Kitchen Remodel: AFTER

 

Ahhhhh, this is my new kitchen.  I am obsessed.  I can't quit baking. OMG.

Here's a sneaky of the way it used to look, just for a refresher.

Little stainless shelf above range was cut to size.

I inherited the idea from my friends, Adam & Jade.

It's an under $50 find from Ikea.  Love.

Why yes, I did plan the cabinet hardware to mimic

the appliances.  Again, obsessed.

The counter (peninsula) that separates the kitchen

from the dining room used to be a full wall, with

an arched doorway, that led into the dining room.

I am so thankful that we took that wall down.  

I am even more excited that the walk through

was roomy enough to support my metro rack 

of random things.  There is a chunk of 

kitschy, old lady that lives in my soul and she just

loooooves kitchen sh!t...

Let's be real, my favorite things are favorites for

great reason!!!  My grandma's juicer, random bowls

I found at garage sales or acquired from my mom, milk

bottles that held flowers at our wedding, a hand blender I scored a flea market

in Seattle, when I took the train up to see a friend when we were newlyweds 

in Oregon...and on and on.  I loooove this stuff. 

One of my favorite things about having this wall gone 

(yes, this was the wall), is the amazing sight lines. I can

see the kids playing in their tent (which was lovingly crafted by my in-laws).

 I used to have to peek around the corner every few seconds, just

to make sure they were playing okay.  Now, they play in peace, while I 

prep dinner.  Very much a win/win on that front. 

I am equally excited about the great work surfaces, which the old set up lacked greatly.  

The microwave/convection combo was a must have, as I didn't want to lose 

our limited upper wall space to a microwave, and I love the idea that I have 

an additional oven, when I am on a roll and can't shove everything into the

main oven.  Priorities, my friends...priorities.

 

Can you now even stand that a wall used to stand

here?  UH-mazing, right

So...come visit.  We'll get our bake on!!!

Kitchen Remodel: BEFORE

 

 Celebrating the one year anniversary that we moved into our house,

it is fun to report that the kitchen remodel is complete.  

This is a few snaps of the old space.  Yes, yes...it was a clean little space.

It just wasn't a functional space.

I never got used to electric heat cooking.  Pulling a gas line in for the 

kitchen remodel was at the top of my list.

It is a bit hard to see in this photo, but just beyond the sink island

was a gas fireplace that jetted out and created an awkward corridor.

It also blocked the views of South Table Mountain (and Coors Brewery...oh what)

from the living room. 

A little desk in the kitchen is a nice idea.  Although steps

off of the kitchen is a proper office, so this felt like a 

waste of space, where instead there should be storage.

the footprint of the kitchen is small enough, that every corner

needed to be utilized for functionality.

Here is the fireplace.  I do already miss it, on cold nights...

although I don't mind snuggling up in blankets.  I also enjoy the view

so much more.  There is a large niche in the wall, just to the left of 

where the fireplace used to sit.  Someday, that will house a gas fireplace,

as we had them turn the gas line, to accommodate that down the road.

Mountain view BLOCKER.  Bad design choice!

Okay friends, I can't wait to show you the new space...this week. 

Kitchen Island

I do not have my blogging act together yet.  One (me) can hope that will happen very soon.  Until that time, please forgive me for the brief posts.  I still pinch myself when I walk into our new kitchen.  I really can't wait to snap pictures of the space and share it with you all, but it awaits a back splash, which is imperative for this reveal.  For now, just a little sneaky peek of the sink and faucet, which I am obsessed with.  The sink is large and deep, which is perfect for stashing the biggest load of dirty dishes, when I get in over my head in a bake sesh...you feel me? 

Large under mount sink and industrial steel faucet are just the

right size for this large work surface covered in the super white

quartzite stone.  Obsessed.

Countertops...ask (for a discount) and you shall receive

I just want to throw it out there that:

1. We went to the stone yard yesterday to see the Super White Quartzite and it is FABULOUS
2. The stone is expensive (lame, right)
3. I asked the fabricator (the guy who will turn the slabs into counters) for a discount
4. He agreed

The moral of this story, it never hurts to ask!

Onward to kitchen completion, my friends! 

Kitchen Remodel...the shopping

We moved into our house 8 months ago, and I have been chomping at the bit to take down some walls in the kitchen, to create a more functional space.  My friends, that time is upon us!!!  WHAT!!!

I will post pictures of the original kitchen at a later date, but for now, I will share some of the lovely things that are going to come together and make the new space amazing. 

Pendant lighting, for over what will be my main work

surface.  A peninsula between the kitchen and dining

room.  (buh bye wall that once separated the two rooms).

 

I shared these slabs in my last post, but I am so excited to actually

get a real life visual on them, when they arrive in Denver next week.

 

This is the stain of the cabinets, on maple wood, that with are going with. 

Just not this style. Instead we are going with shaker style cabinets and flat panel drawers.

 

We love this hardware so much, we are using it again.  This picture

is the storage unit we had built in our new mudroom.  I promise I will blog

the cuteness of the mudroom, as soon as my house isn't such a hot mess

(i.e. I don't want to blog it without the ridiculous upholstered cushion my

 mother-in-law made for the mudroom bench, but don't dare put said cushion

in the space, until all the work in the kitchen is complete).

 

We went with GE Monogram appliances. 

We already know that my middle name should be switched from

'Beth' to 'Bargain' but this appliance search really set the need for that

change, in stone.  I searched, called and brokered some deals to get all of our

appliances at cost.  Seriously.  That little bit of leg work saved us thousands! 

 

The gas line was hooked up today. 

Ahhhh, this is basically a day to celebrate, in my book. 

 

While searching for carpet to run up our stairs (side project)

I found some wonderful options with the brand Milliken.  In my research

I found that the brand also creates amazeballs rugs.  I think this rug needs to

be plopped on the wood floors, in the main work area of the kitchen, for cozy feet

and a ridiculous splash of pattern.  Borderline obSESSED.



The Hunt for the Elusive Countertops...

Who the hellz would have known that a simple search for slabs of stone, that some dude would fashion into counter tops, would turn into the biggest game of cloak and daggar on this side of the pond.

I am barely being dramatic!  For reals, I feel like I know all the stoners (a fun play on words when you live in a place where marajuana is legal) know me and probably are considering blocking my calls.

The simple search for a natural stone that looks like a gorgeous carrara marble, but doesn't wear like said marble (have you researched that stone...holy toledo...you can't make much, other than a reservation, on that stone...it will stain, etch, probably crack if you look at it wrong!).  I digress.  My point (yes, I have a point) is that I have been searching for 4 months for stone and am nearing tears.  I know, I shouldn't get my undies in a bundle over something as inconsequential as stone counters...but please, this is important!!! 

I covet my friend Maggie's counters.  They are lovely, natural stone...totally fooled me into thinking they were marble, but they are quartzite.  Super White Quartzite, to be exact.  I love love love them...just cannot find this stone anywhere!  This stone is one hot potato.  Here's a looksy at Maggie's glorious counters (I stole these images off of instagram, so use your imagination to really see what the whole counter would look like, or just trust me and start drooling right away):



Or...start drooling because Mag's is amazeballs in the kitchen,

 I dream of the things she whips up.  I aspire to be just like her,  when I grow up

(wait, she is younger than me by a few...dammit.)

Well, I have all my fingers and toes crossed that finally the stone of my dreams is coming into Denver next week.  I have had these slabs on hold for over a month, with just the little email picture to go off of.  I really didn't think when I put the hold on them in April I would still be stone-less 5 weeks later, but I am so thankful for my forward thinking of a back up plan.  As the back up plan is officially THE PLAN!

I mean...



Here's a little tidbit I learned in this stone slab search, that I wasn't otherwise aware of:  find a fabricator (the company/individual who will turn the slabs into the work surface) and then start making calls to local stone yards (some have other locations, and will sometimes ship between locations without additional charges).  The reason you want to have a fabricator on hand is that the stone yards do not deal with the public directly on pricing.  Slab prices will be give to the fabricator (annoying yes, but that is how it works).  If, for example, you are searching for a 'super white quartzite' (which I am sure you will, after reading this blog), look at the websites of all the local stone yards and view their inventory online.  If they have some slabs posted, call straight away and ask to put a hold on them (if you have my stone-search-luck the posted slabs will already be on hold for others...over and over and over), but just get as many holds as you can before going out to look at them. This might be more pertinent for people like me, who will be dragging little kids around. 

I will keep you posted as this unfolds.  Ahhhhh, so excited!