Kitchen Design Evolution

There are lots of parts to this kitchen. Its far from typical. Not an L, U or any normal kitchen layout

The biggest headache is the beautiful but low window, which prevents me from putting a counter underneath it with out it looking out of place. Standard counters come up 34.5 inches from the floor. The window only comes up 29/30 inches, depending on the area of floor in the kitchen. Did I mention yet that the kitchen floors are not level? Years and years of settling. No concrete foundation here. Although I would love to see the foundation of this place./ 

I would love to make it a window seat though. not a big one. But something little that Duke can stand on and watch for Brandon to come home from work. 

So I need to fit all my appliances in the space. It is real life tetris. But its never that simple, being mindful of plumbing, gas and electrical lines can make some restrictions on your best laid plans. Plus, being limited to pre-finished cabinet sizes and to top if off. Also, the house is not square. It was built on a corner lot which has an angle. It's most prominent in the nursery, where there is a 9 inch discrepancy from front to back. 

All of that a side. This kitchen is going to be beautiful.

Yes, I doodle. Nothing is ever to scale but that doesn't really matter. I can see what this place is going to become.This first plan has a 30 inch apron front sink. I fell in love with the Kohler sink at Water Works.  This is one thing that has to be given up. Not in the cards for this renovation, factors included cost, lack of Ikea 30" cabinet for the sink etc. But I will carry on. A 24 inch sink will make me just as happy. It also improves the line of sight from the front door.  

So this side will be my main work area. I couldn't be happier with a double depth counter/ bar connecting to the living room. Since the original kitchen had 2 different depths, I can fill the space with more counter. I have plans on hanging these enamel barn lights over top. Once I commit to a color. 

via

We are installing Ikea cabinets in this renovation. If this was our forever home it would be custom cabinets. (I would have also made room for the 30 inch sink) I love the idea of white/ off white cabinets with butcher block counters. Several people have warned me of the evils of butcher block, but I think they are gorgeous and are not that hard to take care of. I have never been one to plop raw chicken on my counter anyways so I am not worried about contamination. 

Isn't it beautiful?

Via

Butcher block counters just look so warm and inviting. It's sometimes hard to find warmth in such a modern city. This city is mostly iron and marble, both pretty cold. And this is my house, not the lobby of The Plaza. 

I am still working on the details of the other side of the kitchen. But the fridge will have an accompaning cabinet and counter. While in the pantry is going to be a washer dryer combo. Details are still a little vague on this. I am deciding how to make that space as efficient (aka maximizing storage) as I can. That wall is going to have 5 feet worth of cabinets, Which will be a great deal more storage than we have had in any other kitchen. Maybe I can sneak an ironing board in between the studs. Since its too small to close off, I can't just put up open shelving. It wouldn't suit. So maybe I'll invest in the extra high cabinets. Since the ceilings are 10 feet I can get away with a bit in there. A few people suggested I stack the washer and dryer. I would like to remind them that I am only 5'1" (2" if I am feeling spritely). Things get hard to reach sometimes. 

Still working out some kinks and nothing will be finalized until its installed. 

Truth: The lay out has been the biggest headache. But after meeting with our plumber I fell much better about my plans. I seriously lost sleep over the layout of the kitchen. But now I can rest easy because now I think it will function for the needs of our family.  Since this is really "my room" it really has to work for me first. 

Buying Appliances from Home Depot

We lucked out big time doing a renovation over this time of year, two words: BLACK FRIDAY

Since there is generally a lot of brouhaha going on around that day. Home Depot decided to start early. November 7th early. We had originally gone a couple weeks ago, just to look. We went to the 59th Street store in NYC, they have a bigger selection than it's counterpart at 23rd street. We were greeted by a salesman and he walked us through each appliance we asked about. He knew everything about every single appliance. It was incredible. Anyways, after discussing our intended purchase with him. He suggested we wait until the Black Friday sale starts. We are so glad we took his advice. 

As instructed we went back after the sale started and bought our major appliances.  We ended up saving even more than we had thought. The only items we didn't buy was the washer and dryer, we are waiting to hear from the plumber if I can get a venting dryer. But since we got such great service from our salesman, and the sale is going on through December 4th we will be going back to buy the LG washer and dryer through him. 

LG Dishwasher

Samsung Gas Range

Samsung Microwave (my only priority was a popcorn)

Samsung French Door Refrigerator. We really wanted one with a water dispenser, but unfortunately those models are too wide to fit through our door. So we compensated for this model. I like the pull attachment for the freezer you have to lift it up then pull out to open in which keeps little ones from being able to open it. 

When we first started shopping for appliances I was convinced they all had to be the same brand. I don't know where I got this notion in my head. But I did some thinking and we should get something that has really good reviews. We lucked out with the appliances that met our budget and our standards. 

I cannot wait for delivery day! 

From The Beginning: The Kitchen

Photo from the original listing. I can't get over how hilarious that drape looks on top of the fridge. 

The only word I can think to describe this kitchen is "off set" see how the stove is a full counter length behind the sink? And there is a mystery box we need to uncover to see whats in there. (Please don't be brick)

Oh hey gas meter in the kitchen. You are really attractive. So are the jalapeno lights.  Check out those parquet floors too. 

Backside of the kitchen, which actually has a large pantry but is being used to house the fridge and 50 gallons of ancient paint. 

Overall, not very pretty, but its HUGE. Its a really big kitchen. I have some big plans for this space. The kitchen design will be dependant on several factors, like plumbing, gas and electrical

Also, please friends never paint your kitchen dark grey, its really depressing.