house: The Kitchen is Finished!

I am so happy to finally post finished pictures of my new kitchen. I've been using the kitchen since the week before Christmas -- yes, much longer than we originally estimated. I thought I'd be back in the kitchen by Thanksgiving, and that was two weeks later than Ed originally estimated. But I guess kitchen renovation is like childbirth. Not that I want to start all over again, but cooking in my new kitchen now a days, I forget the aches and pains of renovation.

Ed delivered and installed the last cabinet -- the appliance garage that he built -- on Tuesday. And with that install, we considered the kitchen finished.

I really like this kitchen. I have picked up only about 2 feet of counter space but by putting the microwave and the toaster oven up on shelves and building a garage for the appliances that I use all the time, I've gain the full depth of the counters. Also, I do not have a corner upper cabinet and this too adds space. The kitchen has some idiosyncratic details but I hope its design and basic shape could appeal to someone contemplating buying the house. Not that I am looking to move any time soon.

I did not buy a new stove or refrigerator. Both of these appliances work well and I decided to keep them until one of them dies. I was worried that the white of the appliances would not go with the rest of my choices but I like it so much that I will have to consider whether my original plan to replace appliances with stainless steel still works. And who knows what color will be the in thing in a few years. The colors in the pictures are a bit more intense than in real life -- the cabinets are not quite that yellow and the green not that bright. In general, this room is serene and calm.

The drawers house pots on the left of the stove, and spices, storage plastic, and baking supplies on the right.

I couldn't get the whole sink side together. So, here is the corner to the sink. I love the shelving!

And from the sink to the end of the kitchen. The dishwasher is on the left of the sink and there are built in trash and recycling bins on the right of the sink.

This was an unused space prior to renovation. The cabinet above the frig is big enough for all of my trays, my cookie sheets, baking pans, pie plates, and glass baking dishes.

This is back around to the stove wall. The door has been white and painted with far too many layers. I love it refinished and if it didn't cost so much, I would have every door in the house dipped and restained!

Now, for my favorite parts of the kitchen. My favorite is the kitchen dinosaur that Julia drew for me. I put it over the stove and have to smile every time I see it.

The little wine rack and the appliance garage under the glassed cabinet were built by Ed.

These shelves are strong and ever so useful. It will take awhile before I get the right blend of usefulness and prettiness in the arrangement of dishes, but for now I can reach for everything.

This had been planned as a coffee station, but I seem to have given up coffee in favor of tea since the summer, and this space works very well. The cabinet houses teas and lots of cups and the new tea pot that Cheshire gave me for my birthday.

Beneath the tea station, is a cabinet without a door which was designed to fit the dog's crate. This is a small house and there was not good place for the crate. Since we moved in, the crate has sat in the back hall. It wasn't so bad but it was drafty and just not a part of the house. I swear Latkah likes this better, as evidenced by her napping. I did buy a door and knob for this cabinet, in light of the possibility that the next owner of the house may not have a tiny dog.

And this is the pull down table for Julia to eat her breakfast, thereby staying in the same room that I am as I rush around making breakfast and packing school lunch. It has also come in handy to hang out in the kitchen doing home work or coloring while I am cooking.