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Friday, May 18, 2012

For the first time in 7 weeks, I am alone in the house

It is odd but awesome. I’ve been feeling that “we’re almost done” edginess lately, so I could tell we were getting ThisClose on the remodel project. You know how you can be all calm and patient the whole year, and then suddenly during that final week of a job, or school, or big project, the end just CANNOT come soon enough? Yeah, that’s where I am right now.

Anyhow, today marks the end of week 7 in remodel land, and the kitchen is now usable. Usable!!!! So dang excited.

We jumped the gun a little bit and had Mother’s Day brunch using the new range (raspberry chocolate chip pancakes and thick-cut bacon). Still using plastic plates and forks, but hey that range and TubaDad’s new griddle pan performed like champs:
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The cabinet-makers came out this week and adjusted all doors, added quiet-close hinge covers, finished final trim and touch-ups, drilled knob holes (but not handle holes since I was still waffling), added glass in the display and bar doors, and caulked. Apparently I didn’t take a single picture that day.

The electricians came back with their rig and installed the big island light.DSC_3198LRDSC_3202LR

And the painter worked his magic on the kitchen, the downstairs bathroom, the laundry room (which had been kind of ripped apart for the new pocket door), and all downstairs ceilings (which had been cut into and repaired for electrical wires and lighting and range hood venting). It’s funny, I never thought the ceilings were dark before (although they drove TubaDad crazy), but the new Swiss Coffee color looks so much brighter and cleaner (this pic was halfway through, so you can see both the old and new ceiling colors):DSC_3212

As of yesterday at 5pm, the kitchen still looked like this (and we could not get into it or get to my purse, which I had stashed in one of the cupboards):DSC_3216LRDSC_3219LRDSC_3223LR

TubaDad and Ree had to remove a little leftover painter’s tape last night. Now that’s some good teamwork:
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So here it is this morning, ready for knobs/handles (hence all the blue tape), the backsplash under the window (as soon as the bullnose edging comes in), some heavy lifting to move everything back in, and some decoration.DSC_3239-EditLRDSC_3246LR-3

Yay! And whew! This next week is the fun part.

29 comments:

  1. Kitchen is beautiful and that view... stunning!

    I know your entire family is excited and will enjoy it for many years.

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    1. Thanks Gail, and yes many many many years, because we are never moving again. (Those words better not come back to haunt me!)

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  2. Woohoo! You must be so relieved that the kitchen is back in commission!

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    1. So relieved!!! And a little stunned. I don't even know what to do first. Well I guess the next step is to move everything back into the kitchen, but then, what to cook, what to cook?

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  3. Wow Love that view out the window...beautiful kitchen!

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    1. Thanks Teri, I've caught myself a few times today just standing in the kitchen staring out that window with a goofy grin on my face.

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  4. What a gorgeous view! (I always feel old when I use that adjective but nothing else seems to really fit in this case). I wish I had something like this to see out my kitchen window. Sigh...

    Donna

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    1. Thanks Donna, come on over and check it out in person!

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  5. Gorgeous! Stunning! Amazing!!! What awesome choices you made an your crew looks like they were top notch!! Enjoy your new space friend!

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    1. Can't wait till you can help me whip up something tasty in the new kitchen. Not too much longer, right? And yes, we LOVED our crew of contractors, each of them. They were/are really top notch guys. This is the second time we've worked with them, and would make it a third in a heartbeat. We also have huge gratitude to my awesome friend Maggie, oh-so-patient and with a GREAT eye for all things designy. Maggie helped out so much and talked me down many times. Hee!

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  6. It is looking so nice....love the light fixture over the island! Don't you feel good now it's just about done?

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    1. Thanks Val! I'm feeling a little giddy, and relieved that it all looks ok together. Picking a huge room out from tiny sample boards/chips is kind of stressful to me. Every time something new was going to be installed I was kind of panicky that it wouldn't look like the image in my head. (That's usually when my friend Maggie had to make an emergency visit to check things out and talk me down - like when the tiles were in and the grout wasn't there yet and I was having a heart attack...)

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  7. Looks Fabulous, M3! Fantastic job, all around. You are going to love this so much. And Swiss Coffee is what I have used the last 6 months when I have needed to freshen up a ceiling, etc. It seems to be the perfect color! I redid my master closet with California Closets and painted the ceiling Swiss Coffee and it brightened everything up. It's just the perfect neutral color.

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    1. Thanks Brenda!! The Swiss Coffee was another thing that worried me going in -- it was so much brighter than what we had -- and now I love it. TubaDad wanted it from the beginning, so he's quite smugly pleased that I like it. ;-)

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  8. Anonymous5/18/2012

    How did you decide to hang a pendant over the window and not a recessed light so the view was not affected?

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    1. Just like we made any other decisions in the kitchen, we went with what we liked. :-) It doesn't obstruct the view though unless you're nearly 8 feet tall, and I don't know too many of those folks.

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  9. Anonymous5/18/2012

    Love it!!! The view is like a painting! Any recommendations/tips from your remodel? May I ask where the cabinets came from? Also, what is in the space between the tall floor to ceiling cabinet and the cabinets against the window? Enjoy your beautiful new kitchen!

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    1. Thank you!! I'll do another post on what we learned -- definitely a lot. The cabinets were custom-made by a small company called BFD (loved them and would recommend them to anyone), the space to the right of the window is a little nook with big bar cabinets and then narrow bar cabinets. I'll take better pictures from each angle next week when all the handles are on.

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  10. Oh my gosh, I feel like I just watched an HGTV show. That light...oh yes...the LIGHT. It's so perfect! It's so different than before!!! You must be thrilled. Now THAT'S a kitchen.

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  11. It's spectacular, M3! All that hard work was totally and completely worth it... I am sure you can't wipe the smile off your face!
    ENJOY!

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  12. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! Enjoy it :-)

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  13. Anonymous5/19/2012

    Oh my Goodness that is one absolutely gorgeous kitchen!! Just a dream! The view out that window is breathtaking!! You made fabulous choices in everything!! I am sure you and your family will enjoy this space for years to come!!!
    Ellen

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  14. Anonymous5/19/2012

    I love the last picture, looks like a painting... maybe take a pic during different times of day in different weather and post them... and gorgeous kitchen!

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  15. It's beautiful, M3! When's the party? ;)

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  16. THAT VIEW. Wow! Love it all.

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  17. Oh goodness M3...that window is amazing!!! It will be like a constantly changing painting for you to gaze at. Perfect!!

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