Teamwork at its best.
When you design furniture for one of the rooms in your home, it is like having a blank page in your hands, which you can draw according to your wishes – and, of course, your possibilities. And there are those who start on a difficult course and receive a “scribbled, crumpled sheet” in their hands, which must first be scraped off, smoothed, and only then can the drawing come.
This was also the case with Krisztina Szabó and her husband, who first thoroughly gutted the rooms and then jointly created the new kitchen of their house. Krisztina didn’t just dream it up, she also planned it precisely, and her partner made it.
Personally, I was caught by the special decorations on the kitchen doors in the kitchen, but then it turned out that the furniture is not only remarkable from the outside, but also from the inside, because Krisztina is a master of organization, she also makes videos about it. Answering the questions of the Diverse Countryside, he explained how they created their kitchen and what he recommends for creating and maintaining order.
The construction of your kitchen practically began with the “bombing apart” of the house. How much remodeling was needed in your home?
I used to visit this house a lot when I was young because my childhood friend lived here. I remember that even back then I liked to come over and play. Back then, the garden was my favorite part, because it was completely enclosed, bordered by buildings, an overgrown green area, like a secret garden that no one else knew about.
The house was already in terrible condition when we bought it, and it became even more so. All the water pipes and electrical networks had to be replaced, the ceiling lowered and we also got a new window. We beat up the subgrade concrete everywhere, insulated it from below, installed underfloor heating, and then had to re-concrete the whole thing.
Apart from the bedroom and the mini children’s room, floor tiles were installed everywhere, including the kitchen.
These in themselves entailed a huge amount of work, but the biggest transformation was the knocking out of two larger walls in the center. We replaced them with an iron bridge and a concrete pillar. This is how the kitchen became the center of our home, from where all other rooms open, such as the living room, bathroom, washroom, children’s room, bedroom.
You designed the kitchen and your husband did it. Do you have any previous experience in this field?
My husband is a wood industry technician by profession, although he did not work in this field and does not follow innovations.
I am a physiotherapist, but I like practical things and uniformity. I got a lot of ideas from Pinterest during the planning process, I even combed some ideas together. What I did not find a solution to my liking, I invented. I made most of the organizers out of cardboard and self-adhesive foil. I also created a TikTok account for them, where I show how I made flashy organizers out of pennies, how I organize. Since I’ve been making these videos, I’ve also been making “training” and demonstration videos for a webshop selling self-adhesive foils.
At first glance, the most special detail is the carved (effect?) circular decoration, how was it made?
I designed the decor and layout of the entire apartment, including the kitchen furniture.
Since my husband didn’t have much time at work, we wanted to have the furniture made by a carpenter, but he definitely wanted to insist on the modern style, so in the end, my husband made it, and although it took a long time, we didn’t regret it.
The most striking and beautiful decoration of our kitchen ended up being a 30-centimeter-diameter wood carving, which I ordered on the Internet after a long search.
Which element are you most proud of?
I love our entire kitchen, because in addition to being beautiful, it also paints a very practical, organized and unified picture.
I’m most proud of the pull-out elements, because they make the deep, modest ones clear.
Such is the case with my cleaning products and pantry cupboard. Come to think of it, almost every part of my kitchen can be pulled out…
The main theme of your TikTok videos is organization. Is it important to you that everything is in order, in its place?
How important is it to have everything in place? It’s more important that everything has a place. When everything has its place, it is much easier to keep order. This is based on selection. Keep only what is really needed. When shopping, think about whether there is room for the given object. If there is order in my environment, there is order in my soul.
What advice do you have for those who want to design their own kitchen?
There are basic things that I didn’t invent, but it’s worth taking.
Examples include:
- In relation to their height, the height of the counter and the height of the built-in microwave should be appropriate.
- There should be free counter space next to the refrigerator, sink, and stove. To place them, it is worth thinking about the different work processes (e.g. the hob should not be far from the sink, because water is needed during cooking) and don’t forget about the fixed things… connectors, water block, gas, (in the case of an induction hob, which phase is required.)
- My personal good advice is many, many accounts. It is much more practical and transparent than the open cupboards, from which we can only get the dishes in the back on all fours, if we even remember what is there…
