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113 Days Later
Who would have ever thought we’d be without a kitchen for almost four months? Not us. But it’s baaaaaack. And it’s better than ever.
First a shot of the kitchen that came with the house when we purchased it almost two years ago:
And now for the dramatic transformation we promised. The granite was totally the icing on the cake. Here’s a shot of the whole shebang as seen from the living/dining room:
And here’s a shot of the left side with that sexy hood that we just used while MAKING DINNER. Sorry for the caps, we just haven’t made dinner at home in ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN DAYS!!! Oops, there I go again.
Here’s the right side with our stainless dishwasher, fridge, and microwave- is there anything we can’t cook in our new kitchen? Well, yes. But at least we’ll burn the filet mignon in style.
This is a shot of the little microwave nook, a really cute little bonus area in a corner of the kitchen that we originally planned to leave bare. Thank goodness for our kitchen designer Nancy Kulik, who convinced us that storage is better than floorage.
And here’s a closer shot of my favorite corner, which sports all sorts of little extras. A cabinet with a glass door (which does wonders for making the kitchen seem less “boxed in”)…
… and a built in double-tiered lazy susan for an insane amount of storage in the base cabinet:
And no kitchen is complete without a little jewelry. Our brushed nickel faucet fits the bill. And check out that undermount sink. Me-ow.
We hope the wait was worth it for all you lovely readers. We’d love to know what you think!
Kitchen Confidential
The counters are in and boy are they better than sliced bread. After months of waiting for a surface to dice upon, any old counter would do. But our sparkling new granite is just the bees knees. And instead of revealing the new counters, we’ve decided to make you wait until tomorrow (when the faucet, sink, and dishwasher will be fully installed) and then post the FINAL BEFORE AND AFTERS! Can you tell we’re excited?
But the start of the day wasn’t nearly as thrilling as the end. It was full of the usual trials and tribulations of home improvement. First, when the truck pulled up I thought it was some sort of joke. Check out the vehicle that delivered our gorgeous 520 million year old stone:
That’s right, it’s an Arnold Bread Truck. I thought I was hallucinating. And then when they struggled to transport the insanely heavy slabs into the kitchen and proceeded to wrestle them into place, I expected to peek into the kitchen and see scratched floors, dented cabinets and obliterated appliances. In fact, at one point I passed by only to be greeted by my stove in the middle of the doorway. I never thought the kitchen would have to come apart again only to be put back together after the counters were placed.
But by some small miracle, three ulcer-inducing hours later it looked great. Better than great, actually. And save for one small paint touch up (that I completed once the bread truck pulled away) the kitchen was utterly…
…well, you’ll have to come back tomorrow to see the results for yourself.
Update: Check out the big kitchen reveal right here, and see it after a bit more accessorizing right here.
On The Road Again: Just Beachy
We’re currently blogging from the beach. Now before you get jealous let me just say that it’s about 20 degrees outside and we even got some light snow last night. But we’re loving the chance to relax and recharge at John’s parents’ lovely beach house just outside of Rehoboth, Delaware.
They recently purchased the house and it’s amazing how comfortable and homey they’ve been able to make it in mere months. And while we’ve spent our time playing board games, reading, watching movies, and snuggling Burger- we thought we’d take a quick break to share some fun decor ideas with you.
First, meet the beautiful beach house (love those starfish in the window above the door):
And now for a little inspiration. How cute (and functional!) are these toiletries displayed in a decorative basket with shells:
All the kitchen accessories are red, from the coffee-maker to the toaster to the tea kettle. So cheerful and fun:
And for the first time in over three months we had a functioning kitchen at our disposal, and boy did we take advantage of it. Among many delicious homemade meals, we feasted on this tomato, basil, and mozzarella pizza:
We’ll be returning to Richmond tonight, and while we’ve certainly been enjoying every second of our mini break from home improvement, I’m sure we’ll be wielding a hammer or a paint brush within a few hours of returning home. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
