Kitchen Update

Some of you have been asking about the kitchen renovation and how it's been going. Well, it hasn't been going as quickly as we planned--surprise! We've made a few too many trips over the mountain to see Mom on our days off to make serious progress. However, all the base cabinets are in as you can see in this photo. This one's a little dark but shows the general layout.

The dishwasher is in place but not installed yet. I've been without a dishwasher for a couple of years so that isn't actually my top priority (until we have company!) When we get it hooked up we'll take the front plastic protector off. It actually is stainless steel. Behind the dishwasher run of cabinetry is the living room. The sink is around the corner on the left beneath the window.

This photo shows the peninsula, which lives where my kitchen table used to live. The hole in the cabinetry is for the microwave and needs adjusting to fit. Also some electrical work needs to be done before we can put the mike in place. This peninsula will have an overhang on the far side for a couple of 24" stools and is the only countertop not completed. It will be tiled. At the moment I just have some boards on it so I can set things down.

This corner also won't be quite the same when everything is finished. For one thing, the beautiful microwave/ convection/ grill combo will be moved into that base unit on the peninsula. This wall also will house most of my usable upper cabinets. The whole works of THOSE are currently stored in an outbuilding and quite likely will stay there until September. Things are reasonably functional for the interim (once the last countertop is in place). The kickplates still need to go in and I need to stain the countertop edging to match the cabinetry.

I quite like the layout, so far. The fridge is still on the far side of the kitchen but will be moving closer at some point. There really isn't room in this tight space for it right in the cockpit. Yeah, that's how I feel: like a pilot in a cockpit. Everything is right at hand. The best test it's had so far was one day in early May when my two nieces helped me make dinner and hubby carved the ham...and there was room for everyone.

These cabinets are rustic alder with a slight stain and suit the farmhouse feel. Handles are wrought iron (or probably a reasonable facsimile of same!) with a subtle leaf detail. Arborite is called Madras slate. Yeah its greeny and coppery...my fave combo. Any other obvious stuff I've forgotten to mention?