Ask and ye shall receive.
When I first mentioned Smurf Kitchen on this blog, several of you asked to see photos of its wondrousness. It may have taken me several weeks, but I’m finally coming good on that request. Hurrah! I did mean to present you with a picture of the kitchen before we moved in, as the blue Smurfiness was particularly apparent when contrasted with the whiteness of the bare surroundings. Alas, despite taking over 250 photos of the apartment whilst filling out the inspection report, I failed to take a wide shot of the kitchen.
The following should give you an idea of the colour, though, and then you get to laugh at how the moving-in process brought out my inner nincompoop.
La la la-la la la Smurf along with me! (I had to google that. I had no idea if there even was a Smurf theme song.)
Laugh Along With (or Shake Your Head At) Me Moment #1:
Scene: Target Stocktake Sale, June 2010
Cast: Hannah, E.BestestHousemate, Target Saleslady
On a sunny winter’s day in Canberra, I picked up the wonderful E.BestestHousemate (EBH) from uni and drove to Target. After a brief stop in the sheets department, we successfully tracked down the super-on-sale-space-age-psychedelic vacuum cleaner and then, not long afterwards, the slightly-on-sale microwave.
While I peeked into the candy aisle, E.BestestHousemate hoisted the microwave box into the trolley, first commenting on how great it was that the microwave wasn’t too heavy.
Fantastic! I replied. I shall be able to get it up the three flights of stairs to our apartment myself this afternoon.
Book tetris! We haven't even got all our books in, and we've already had to double-up. (EBH is going to murder me for posting this photo. We haven't finished decorating, so rest assured this isn't up to snuff, aesthetically).
When we arrived at the checkout, EBH went to one cashier while I to another. The saleslady zapped the barcode of the vacuum cleaner box but couldn’t do so for the microwave, as the barcode was on the bottom of the box.
No worries, I said with a smile. I’ll just turn it around.
And so I did. The lady zapped, then stared at me for a few moments.
Are you sure there’s something in that box? She asked. I laughed.
Um, I think so? She asked me to check. I giggled a bit less certainly this time, and opened the box from the clearly-not-taped-shut lid. Sure enough, while the glass turntable was there, the microwave was not.
After sheepishly scuttling back through the store with an empty box and slowly, slowly, slowly, one-tiny-shuffle-at-a-time heaving a full-microwave-box back to the counter, I realised two pertinent things:
1. I clearly look like the kind of girl who could never in a million years hoist a microwave up in the air with utmost ease. While this is somewhat embarrassing, I prefer to think of it as embodying the Jane-Austen-era ideal of languishing female upper-crustness.
Wait. No. Scratch that. I don’t want to be crusty. Anyone know of a good pilates class in Canberra?
2. If someone tells you a kitchen appliance is as lightweight as a cardboard box, it probably is. A box, that is. Don’t trust them, even if they are your amazing new housemate.
Smurf Kitchen! (And yes, that is a Pineapple Chips 'n' Dip server. The pineapple leaves are removable spreader-utensils. GOLD.)
Laugh Along With (or Shake Your Head At) Me Moment #2:
Scene: The Abode of Smurf Kitchen
Cast: Hannah, E.BestestHousemate, the DVD Player
In the second photo of this post, you might have noticed a TV with a digital TV box and DVD player perched on top. Well, I brought the DVD player from my parents’ place (thanks parents!), and EBH and I decided, upon cooking our dinner, that the best way to settle in would be to watch Sex and the City all the way through, starting with season one, episode one.
While I chopped coriander in Smurf Kitchen, EBH popped in the DVD.
Hannah? Where’s the remote? She asked, staring at the screen with its list of language options to be selected.
I simply smiled, like a rainbow on a cold day breaking through clouds of sorrow with a beam of happy. Or, you know, like someone who’s realised they’ve done A Silly Thing.
You know what would be fun? I asked, avoiding her question. Seeing what happens if we just press play on the DVD player.
And you know what? It was all to the good. Sure, we had to watch six episodes in a row with Danish subtitles, but that rainbow must have come from a cloud with a silver lining, because I realised another pertinent thing (actually, EBH noticed this at the same moment, and oh how we laughed):
The Danish word for beautiful is “smuk”. And you better believe I shouted “SMUK!” every time the word appeared on screen. Which it did rather a lot, if we’re being honest.
I’m now home again for a few days house-sitting my arthritic old dog, but in four sleeps I’ll be back in Smurf Kitchen for good.
And that, my friends, is a rather smuk thing indeed.
Great, fun post.
You have the cutest kitchen and your bookshelves remind me of mine. I keep having to adapt because the books keep coming.
I’m lovin’ the book-Tetris; very mod.
And the kitchen? Everything you described it to be, and more :] And so much counter space! Jealous…
Smurf Kitchen is smuk, indeed. And I wouldn’t trust anyone who didn’t have too many books. But maybe that’s just my book-nerdiness showing.
Haha! I love sex and the city. It is funny how we are so used to remotes it takes a few seconds to realize things can generally operate OK without them.
Ha, I’m loving the kitchen – makes you just want to spend time in there!
ah, Hannah, what a lovely post.
and you are right, it definitly isn’t up to standard! tisk tisk. but IKEA next week…sweet, sweet IKEA…
Congratulations on your new smurf kitchen! And I personally love the book stacks. I think there is something aesthetically perfect about haphazard stacks of books — but that may be because I am a uni nerd and I own little besides books…
I love the kitchen, that blue is probably my fav colour!
Thehungryscholar: Thank you! The kitchen played a big part in my wanting this place
And sure, accumulating books can be tricky space-wise, but what fun is life without them? 
Amber: We really are lucky with the counter space – I can’t believe we’ve fit in extra shelves, a kettle, a toaster, an espresso machine, and a microwave, and we *still* have room to chop!
Camille: Even if it is book-nerdiness, I completely agree. I remember going to a guy’s place once and wandering around in absolutely confusion – there was not a single book anywhere, and I knew I had to get out quick-smart
Stacy: “OK” being the operative word – we couldn’t do anything but play it start to finish with Dutch subtitles… but we survived!
Simply Life: I’m pretty sure the kitchen is going to be our hub!
Ellie: That’s the real reason I’m home for a few days. Not to look after the dog, but to avoid your hideous decorating scheme
I jest – you know I love you.
Theresa: I completely agree! I love the jumbled look – I feel like I’m (almost) living in Black Books and if I just close my eyes and wish really hard, I’ll open them to find Bernard on my couch.
Kristy: One day you’ll have to come visit Canberra and I’ll cook you something vegan and gluten-free in the favourite-colour-of-yours kitchen
Hannah your kitchen is Smukky! And don’t worry those things are exactly things that I would do. Actually the fact that I do them is probably not a great argument
Love the kitchen – I’d call it Reckitts blue as I’m not ‘up’ on this Smurf character. Also, as a Queenslander, through and through, I think the pineapple dip and server just perfect. I’m sure I’d love EBH.
Lorraine: Thank you! And sure that’s a good argument, because there’s sanity in solidarity, right? Right?
GmaSydney: You shall have to google Smurf, just as I had to google reckitts blue
You’ll have to come meet EBH then! You’ll probably love her more than me because she knits….
Gorgeous blue! Still so luminous!
And the bookcases are rather impressive – I remember using bricks and planks of wood several aeons ago…..
Kath: It’s amazing how bright it is, considering the general wear and tear of the place! Eek, wouldn’t bricks damage the books?
That is a very smuk blue – love the smuk smurf kitchen and your tetris bookshelves – every time I see someone else’s bookhselves I want them because we never have enough here – and as for missing remote controls, we often experience them – Sylvia loves to play hide the remote (or the troll, as they are often called in our house). Good luck with the smurf kitchen
Johanna: Thank you! I can’t wait to cook all sorts of smuk-appropriate foods in Smurf Kitchen – hopefully integrating some of your delicious baked goods along the way! I think, for anyone who loves reading, there can never be enough shelfspace. Particularly when you start factoring in cookbooks too…
oh don’t start me on space for cookbooks – there is never enough!!!!
Hehee, smuk. You know, you could be lying and smuk could mean something completely different. How can we trust you? You have a smurf kitchen and a pineapple chips and dips server!
Agnes: Oooh, I’d never thought of that! What if I’m making you utter profanities without telling you? Or, even better, I could start making up words and telling you they’re from a foreign language. BRILLIANT.
I LOVE IT!!! Wow, that is so blue!
Vaala: I’m not going to lie, it’s pretty fabulous
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