. From past experience, he couldn't see this ending well.

But I was the instigator of this exercise, having struggled for years to do all my kitchen work on three and a half feet of countertop. How to add to it without blocking any of the kitchen's three doorways, the fridge or the existing counter? We needed narrow; furniture makers think wide. But I had hopes for the skinny-looking Mayfield Kitchen Cart, which I spotted amidst the tools, the kids' toys and the Christmas lights in a recent Canadian Tire catalogue.

The marked-up catalogue sat around for awhile -- John was understandably reluctant to rush into anything -- but after he checked it out online this morning, we made our move. A couple of stores, a traffic jam, and a few hours of "assembly required" later, John had created something amazing and wonderful.

Not only does our new kitchen cart nearly double our counter space and add storage, it gives the whole room a feeling of completion it has always lacked. Sure, it's mass-produced and real carpenters would turn up their noses, but with its metal fittings and its old-fashioned style, it looks like it has always belonged exactly where it is. At last, a change to the kitchen that I won't complain about. I think John is relieved.

The box containing our new piece of kitchen furniture.

The box discloses its secrets. John is fortunately accustomed to opening boxes and putting their contents together. 

The kitchen cart (it has wheels) partly assembled. Notice the shelf behind that it will soon replace.

John makes final touches to the cart's innards.

All assembled and ready to be rolled into place, but the shelf has to be removed first.

John does some patching on the wall where the shelf was removed.

Our new-look kitchen. The coffee maker looks very happy on its new counter top.