My Updated Kitchen
August 29, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present my new and updated kitchen! As of last Friday the kitchen was fully functional after a very long renovation essentially started the last week of June 2007 when we moved. We removed old built-in appliances and installed ours thinking the renovation would be finished in time for our anniversary party. Wrong! Life as well as really not being sure what we wanted in the kitchen lead to a lot of delays. The only thing I was certain of is I wanted the sink moved and I wanted ceramic tile countertops. It was important to us to keep the cottage look and we had to work within the space we had. There were no options for expanding and complicating the problem was the beautiful tongue and groove wood ceiling with large beams in the family room continued into the kitchen. Replacing cabinets would have damaged the ceiling so again we had to work with what we had although replacing the door fronts was an option.
When the built-in oven was removed we decided to turn it into storage. My husband added shelving and we planned on having doors made to match to cover except virtually everyone who visited loved the open storage concept! I kind of have a love/hate relationship with open storage because you have to constantly do clutter and dust control but things are right within easy sight and reach. The new storage area sat with new shelves but unfinished edges.
There are still a few little finishing touches to do but the kitchen is fully functional. The weather is cooling, tomatoes are starting so I will be putting the kitchen will be seeing a lot of action over the next few weeks!
Now here's a question for you: If money and space were no option what is the number one thing you would include in a kitchen renovation?
10 food lovers commented:
WOW!!! That looks really great. It must be so wonderful to cook in. I'm still waiting for my kitchen redo... eleven years and waiting...
Congratulations! Your new kitchen look really nice. If I could, I would put in pull out shelving and pull out metal baskets and a nive walk in pantry. I'd love my kitchen to be organized like in the magazines!
Looks great - Having just gone through the same thing - I have empathy for you! ENJOY IT!!
It looks beautiful! You are going to have so much fun cooking and baking in there!
It really looks good, lots of work but worth it.
Sandra
You and your DH have done an excellent job. And you have managed to keep your sanity too! Well...mostly. I admire your skills, perseverence, initiative,motivation and especially your love and respeoct for each other. My husband and I will retire to family property, where my parents currently live and lived in the house my Grandfather built until 2 months before his death. The kitchen is where I learned to cook and can, but my dream is to expound on what my grandparents had. Papa had hoped to have a walk in cooler but it became a pantry for lack of fund and time and remained that way. I would love to have it a walk in cooler just as he envisioned. I want to enlarge the kitchen so it is not a "2-b--- kitchen"(think your rear end)that my grandmother, mother, and aunts always called it when they were trying to fix big family holiday dinners. I would also like to have a small powder room just off the kitchen to run to during critical cooking times. I have dreams and they may end up just being dreams, but they keep me smiling and hoping.
Thanks Mrs Mecomber! I'm sure we are going to enjoy cooking in the renovated kitchen. Eleven years is a long time to wait. Maybe you could just start small?
Thanks Lynne :) Pull out shelving would be really nice. I have a large walk-in pantry, thank goodness. It takes a lot of pressure off the kitchen. Magazines organize to maximize the effect for photo shoots but sometimes the layout is not always practical in a busy kitchen.
Thanks Tammy, Meg and Sandra :)
Thank-you for your very lovely compliments Gramminola! I do hope you are able to renovate your kitchen as I can relate to a kitchen not having enough space for more than one cook. It never hurts to dream and dreams can come true :)
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