Our family is currently in between homes – after selling our house last year, we are renting a place two streets from where we are building a new home. It’s been challenging to really feel settled in “someone else’s house”. There are things I want to do or buy but I can’t due to space and lease restrictions; not to mention that our wedding gifts have spilling out of our living area. But I’m looking ahead and getting excited about the interior of our new house, I will definitely be throwing a lot of energy into our new kitchen.
I was fortunate to have been invited to the launch of the Defy partnership with FC Barcelona, which ended up being a fun party night. Through the partnership, Defy will be the regional partner for the international football club and they will be scouting for and sponsoring 3 young talented soccer players to be mentored by soccer legend Jimmy Tau. At the launch, they had beautiful kitchen layouts which inspired this blog post. I was thinking of where I should start with styling our new kitchen and these are the factors that stood out for me:
See the vision:
What look and feel do you want in your house? The kitchen is the centre of the home and really sets the flow for the rest of your house. Pinterest is a great source of inspiration. Use it to create a mood board for your new kitchen. I love this creative type of stuff!
Decide on a colour and theme scheme:
Although classic, we are no longer restricted to whites and silvers, there are so many options lately, with bold colours like red to brighten up your kitchen. You don’t have to have a large kitchen – you can still be stylish and innovative in a smaller space.
Budget for items and add to the collection slowly:
Don’t put yourself under pressure to get everything at once or to get the largest appliances. Look out for deals and specials, you can find yourself making a substantial saving during sales.
Check the guarantee and consider the environment:
Consider the ‘brand promise’ behind what you are buying and what your options would be in the item is faulty. And of course, as far as possible, consider the environment and getting eco-friendly appliances, which won’t further contribute to our waste and water issues.
Giveaway: Defy steam station
The Defy steam station is a compact and powerful solution to your ironing woes. It’s specially designed soleplate deeply penetrates into your garments to provide quick and thorough results, while using 40% less energy!
Stand a chance to win a Defy steam station by commenting on this blog post to tell me which kitchen appliance you can’t live without. For me, it definitely has to be a microwave!
Defy is also giving away a trip to Barcelona until 30 June 2018, more information on their Facebook page.
Rules:
• Entries close on 18 April 2018
• Winners will be notified by email
• Prize is not transferable/negotiable and may not be exchanged for cash
• This giveaway is open to South African residents onlyGood luck
Love,
Modern Zulu Mom
Styling your kitchen + giveaway Defy steam-iron station worth R1499
39 Comments
Hi Thando. I agree that a microwave is extremely useful, but I definitely can not live without a fridge. As a working mum, it helps me to store food and milk for my baby for the times that I am away from home.
Spot on mommy,we would really waste food and money without it! It’s so hard to choose!
Toaster my kids love toast though i’m not bread person i enjoy having a slice of toasted bread with jam done by my 9 year old daughter on a Saturday morning. It once broke and she and her brother nagged for days for me to get a new one.
Hi Thando
I cannot live without a kettle. How am i going to make that nice hot cup of tea every night after putting the baby in bed?
oooh difficut choice for a mom, but I would go with oven becuase I use it for roasting , baking , pop in stuff for lunches, sooo convenient for me
Thee one appliance I cannot love eithout in my kitchen got to be the stove.
NB:I love food ?, so cooking is number one.
Hi Thando, for me it would definitely be a stove/oven. I love cooking and baking, it allows me to try out all the different meal recipes I get from the cooking shows that I watch with Siba’s Table being my favourite 🙂
My kettle! I just can’t start the day without a cup of coffee
I have to agree with you, for me it also has to be the microwave, I heat, cook, defrost, bake and grill in this magnificent machine, easy peasy lemon squeezy, quick and easy for this working mommy.
I guess as a working mom it’s difficult to say which one but for me definitely it’s a kettle. Immediately after jumping out of bed i’m thinking a nice cup of coffee just to plan my day ahead.
I simply cannot live without my defy hob stove , I really struggled with the last few months when my old one broke and I was trying to get a new one but thank God I got it now
Definitely my fridge – can’t live without it. In terms of food safety and keeping dairy, fruit and vegetables fresh – I personally think the fridge is one household appliance most families can’t live without.
I cannot live without my microwave. I hate cold food so im constantly using it he he
I can’t live without my blender for my all time smoothies. I can make any combination with whatever fruit in the kitchen. Without my blender my life will be boring.
Good day Thando
I feel your challenge , we have been in the same challenge as well the past months due to also renting as we will be moving houses soon ,we just cannot leave without a microwave especially having a toddler in the house that I have to prepare food for like e.g noodles or eggs, warm milk as it has also helped us to prepare food as our stove has been giving us a problem and thinking we cannot buy the owner another stove , microwave it is
With 3 growing boys, my oven works overtime! so I definitely cannot live without it!
Oven
This is difficult, but if I had to choose it has to be my kettle. I can’t start my day without my cup of coffee.
For me it’s my microwave without a doubt
This is a very difficult one, but it has to be the fridge. As a working my mom i tend to cook a lot on Sundays especially for my toddler and freeze the meals for easy meal preps in the week.
for me it’s a kettle .
I can’t live without my oven. Having two boys 1, and 3 years old I find the oven most useful when I have to get them bathed and changed and I can just pop supper in the oven while getting them done.
Has to be the kettle, I need a strong cup of coffee to start my day right.
And most times get me through the day.
My fridge most definitely ?
I have a Defy gas/electric (combo) stove….I absolutely cannot live without it!!This is where I create MAGICAL meals for my family
I absolutely cannot live without a kettle. I am a major tea addict and my kettle is life.
I have to agree, Microwave!
Coffee Machine!
My stove! I love to cook and bake and if my oven is not working I feel if I can also stop working!
Definitely the stove/oven. My family and I prefer home cooked food over take outs.
The stove, I love cooking for my family.
I cant live without my washing machine… with three boys in school I could never cope with hand washing the clothes!
I couldnt live without a kettle. It dies everything for me to keep me sane ☺
I personally think the fridge is one household appliance most families can’t live without.
We recently had a problem with our fridge and I had to get it fixed …so for me I personally know cannot live with out my fridge
Dish washing machine,with me being in Cape Town it saves a lot of water,with me working most of the time and being a student on the side it saves my resting time a lot.
The kettle is the appliance I can’t live without, just because I’m always nose deep in the books but I get up every now and then to make tea. And on the rare occasion that I have nothing to do, guess where I’m gonna get up and go? To the kettle. Ngiyatifela nje ngelitiye. Uma basho natsi ngifute Mkhulu.
It has to be my stove. I have hooked up mean meals on it. My family love baked scones and roasted chicken.
Also my microwave … maye because of the fact that it’s conventional?