It was a little over three years ago when I first told you about our plans for a s-l-o-w remodel of the kitchen here at Pineapple House.
Little by little, step by step, we made changes. Let me give you a review of what has happened in the kitchen since we moved here:
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| BEFORE |
✔ We replaced the refrigerator and dishwasher with new stainless steel models.
✔ We replaced the cook top with the double oven range we had bought for The Farmhouse a few months before we moved, and removed a lower cabinet in the process.
✔ We removed the wallpaper and painted the walls antique white.
✔ We hung a new chandelier over the island.
✔ We constructed, hung, and painted interior shutters.
✔ We removed the wall oven and created an alcove for the microwave.
✔ We took down the little shelves around the window and replaced the curvy molding with a simple frame.
✔ We painted all of the kitchen cabinets with Kangaroo by Benjamin Moore.
✔ We painted all of the kitchen cabinets with Kangaroo by Benjamin Moore.
✔ We put beadboard paneling behind the countertop and stove, and around the window.
✔ We installed walnut butcher block countertop and backsplash.
✔ We installed a new enameled cast iron sink and a bridge faucet.
In October 2018, the kitchen looked like this:
But we still needed to give attention to the south wall. We had plans to move the washing machine to the basement, move the fridge into that space, re-configure the cabinets, and install a longer section of countertop.
This past fall, we finally got to the south wall of the kitchen, the one that was going to be the most complicated project.
Here is the "before," with a short counter, the refrigerator in the middle of the wall, and the washing machine on the right . . .
When Ron was off in September, the work began. He did all of the prep work required to move the washing machine from the kitchen down to the basement: ran electric, adapted the plumbing, installed a pump and a laundry sink.
In October, it was full steam ahead!
~ The first step was moving that washing machine. (Yikes!)
Ron strapped it to a hand truck and he was doing all of the pushing. My job was to help him tilt it back, and to navigate it through the doorways and around corners. Of course, there was the momentary panic when he started wheeling it down the basement stairs WITH ME IN FRONT OF IT, at which time I left my post of duty and said, "If it's going to fall, I'm not going to be able to stop it so I am getting out of the way!"
The washing machine did not fall (hallelujah!), and we were washing a load of clothes that afternoon . . . not in the kitchen!
Do I miss the convenience of a washing machine in the kitchen? Yes! But do I miss the washing machine in the kitchen? Not. at. all. (And there is talk of converting our very tiny half bathroom into a tiny laundry area. We think there's just enough room for a small stackable washer/dryer.)
~The rest of vacation week was spent re-configuring everything else!
We measured and measured and adjusted our plans. After a lengthy discussion and a lot of measuring, we decided to create a wider space around the refrigerator. We did not want to be limited to the size fridge that we have now.
Eventually, we'd like to have a counter depth refrigerator. It would free up a lot of space in our galley kitchen! Unfortunately, counter depth was not on our radar four years ago when we were selecting our appliances. But someday we would like one, so we left enough space to accommodate it. And of course, changing the opening around the fridge meant altering the spaces for cabinets too.
After we adjusted our cabinet sizes, we decided to leave a display space above the refrigerator rather than enclosing it with doors.
When Ron went back to work after his vacation, there was still more work to do, but the lion's share was done. We knew we'd be finished well before our Thanksgiving deadline!
And now . . . THIS is what we have:
We are so pleased with this part of the remodel! It has made a huge difference in the function of the kitchen!
First of all, we love this new longer section of countertop, which is far more useful than two shorter ones would have been. It is a great baking center, but it also comes in handy for a drink station when we have family dinners and parties.
It is also wonderful to have all of my pots and pans back together again . . . and not stuffed into nooks and crannies (in the kitchen closet, in different cabinets, in the basement!) all over the house.
Last, but definitely not least, we feel as if we have gained space with this last stage of the remodel. That is a good thing!
Before, the refrigerator and the stove (both of which jut out beyond the cabinets) were directly across from one another. That made a narrower walkway in that space, not to mention that if either door was open, it compounded the problem. When the fridge was moved over to its new space, it immediately opened up the main work space to feel twice as big! (It isn't, but it feels like it is!)
Now we have completed all of our original goals for the kitchen!
So are we done? Well, we will probably replace the floor some day. And then there's always the possibility of a fourth paint color . . .
(You knew that, didn't you?)
But we feel that our kitchen has been updated, it reflects our personal style, and it functions well with how we live and work in it.
It was worth the wait!
