The kitchen and downstairs flooring project is finished and looks great. We are exceedingly happy with the results, but the process wore us out.
I confess to having insecurities about our design choices. I know someone somewhere will say, “Whatever were they thinking when they did that?” I can actually hear the voice of my late mother-in-law as I type those words.
But at the end of the day, we like it a lot. The choices suit our aesthetic and our cooking habits. We hope to ride out eternity in this house, and at least we’ll finish up with a nice kitchen.
A few features:
- All the drawers and doors are “soft close.” I love that!
- Most of the lower cabinets were converted to drawers.
- The old island could not be used as a counter, mostly because there was no room for knees. This is a new island, and we can now use it as a counter. It’s nice to sit there and talk to the chef.
We kept all our appliances, which we installed when we moved here about four years ago. Sure, the big commercial-style cooktop would have been nice, but that would have seriously jacked up the price of this project. We’re happy with what we have.
Contractors completed final details late in the afternoon on the day before Thanksgiving. Both of us were kind of stressed, and it’s my contention that’s what led to some minor cooking failures.
My new Emile Henry pie pan recommended by Nanci performed admirably, but my crust wasn’t short enough, too much water, I think, and the filling was a bit off. But I love that pan – no soggy bottom as Mary Berry would say.
Dale was supposed to cook the turkey in two stages – first, breast side down at a higher temperature, then breast side up at a lower temp. He accidentally reversed it, and when he changed the temp, he forgot to hit start, so the oven was turned off until he realized what happened. It’s delicious but overdone.
Leftovers will be recipes that put moisture back in. I love Jane Brody’s turkey carcass soup, which I make every year. We enjoy it with blue corn muffins on the side.
Now that we’re calming down, we’re starting to get our cooking mojo back. Dale made whole wheat bread for turkey sandwiches. The recipe made two loaves, so he gave one to the neighbors. Lucky them!
I made granola this morning and am making bison tacos tonight. We like to keep a stash of them in the freezer, and we depleted our supply during the remodeling. Tomorrow I’m making plum pudding, which will be our Christmas dessert. The steamed pudding gets better as it rests.
The recipe I use is from an ancient Parade magazine. I serve it warm with a simple hard sauce – basically whipped butter and powdered sugar. Jack Daniels is my whiskey of choice for both the pudding and the sauce.
My golf game tanked during the remodeling project. I played golf twice in five weeks, and for me, that’s a recipe for disaster. I have no natural talent – it’s all practice and play.
Now it’s time to get back to being retired. This week’s priority is golf!
I love the floors. The pictures say it all. It’s like the lights are off in the before picture.
Nobody wants a soggy bottom.
Thank you! We love the distressing on the floors — even if we ding them, you won’t be able to tell!
Your kitchen is gorgeous, especially the floor. Definitely a cook’s kitchen even without the commercial cooktop. It’s great that you didn’t have to change the footprint. Now that adds $$. All our lower cabinets were turned into drawers although the cabinet under the sink is a rollout. More expensive, but great as you age. No more getting down on hands and knees to reach for something in the back.
Happy cooking!!
Yes, I think not changing the footprint saved us a bundle. The drawers and pull-outs are a retiree’s best friend!
I think it looks great! So much lighter! And for the record, I think you got it done quickly….even though it feels like forever. Good job!
My husband laughed when I shared your comment, but you are right. In hindsight, five weeks to a new kitchen is a good deal.
Your new kitchen AND floor are beautiful! Oh what I would give for all that counter space. I do have a restaurant Wolf stove and a built in grill in mine. The prior owner pulled one from a bistro that he closed which makes that sound like this is a grand house but it’s not…it was to be their downsized retirement home but then they went and built a home in Mexico and we lucked into this one when we moved here to retire. However, that stove takes up an entire wall and then they put two tool chests next to it for cabinetry, and we have only one slice of counter with the sink in the center…art glass tile with grout at that…what were they thinking?
And I’m especially happy to hear that you like your Emile Henry pie dish. They’re big pie pans and I’ve had to adjust the size of my crusts for that but I love that they hold so much filling and cook everything so well.
Enjoy your new cooking space. I’m sure that you and Dale will be making wonderful meals from here-on-in. And oh…all that counterspace! I’m drooling.
I’m trying to imagine your kitchen. What a story! But that commercial cooktop sounds fabulous. Some people don’t like to put things on their countertops, but we do. The food processor, coffee pot, coffee grinder and toaster are permanent additions. Plus, a few others odds and ends.
Wow!!! This looks awesome, Donna.
I have never been one for major home renovations (I simply move).
Your before and after photos have made a believer out of me!
Thank you. It was painful, but in the grand scheme of things not quite as bad as moving.
How could anyone disagree with your design choices? Everything looks great!! So bright and airy. You’ll love spending time there.
Thank you! I worried about the backsplash. It’s quite simple and doesn’t really match anything, but that’s why we like it. That, and because it’s easy to clean. But I’m sure there are those who could find fault with it.
How wonderful your new kitchen look!
I’m so happy for you and your husband.
Thank you so much.
I’m a huge fan of light kitchens, and white subway tiles would be top of my wish list. It looks gorgeous, and I hope you’ll soon feel it was worth the pain of living through the renovation process.
We are already feeling it was worth the pain. Glad to hear another vote for subway tiles!
Gorgeous! I love it, Donna. Your design choices are sound, in my opinion. They are classic rather than trendy so your kitchen should age as beautifully as you do.
Deb
If I should be so lucky! I think you hit the nail on the head. We didn’t want anything trendy.
Wow! Big job – looks great!
Thank you. Big job, indeed! The good news is we kept the cabinet bases and only replaced doors and drawers.
Your kitchen redo is gorgeous! Having features that really work in a kitchen are essential when you really cook.The only person I know personally with a professional stove, a nice WOLF range, does not cook.She hates to cook.they eat take out all he time! But she has this gorgeous kitchen.Go figure. I’m happy with mine, as long as it’s GAS I am in HEAVEN, and this one is!! I had to deal with a not – gas stove for a year when we moved to the mountains and hated every minute of that flat top which was hard to clean too.
I’d love your husband’s recipe for whole wheat bread!
So funny. My neighbor has a gorgeous, high-end kitchen, and she doesn’t cook. We’re happy with what we got.
I will see if I can pry the recipe out of Dale! He just upgraded his stand mixer — the old one works for nearly everything but overheats on bread dough.
Donna