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I never noticed people's kitchen countertops or floors or appliances. Whether they use knobs or pulls on their cabinets was immaterial. Island or peninsula? What's the diff? Who cares where they keep their spices or pot lids? But over the space of about 5 weeks, these have become crucial topics to me, and making the best possible decisions and finding ingenious solutions is now a part of just about every waking moment. Sleeping too, apparently, as Alan had a dream about Obama making important faucet decisions.
Now I notice faucet styles in movies. Streets I've been driving on for years are lined with flooring and tile shops I've never seen before. My own kitchen, which I rarely used without second thought for over 12 years has suddenly become impossibly designed, difficult to maneuver around, badly lit, and (gasp!) there's no dishwasher!
It's human nature I guess to make the best of any situation, but now that I no longer have to be so positive, all I see are the flaws!
Tonight we signed off on the layout plans (our 5th round) with our contractor, and made the first payment on the cabinets so he can order them and get this process finally started! Woohoo! So exciting.
It will take 4 weeks before they arrive, so we have that much time left to get the kitchen ready for demolition, and make more decisions. Maybe during that time we'll even get a few meals cooked and into the freezer to help us survive the 8-12 weeks of being without a kitchen!
Here are some of the drawings. Our footprint is the same, but everything will be spiffier!
Here's the top view and then each side, from the peninsula around the sink all the way to the pantry.
It's been a month of planning and obsessing, and I think we have our final layout plans. Cam, our general contractor, dropped off the drawings today, and we can't think of anything to change!
During this month I've learned a whole new vocabulary, discovered a wide range of internet resources and become TKO - totally kitchen obsessed! One website in particular, GardenWeb's Kitchen Forum has opened up a whole new world--things I never knew I needed are suddenly a requirement! This is good, as when I learn about conveniences and ways to make the kitchen work better, and bad, as when it makes us spend more money, or makes me second guess all my choices.
I'm excited to begin! Here's the plan:
- Blancodiamond fireclay sink - shall we go black or "anthracite" or white, 1 1/2
- Caesarstone countertop Verde
- Merillat cabinets, maple, toffee, Portrait, Classic
- Bamboo flooring, Greenwood we think-vertical, carbonized going in the kitchen, family room & 2 bedrooms
- Faucet - aaugh! how to decide? Grohe Alira, Danze Melrose, Delta, definately a pullout and maybe soap dispenser, spend more, save a bit???
- Lights - cans? LED? undercabinet? pendants? it's a whole world
- Appliances - our first dishwasher in 12 years, new stove/oven, same refrigerator til it wears out
- Cabinet pulls - I like these
- We'll have a pantry! and a breakfast bar! deep drawers, undersink trash & recycling, shelf for cookbooks, hanging pot rack
- And HEAT for the downstairs - will my children forgive us for waiting until they left?
