Archive for March 2012

i finally remembered to upload the photos from my camera, so be prepared for a picture heavy post.

to catch you up to where we are now, you may remember that we started to install the new cabinets around the fridge.



we had the stove in the middle of the kitchen for so long that i kept accidentally calling it the "island". woops.



when we tried to install the corner cabinet, we quickly realized that the two walls were not at all square. because of this, the holes that we had so carefully planned out and drilled in the sink cabinet no longer lined up with the plumbing below. we were able to make a few modifications, and so far things seem to be working out. one perk of having an unfinished basement is that we have easy access to the water and drain lines.



murph helped us install the corner cabinet. and by help, i mean that he tried to climb into the cabinet to lick faces. his tail is moving so fast in this photo that you can't even see it!



he's getting so big!! love him!



we installed an end panel beside the dishwasher, we just need to paint it. we still need to vent the range hood (which is why there is still an opening in the drywall), and install cover panels on the upper cabinets beside the range hood.



and of course all of the finish trim pieces - the kickplate, the edge trim, the molding at the top of the upper cabinets, finish the wine cubby, painting everything that we install.... there's a long list.



i've been installing a few pulls as i've had time in the evenings. i'm really happy with how the hardware looks, it was one of the most difficult decisions for me so far.



and then on the opposite wall, we installed 2 more cabinets and built the final cabinet. the one in the middle still needs to be painted, but it will hold the microwave and the dog bowls. our microwave has been on backorder for over 2 months now, i'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get it... i am planning on modifying the cabinet on the right to be a tilt out trash cabinet, but am having a difficult time locating the hinge that i need for the bottom. i'm also debating what to do about the open shelving. the original plan was to center the 2 shelves above this counter (and install them higher), but now i'm not sure. i might take down the shelves and then see what i think. i've already decided to remove the open shelves that were beside the window, and put my everyday dishes in a cabinet instead. i just don't want it to look too cluttered.

we've come a long way, but there is still so much to do. i can't wait until the counters are installed, i think that will make a huge difference!

the countertop people let me go out to the fabrication warehouse today to finalize the slab layout. i think that this step was more stressful than actually picking out the slab!
it kind of felt like i was playing a very expensive game of tetris. but i think we're going with this layout, and i'm excited to see it installed! i don't have a date for installation yet, but i'm hoping next week.

it might take me a little while to finalize the new blog layout, but i'm liking the simple design so far. i'm horrible at all things computer, so making changes like this takes me forever!

speaking of changes, the kitchen is progressing. i only have iphone photos for now, but i thought you might want to see what we've been up to...

the middle cabinet is the sink cabinet, and the corner cabinet has a carousel type of thing that spins - lots of storage!the pull out pantry to the right of the fridge might be my favorite kitchen thing so far. i've already started to fill it up (not with the drill and wood glue as pictured, but with actual pantry items).

we started putting drawer/door fronts on as we've finished painted them. it took 3 coats of paint to get a semi-even finish. there are still a few places on the fronts that we need to touch up, but so far i'm happy with how the paint turned out. i was nervous that it would look too "diy".

the wine storage that we build above the fridge doesn't look all that great, but i'm hoping that some wood filler, caulk, and paint will help solve that problem.

we still need to vent the range hood, which is why there is a hole in the wall. right now we're trying to get a big push to finish only the items necessary to get the people out to template the countertops. i miss having a kitchen sink.

this side of the kitchen is just about set. we'll go back and do all of the finish trim for the cabints after we get the counter process started. we're hoping to install the base cabinets for the other side of the kitchen this week.

sorry for the crappy iphone photos, i'll try to take/post some better photos soon.

hope to have a new blog layout up and running soon...

providing some kind of seating in the new kitchen was always on my priority list. we put together a temporary island a few months ago and there were many times where i almost just bought some inexpensive stools from overstock. i'm glad i waited, because as the kitchen design progressed, the kind of stool that i wanted changed.

i'm still not 100% sure what the new island will look like, there is a good chance it will be slightly modified, better constructed version of the temporary island. we are hoping to re-use the butcher block top that we already own. since we are tight on space, i think it would be best if the stools could slide completely under the island when not used (so no back on the stools).

i was hoping to find something vintage, but i'm not having much luck. i keep coming back to this stool from industry west, with a wood seat. the only reason why i haven't bought it yet is because with shipping, the price for 2 stools is a little more than i wanted to spend.
when looking for a less expensive option, i found this one from world market:

except i didn't really like it as much in the picture online. i had forgotten about it, until i was in world market over the weekend and saw it in person:

i think it looks much better in person, and i was happy to see that it actually has 4 bars across the bottom, not just 2 as shown online.

so here's my problem... world market sent me a coupon today and i think i could get these stools for 25% off. that means that the stools from world market would be about half of the final cost as the industry west stools. but i really like the industry west stools better. do i hold out and just buy what i wanted in the first place?

has anyone seen/bought these industry west stools? they look nice online...