Thursday, June 16, 2016

Cherished Bungalow: Kitchen Update

The kitchen has so many custom elements, it's taken a long time to pull it all together.  We've had a few setbacks (the quartz countertops were damaged and we're still waiting for the last bit of crown molding).  But we've made some nice progress as well.  So  I thought it was time to share a few updates.
The floors have been refinished!   Remember our starting point?  After we ripped up the old vinyl tile, we could see glimpses of the pretty floor under the old adhesive and grime.



Look how they cleaned up!  These antique red birch floors are so beautiful.

The Waterhouse Builders team got all the trim and crown molding finished on the cabinets and our custom range hood.  Like most houses, the ceiling wasn't very level, so they did some fancy scribe work to make the molding look perfect!  We put lots of sound insulation around the vent and plumbing above the hood, to minimize the dreaded 'toilet flush' sound from the bathroom above!  That always creates an awkward moment :-)





I love the cabinets!  We have tall ceilings, so we were able to install extra tall wall cabinets - providing lots of storage space.  And after a bit of a wait,  we finally got the countertops and I finished up the tile work.

And now that all the basic elements are in place, you can start to see the bones of the new kitchen.





Remember how tight it was, when you went through the door from the dining room?  And the refrigerator seemed to accentuate the narrow opening.







With the wall opened up and the refrigerator moved to the other side of the room, now it's nice and open.

The empty wall on the far side of the kitchen is now home to the stove, a mud bench and the pantry.



Check out the pantry!!!  This space was originally a doorway to the bedroom hall.  Since there's another doorway right around the corner, we decided to close this up and make it functional.  Now it's a generous pantry that will hold lots and lots of supplies!  Don't you love the antique door I found at Old House Parts Company in Kennebunk?  I kept the original finish, but oiled it to create added lustre and a protective finish.  We took the old, plain glass out and replaced it with the antique, wavy glass from the old sunporch window we removed.  And finally, we added the glass doorknob I found at Old House Parts.















From this view, you can really see how much space the refrigerator took up.


As I shared in a previous post, the sink has been reglazed and will soon have a beautiful new faucet.

As much as I would have liked to use carrera marble for the countertops - they're just so impractical due to upkeep, so we used the more expensive quartz option instead.  This is a color called Cirrus - it looks beautiful and will be a dream to maintain.  And now, the future homeowners won't want to strangle me the first time they spill a glass of red wine or tomato sauce!

Of course there is more to do.  We're working on the reclaimed wood island countertop and hope to get that installed next week.   And we'll we're adding wood open shelves on the right side of the sink.  And don't forget the details - cabinet knobs, a fantastic island light fixture, coat hooks, etc.

But it's a lot of progress, don't you think?



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6 comments:

  1. Laurel it looks spectacular!
    Denise

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Denise! I can't wait to get the rest of the details done. I'll be sharing more photos soon!

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  2. This transformation is unreal! Great use of space, amazing floors, gorgeous sink... I love it all!

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  3. I love what you have done, it is beautiful!!

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  4. Laurel I never comment but I just had to let you know what an excellent job you do on all of your houses! I'm in the middle of a remodel and I've never lived in a completed house before so I'm looking forward to it. It takes so much work and finding talented dependable contractors that will return your calls is just about impossible so I'm really impressed by who you get to help on your projects. Always great work. Keep it up.
    Now back to lurking. 😄

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  5. Looks great! Love that Old House Parts place. I got a doorknob that was missing in my house.

    ReplyDelete

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