FURNISHING OUR HOUSE - KITCHEN/DINING FIRST - IKEA, DARTY, MILES, BROCANTES & ME

Our house in Quarante came with walls and floors and not much else, not a cabinet or an appliance, not a closet or a shelf. We started with the kitchen. The real estate agent had convinced the sellers that they should throw at least something in the kitchen to show what it might look like. Fruitless exercise.

First, we had the seller take out the junky cabinets. Then we contracted with Miles Barrington of Languedoc Property Services to work with us. We used one of those internet architectural design sites to make our plans, then Miles went to various home improvement stores in the region - Tridome and Bricomarche chiefly - and sent us pictures of sinks and faucets and cabinets and tile to execute the plans. Meanwhile, Cathey and I purchased a dining room table and chairs that we liked along with a basket of furnishings for other rooms from IKEA in Montpellier and Miles picked them up for us. Add a fridge, an oven, and a microwave from Darty, the French equivalent of Best Buy, also purchased online, and here's what we found when we arrived in Quarante:

OK. Bare minimum. Then I began building shelves and bookcases, Cathey and I visited used furniture stores (brocantes), and we're almost there. That little white spice cupboard, by the way, came from a brocante painted eye-burning bright yellow with green highlights. Cathey did a great job of repainting. We still have to hang the stained glass shade, but what do you think of our kitchen/dining room now?

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