Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Kitchen Design

Hey friends!

The design for our kitchen remodel is complete, and now we are playing the waiting game while our cabinets are being built. 

I thought you might like to see the direction we are heading ...






We will be doing a simple, shaker style cabinet. The perimeter cabinets will be painted white, and will be topped with a honed black granite countertop.  

The island will be gray with a marble or quartzite or quartz countertop. (How is that for a decision?) I need to look at what slabs are available when we get to that point. More on that in another post...

The backsplash will be a simple, classic white subway tile. I have always wanted a farmhouse sink, so that decision was a no brainer. And, I have been dying to use this library sconce ever since I saw this pic years ago…






Of course, it's been popping up everywhere since then, but I still love it. I'm planning to put a couple of them above this window…





If you read about my flooring dilemma, you know that the hardwood floors we put throughout the rest of our house were discontinued in the solid planks. After much research, debate and conversations with flooring experts, we decided to go with the 3/4" engineered floor that matches the other floors.

We will be carrying the new floors into the family room too…




Oh, I can't tell you how ready I am to rip out the nasty carpet in here!!! Sometimes I start to peel up an edge of it, wondering how bad it would be to live with subfloor for a month. Then I come to my senses and tuck it back in :)

The family room will be getting a bit of a makeover at the same time as the kitchen. I'll share more on that soon.

For the kitchen eating area, we are switching to a round table to allow for better traffic flow. Here's my plan for that space...






I've already ordered the table from Overstock. It is a 60" round to accommodate our family of six. 

I absolutely love these chairs





And, I am hoping to use a chandelier from Ro Sham Beaux. They stole my heart at the High Point Furniture Market last Fall. I love their "Fiona" chandelier with robin's egg blue beads …





And their "Malibu" in recycled Coke bottle glass is equally awesome…






I may forego pendants over the island so I can save money for one of these beauties. We'll see…


So, that's the plan, Stan. I will share the layout and floor plans, as soon as I figure out how to do that. Technology is not my strength. I'll see if my 6 year old can do it for me :)

Have a great day!!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Kitchen Pass Through Window



Perhaps it was the teen years I spent working the Burger King drive thru window. 


But, there is just something about passing food and beverages through a window that appeals to me. (Minus the hairnet and polyester uniform.)

I mean, doesn't this look appealing to you?….



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Maybe it was the years I spent sitting at bars. But, I'd like to belly up to a bar like this and have my husband pass me out a margarita...



Rice and Brown Architects

Wherever the idea originated, we've decided to create a pass through window as part of our kitchen remodel.

It might not look exactly like these inspiration images. Because we live in Indiana. Where there are bugs. And hailstorms. And freezing cold winters. And really hot, humid summers. 


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But, I'm convinced that we can create something that will work. You see, we've got this really large sliding glass door in our kitchen…






And, we literally never walk through it. Well, okay, maybe 10 times in the past 8 years. We always use the door next to it. 







So, the plan is to remove the door, replace it with a window and add cabinets with a countertop under the window. This will give us additional storage that we need, and will be nice for serving food out to the deck.





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It will be especially nice when the kids are swimming and want something to eat. I can throw a sandwich out to them versus having wet swimsuits dripping all over the kitchen floor. In fact, I may never have to let them in the house again...



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I think our window will most closely resemble this one...



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But, these others are sure fun to look at… and dream...



Pottery Barn




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Do you have a pass through window? How does it work for you?

In case you are wondering, our kitchen remodel is really going to happen! I've signed off on the final design plan, and the cabinets and appliances have been ordered. The cabinets are being made by some local Amish, and there is a 10-11 week lead time. So, I'm anticipating that we'll get underway by the beginning of July. 

In another year, my oldest can get a job at Burger King and help pay for it :)