The Kitchen is *Complete!

So I must sheepishly admit that my kitchen has been 97% complete* for the last 6 months... as a matter of fact, right now as I am typing this post, the electricians are hooking up the under cabinet lighting that my husband just didn't have time to get done.  Between his work schedule and other responsibilities that come with taking care of our home and property, the under cabinet lighting got pushed down to the bottom of the list.  Now, this detail will finally be completed!  

So, without further ado, here it is:

The 48" Viking Range is the workhorse of my kitchen.

Despite being a long and somewhat narrow kitchen, I was adamant about having an island with seating. 

The solution to fitting an island (while still having plenty of room to sit, walk, and work around it), was to have a built-in 12" deep china cabinet rather than standard base cabinets with a counter top.

Cabinets with pull out shelves surround the refrigerator.  The barn door leads to a walk in pantry of my dreams.

Finding a slab of granite long enough for my 10 ft. island was a challenge - but totally worth it.

The sink is a vintage porcelain double laundry basin found on craigslist.  It is huge and I adore it!

The window is now where our old back door was.  This is the north side of our home and I wanted to get as much light in as possible.  Bumping it out also gave us way more counter space for plants.

This built in china cabinet is a dream come true.  It stores my collections of china and other treasures.

The coffee station is a perfect spot for my son to wash his hands and the cabinetry holds our coffee, filters, and mugs galore.

Our microwave is neatly tucked away at the end of the island behind a garage style door.

So, was this kitchen worth the wait?  YES!  Honestly, I could spend all day in here.  Special thanks to our amazing cabinet maker Brass Tacks Home - they were fantastic to work with and helped me make my kitchen design a reality!   http://brasstackshome.com/

Also, all of these photographs were taken by Rachel Gregory Photography.  Next, I hope to have her take some family photos for us as she is truly an amazingly gifted photographer! http://rachelgregoryphoto.com/

Progress!

Since my last post, we've made a good bit of progress on the kitchen.  We primed and painted the ceiling and walls. The electric, plumbing, and HVAC are where they need to be. The tile floor was installed and grouted... AND the cabinets are being installed right now as I am typing this post.  Installing the cabinets is a several day process - but I am absolutely giddy with excitement as I am now getting a glimpse of my future kitchen in person!

Here are our floor tiles just being installed. 

Here is our new kitchen floor installed and grouted.  It looks wet because it is.  I had just quickly mopped over it prior to the cabinets coming in.

The flooring we chose is called Crossover in the color Nero by NovaBell Ceramic Company.

Despite the fact that this is a porcelain tile, it really resembles Pennsylvania Blue Stone (at least to my eyes).

When the kitchen is complete, very little of the wall will be visible after all the cabinets and back splash tiles are installed.  We opted for Sherwin Williams High Reflective White as our wall color.  This will not only keep the kitchen bright and light, but also set off the cabinet colors as well as the granite counter tops.  We primed all of the new drywall, but only painted the final color on the areas that will be visible.

Here is a sneak peek of my cabinetry (and yes, I know it barely shows anything!):

You can't see very much, but I am over the moon.  These cabinets are gorgeous

This will be the china cabinet wall; built in from floor to ceiling with all the cabinets above these bases having wavy/historic looking glass front doors.  Swoon!!!

We still need to make a decision on what type of shelving to use in the pantry, buy, and install it... But the finish line of our marathon kitchen remodel is almost in sight.  3 or so more weeks to go!

Kitchen Progress: Moving Doors and Windows

Our kitchen remodel is chugging along.  Our plan started with removing a wall to increase the size of the kitchen and add a walk in pantry.  This required not only removing the wall, but also removing the two original windows in the dining room and one in the kitchen, moving the back door location, installing a new large bay window for above the sink, and moving an interior doorway for better access from the hallway into the kitchen.  It is a long and relatively narrow space - which required thoughtful and careful planning to achieve the best layout to meet our needs.

I really wanted a functional island with a few seats so that I can spend time with my family and friends while I cook.  I've never had an eat in kitchen (as an adult), and really craved the feeling I had growing up where I baked cookies with my mom at the kitchen table.  The width of this kitchen did not really permit a spot for a kitchen table - so I opted for a long and narrow island that is roughly 60% storage/utility and 40% seating.

Moving exterior doors and windows to give better flow was an obvious step in my plan.  Because our kitchen is on the north side of the house, keeping it light and bright is very important to me.  Also, my garden and chicken coop are both out back - so I want to have a good view of them when working at the sink.  For this reason, in addition to the largest bay window we could fit, we chose a 15 light back entry door.  We are very secluded in the middle of our property which is surrounded by woodlands and farmland, so privacy is not really an issue.

Here is a shot of the original windows and door.  The dining room had the two large windows on the left and the dividing wall was standing right before the old back door.  The old window was above the sink.

Our new window and door.  Swoon!

 

 

 

 

The kitchen with pantry at back, with electric and insulation ready for the drywall installation.  The 3 floodlight bulbs are where the pendant lights will hang above our new island. 

Other than some help from friends my husband has worked with in the past, we (mostly my husband) did the work up to this point.  My husband amazes me with his electric and plumbing skills.  It must be the engineer in him, because he makes it look so easy.  We did hire professional drywall installers because it's seriously an art to achieve perfectly smooth walls and ceilings.

And, voila! We have walls and a ceiling!

It's very exciting to finally see the room take shape and imagine the finished product.  We still have a long way to go, but the end is in sight (with binoculars).  Next is installing the new plumbing, relocating some HVAC vents, and then flooring installation.  

In my next post, I'll share some of my design elements.  I really love the choices I've made, but can't help but worry that they will all play nicely together. After countless hours researching and choosing elements within our budget and taste, my fingers are crossed. 

My Long Overdue Kitchen Remodel

I adore cooking and baking.  I love trying new recipes, creating my own, and preparing tried and true meals.  With this comes lots of cooking and baking accoutrements.  I also collect lots of antique and vintage china, pottery, and glassware.  Add all these items to a small and poorly designed kitchen and it pretty much creates chaos.  I freely admit that I am part of the problem too - I am not exactly the most disciplined person when it comes to organization.  I need to have a place for everything - and well, I just don't.  At least not yet...

We moved into this home about 3 and a half years ago knowing that the kitchen didn't meet our needs.  However, expenses including a new roof, HVAC system, a custom built chicken coop, and a handful of unexpected appliance replacements came first. I waited patiently and finally it is time!

We started this project in late April.  It is slow going as we are doing the bulk of the work ourselves.  Since the husband has a more than full time job and really can only devote time on weekends, it is slow going.  I just keep telling myself it will all be worth it.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?

My husband and son taking the initial shots demoing the wall between the kitchen and little dining room.  My son's face was priceless when we told him he can hammer a hole in the wall and even draw on it with a permanent marker!

Because our home was built by the previous owners with a couple of additions over the years, the original kitchen and dining room were relatively small. They share a wall and have a pocket door between them.  The original dining room was so small that I actually used it as a storage room of sorts.  We have a second spacious dining room in the addition on the other side of the kitchen.  After much consideration, we decided the best way to improve the function of our kitchen without adding another addition, was to take down a wall combining the kitchen and small dining room to make a larger kitchen and walk in pantry.

What a difference removing the wall made!

The dining room side had a wood floor.  It was relatively easy to remove with a crowbar.  This was my job.

The kitchen floor was tile on cement board.  Removing it was very hard work, but my husband muscled through it.

In my next post, I'll tell you more about my design plans and the ongoing progress.  As of this writing, I am totally without a kitchen.  It isn't fun, but I'm trying to stay positive and keep my eyes on the prize.  Cooking and baking are my stress relievers, so not being able to do it, has been especially challenging for me.  Assuming everything continues to go on schedule, 14 weeks will be the entire duration.  Yes, I said FOURTEEN weeks.  Ideally it would have been 4-6 weeks, but when a remodel is mostly DIY (and you basically have 2 days a week to get stuff done) - this is what you get. Regardless of whether you use a contractor or not, no remodel can really go fast enough while living in and through it.  

A Duncan Phyfe Style Table Makeover

A few months ago, I spotted a sad looking table next to some trash cans on the side of the road waiting for the trash truck to pick it up.  I slowed down and looked at it, but was on my way to drop my son off at school, so I couldn't stop.  I spent the morning working in his school as a volunteer and was sure it would be gone before I was able to get back to it.  However, on my way home, I was pleasantly surprised that it was still there - as the trash truck hadn't been there yet!

When I stopped to check it out, I was ready to see something beyond hope - but it wasn't so bad - it just needed some TLC - so in the back of my SUV it went.  Then, into my garage - where it sat for maybe 5 months. Yes, nearly half a year.  This is what happens to the misfits I drag home.  They wait patiently until I can decide what they need to bring them back to life.

This table is a well made solid wood Duncan Phyfe style drop leaf with one drawer.  It was missing one of the brass claw feet caps and the veneers were all separating from tops.  When a solid wood piece is losing its veneer, I typically just go ahead and remove all of it - but in this case, the veneer was still in one solid piece, so I decided to re-glue and clamp it all back flat and tight to the table top.  All three leaves needed help.  Other than that, I needed to hunt for a replacement foot cap.  Thanks to Etsy, I found a whole set of 4 vintage foot caps that worked perfectly for me.  I kept the original 3, so now when I find a 3 footed table needing caps, I will be set!

I realize now, that I am not too good at remembering to take BEFORE pictures.  I really need to work on that.  IMO, it wasn't so bad that it deserved to be put in the trash - but, maybe it was meant for me to find it so I could give it a new life!

Here it is after I glued down the veneer and removed all of the foot end caps.

I used a Clark & Kensington color called Laredo Lake, hand distressed, then sealed with several coats of Folk Art Home Decor Wax that I tinted myself to give a more subdued and aged look to the piece.  The final color of my table reminds me of a piece of French blue enamelware.  Isn't it dreamy?  I can just picture this sweet table in a home with a French country theme - with a pair of white chairs and beautiful ironstone dishes on top.

This drawer is the perfect spot to stash a few table linens or candles.

A beautiful leg needs a great shoe.

Here she is at my booth at The Morgantown Market waiting for it's new home!

CHICKENS!

I was looking back at some of my posts about hatching chicks and I thought I'd give a little update on my flock. The majority of my current feathered family hatched in early September 2016 - that makes them about 5 1/2 months old. Many of them are beginning to lay now and I am thrilled with the rainbow of eggs I am getting!

Here is a pic of my messy counter over flowing with eggs. (I spy some home made kombucha too!)

I have a total of 23 chickens, a little less than half of them are bantam and the rest are standard size egg laying breeds.  Although I hatched (and purchased) a lot more chicks, I ended up selling many of them.  Most people have backyard chickens for the sole purpose of getting fresh eggs.  I love the eggs, of course, but I also love having a variety of breeds for different colors of eggs as well as for enjoying the simple beauty of my pet chickens.  This crew really brings me happiness.

My smallest hen, Tiny, is on the very right of this picture.  She is a full grown Serama (and standing next to her rooster counterpart).  They are unbelievably adorable - and walk around as if they own the place!

Because mother nature is what it is, I ended up with a total of 6 roosters.  3 are bantam and 3 are standard.  It's more than I would like - but they are getting along fine (so far) and are all so very different and handsome, that I honestly don't think I could bear to part with any of them.

Here is Cosmo Kramer, the gorgeous Brabanter rooster.

This big guy is (I believe) a Welbar.  I think I'll call him William.  He is so handsome.

French Blue Copper Maran Rooster, Jacques.

Here is my tiny Serama rooster, Pee Wee.

One of the Cochin Bantam roos, Red.

This other handsome Bantam Cochin rooster (in the middle) still needs a name.

I think I lucked out with such a beautiful flock.  I am still looking for a few dark brown egg laying hens.  I had several in the past - but sadly lost them all to predators.  Jacques is a Maran - the breed that lays the darkest chocolate colored eggs - and he needs some more company.  Besides that, my ratio of hens to roosters is a bit off....and I really need to round out the colors of eggs in my basket, right?   (THIS line of reasoning leads to a little thing called CHICKEN MATH.)

Here is one of my three cream crested legbar hens getting up close and personal.  She lays beautiful blue shelled eggs.

Milk Paint Makeover

The weather was unseasonably warm this weekend - so I took advantage of it and made over an old dresser that had definitely seen better days.  I am a big fan of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk paint - so this is what I used on my dresser.

For those of you who have never used milk paint, you never really know what the outcome will be until you use it.  Sometimes the milk paint dries smooth and other times it gets chippy and crackly.  To me, this is the beauty of it.  If you prefer a smooth finish with no chipping, you can use a bonding agent.  From my experience, if you paint over an already finished item and the old finish is intact, you will likely get a chippy finish.  If the item is dried out or has never had a previous finish (bare wood), your paint will likely dry smooth without any chips.  If you want only minimal chipping, it may help to sand your item first before applying milk paint.

As I mentioned, it was unseasonably warm for February in Pennsylvania (around 68 degrees F) and a beautiful sunny day.  I worked outside and I believe that the bright sunshine dried my paint more quickly causing the chipping to be pretty significant (in addition to the fact that my dresser had a thick coat of crackly varnish). It chipped so much that I actually began to get nervous.  I was worried that none of the milk paint would stick and that I had just wasted my time and milk paint!  However, I kept telling myself what I know to be true about milk paint - it always looks worse before it gets better - so hang in there!

Before.  This dresser has great bones and is very sturdy - but has definitely seen better days!

For this piece, I used a custom mixture of two shades of MMSMP - I didn't measure, but I would guess it was about 2 to 3 parts Kitchen Scale to 1 part Boxwood.  I always take a deep breath before slapping on the first brush of paint.  I do not take painting a vintage piece of furniture lightly.  I love and respect antiques.  When I purchased this piece had already had one drawer partially stripped and the top was damaged with lots of scratches and various stains of paint and what I believe was a glittery nail polish.  I did sand the top a good bit to remove some of the odd paint colors as well as the scratches.  The varnish was very thick and crackly - especially on the top and front of the drawers.  Perhaps it sat in direct sunlight for many years.

After.  It is VERY chippy. A look that is not for everyone.  But I happen to LOVE it.

After the milk paint dried and did it's chippy thing, I lightly sanded with a foam sanding block, dusted off all the excess paint chips with a dust brush, and finally sealed with two coats of Minwax Wipe On Poly in Clear Satin.  This sealed in all the chippy goodness and texture that makes this dresser a one of a kind beauty.  The sides chipped only a little in comparison to the top and front.  This unique piece would not only be great in a bedroom, but also in a dining room to store linens, or even in an entryway.  It's simply too cool to hide away.