The Kitchen: Part II - Final

I was stalled a bit on this final post because I needed to take some photos. A kitchen is rarely not in use! The last step in the remodel was installing the picture rail and baseboard trim, the new kitchen window, and countertops and tile.

I'm really happy with the counter space that we have with our new configuration. There's room for two people to be able to operate at the same time, though you might still bump into each other from time to time.

The countertops are a dark grey quartz and having had granite in the past, I prefer this for its uniformity and feel. We went with a "honed" finish, which has a subtle texture to it. I find the quartz to be warmer to the touch than granite and I also like that. The backsplash tile is handmade by a McIntyre Tile out of California. They have a portfolio of tiles that are vintage inspired and that we thought stayed within the spirit of our 30's era home. The color is intended to tie in with the tile surrounding the fireplace. We have three subtle mosaic tiles behind the range and there are some smaller mosaics about a third of the way up from the bottom row to give a bit of visual interest.

I will finish with a few notable highlights. Perhaps most life-altering is our pantry pull-out. Previously, we
had one overhead cupboard for pantry items. It was not enough space, and since we left the upper cabinets without their doors, it was unsightly. In the new kitchen, we have pantry space in the uppers to the right and left of the range as well as in the pull-out next to the refrigerator. I also really like our built-in spice rack. This feature results in a little bit of lost space in the cupboard, but it is well worth it for the functionality.

A couple things that aren't part of the remodel, but make me happy, are this banana holder (I ate the last banana today) that Nick bought for me and this triple swing-arm towel holder--both eBay finds. We just recently got the towel holder and are so happy with it! It is both novel and practical! Now we don't have towels on the oven door, which is impractical any time you need to open the oven.

The Kitchen: Part II - Texture, Flooring, and Cabinets

 After the drywall was done, Nick got out his trusty hawk and trowel and textured the arch and small portion of the wall that would not be covered by cabinets. He did an excellent job matching the texture to the original texture in the dining room. That is not an easy task and even our contractors were impressed.

We decided to do top nail oak flooring in the kitchen. The floor guy said that what we have in the house is red oak rather than white oak--I'm not so sure. Regardless, the color of the floor changes with age and it wouldn't be possible for the new floor to perfectly match the old floor, so we ran the wood the opposite direction, creating a visual separation of the space. I was impressed by the machines the floor guy brought with him. He hooked a big sanding machine up to a vacuum device and there was no dust at all!

Once the floors were finished, the cabinets were installed in just one day. It was finally starting to feel like a kitchen again!