Sunday, February 11, 2018

Half-Way There

I have unusual taste in kitchens. Not everybody wants to rip out all the cabinets, and not put any new ones in. I'm aware that my kitchen (my developing kitchen ... we're not there yet!) will not be to anyone else's taste. That's okay. So -- be forewarned, here's our progress lately:
 Adam put a sheet rock/wood box around the A/C intake. It will make a nice little counter.
And he finished the sink wall, and I painted it with Kilz. Later, we'll paint the kitchen a pale buttery yellow.
 The work of which we're most proud is Adam's plumbing under the sink -- look at this!! It's tidy, perfect.
This is what was under our sink before:
While Adam was wrestling with plumbing on Saturday morning, I went to a local used furniture/antique mall. Such helpful, nice people! They had lots of furniture. I needed two pieces: 1) a bread work table for Adam, and 2) a step-back cabinet for me. They'll go on either side of the sink.
 I love the table - it was $75. It's sturdy. Adam will raise it a good bit and put castors and locks on it. He wants to wheel it into the middle of the kitchen and work dough on it. He may add a shelf underneath too.
 I couldn't fit a massive step-back sideboard affair in this space. But I found this, for $150. Here is the bottom:
 And this is the top of it, which we can't fit in there yet ... until we remove the upper kitchen cabinets too.
 Adam worked very hard constructing a box surround for the sink out of plywood. I stained and sealed it. This is the kitchen thus far:
 I know some of you are sitting in front of your screens scratching your heads, thinking gently, "Really? She ripped out her kitchen ... for that?" And the answer is ... yes, I did. Because I want an old-fashioned rustic cabin kitchen, the kind they had before WW2, before houses in the U.S. became standardized, and all the cabinets and counters and appliances matched. This week I'll buy some lovely fabric and sew a pretty skirt to go around the sink bottom, which is the look I'm going for. Adam wants to make his own concrete sink, perhaps, so this may be a temporary sink -- a few years. 
The other side of the kitchen has one cabinet, plus the corner counter. All small appliances will later be on shelves. All dishes will go on shelves on the sink side of the room, and all foodstuffs will be shelved on the stove side.
 We have done the hardest half, I think. But removing the upper cabinets, painting the walls, and putting up LOTS of open shelving, is no small task. Our ceilings are 10 feet tall, but in the kitchen, there's a "bump-out" of 27" over the cabinets on either side. 
 Those bump-outs are crucial to the entire redo. I want more storage space. I have dishes and items stored all over the house in closets and under beds, that I'd prefer to have in the kitchen. I hardly ever use them, but I want to keep them. Those top shelves will be perfect, and I'll keep a good fold-out stool in the kitchen to reach them.
I do believe you can store so much more on open shelves. The constraints of a cabinet are so frustrating. Why are the cereal boxes on top of the frig? Because they don't fit in a cabinet. Have you ever struggled with tall, long, or wide items that just don't work in a cabinet? On an open shelf, it can take up as much space as it needs. Adam will put up shelves to suit our kitchenware.

Today was 70 degrees. I wore flip flops and a farm skirt for the first time this year. It was lovely!
Daffodils and camellias are almost bursting forth! O Happy Almost-Spring!

11 comments:

Lisa Richards said...

Pale buttery yellow. My favorite color for walls! I've thought of doing this same sort of thing when the kids build my Granny flat. Find some furniture pieces to use for counters and cabinets. I'm not sure if it'll work in my tiny kitchen, but I like the idea! You can also clean under things better so mice don't have a chance to have their way down there! :) The box surround on the sink gives it that farm sink feel. I like it! Flip flops? You'd be in trouble here, lol.

Julie Phillips said...

Wow, it's coming along and Adam does impressive work. I have a bump-out as well. I couldn't remove it because my vent pipes are behind it. I'm not neat enough to have open shelving. I've thought about taking the doors off of a few cabinets though. One thing that I'm loving is a space for my sheet pans and trays which my carpenter surprised me with - I'm so glad he thought of it. If Adam makes a shelf under the bread table maybe he could add some dividers on one end for such. As far as a step stool, I've always wanted a pull-down/fold out step in the "toe kick" space under the cabinets (like a short kneeling bench). AND ... a hydraulic lift coming out of a lower cabinet that would house my Kitchen Aid mixer! Oh, well, one can dream! It's fun to watch your progress!

Granny Marigold said...

I like that your kitchen is what you want not just what everyone else has. I have that wasted space over my cupboards as well but like Julie P. says, there are assorted pipes and things housed in that space. Too bad. Adam seems to be able to do anything he sets his hand to. A rare talent.

magsmcc said...

I love your look. All real and fit for purpose, and all yours. Not the same as every kitchen in the street! May it bring you home joy for years and years x

Carol Blackburn said...

Good day M.K. your kitchen is coming along wonderfully. Too bad your bump out isn't a fake one like mine. I have the look of one but inside it is open to the ceiling and gives me much room for tall boxes. I only have to tip them a bit to get them in. It is one of the things I loved about this small house; the storage space and how it is set up. Plus the fact it is 14 ft. wide and doesn't make me feel claustrophobic. I want to put one of those tall kitchen faucets in this spring. I have such difficulty maneuvering large pans under the low regular faucet we have. It's just a small convenience that can make life so much easier. I do love doing dishes and always have. The hot water feels so good on arthritic fingers and wrists. Maybe it is weird, but I also like the time I spend standing there in front of the window with my hands in the hot water, looking out at the yard and sky. It's meditative in it's own way. Have a great week, dear friend. Much love to you and Adam.

Pom Pom said...

I LOVE what you are doing! It's so cozy! No flip flops here. Sigh.
I see you have a percolator like me. Yummy coffee.

Unknown said...

I love what you are doing too. Remember I have my grandmother's old kitchen hutch in our kitchen too? Plus, the bottom of my mother's first hutch/china cabinet. Our microwave won't fit anywhere else but on top of the hutch without the shelves. Daddy removed the top with the shelves years ago, and put in down in the basement on his work bench. Wish he hadn't really done that though. I have made a skirt for under my sink before too in another home. It is easy, and works very well too! Enjoy the process, and how it evolves! Love you, Lynn

Henny Penny said...

I absolutely love your idea and as soon as I leave this comment, I'm going to the kitchen and try to imagine how the walls would look with all the cabinets gone! I hate my golden oak shiny kitchen cabinets. Not at all what I wanted when the house was built. I can't wait to see the buttery yellow painted walls. It sounds perfect! Flip Flops and a farm skirt! I love that look too!

melissa said...

Absolutely amazing what you both have accomplished. I admire you so.

Deborah Montgomery said...

70 degrees! Flip-flops! Oh my!! I can only dream . . . Actually, open shelving is a kitchen trend right now. It makes a lot of sense to me. The plumbing work looks fabulous. So glad you are getting your kitchen just the way you'd like it.

Gumbo Lily said...

Having the plumbing and all that underneath work in ship-shape is such a big deal! I like your "collected look" of cabinetry. It will look very homey and unlike standard style cabinets. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together. No flip-flops here. Snow boots and muck boots.