Thursday, April 28, 2011

Wallpaper

In keeping with the whole French country theme, I wanted to include some toile. In looking into this print, it turns out that toile was actually originated in Ireland. However, the french adopted it and used it in more frequency. I've always liked that printed look, and also wanted to do something unique and a bit against the grain of the typical solid color look that everyone seems to be doing. That is why I went with wallpaper. I was a concerned that it'd be too busy and obnoxious and it surprisingly isn't.






Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Cabinet Paint

And the process of cabinet painting begins....

Painting the mullion white cabinet doors (slowly) in the breakfast nook.

The lower cabinets are primed with a red paint as a "primer" or base undercoat.

A coat of black is added on top of the red then using a wet towel, I lightly rubbed off some of the black before it dries to give it a bit of a distressed look.

A close up showing the distressed look.


The white cabinets upon completion

The black cabinets shown with some of the hardware on. I'm still waiting for the drawer pulls.


Sunday, April 24, 2011

Pot Rack

Having a pot rack really clears up cabinet space, while providing even more of a rustic feel to the kitchen. I got this rack from Kitchen Kaboodle.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Clawfoot Tub & Fixtures


I got this 67" slipper from Signature Hardware. The have great customer service and I highly recommend them. The bottom is painted "Hollingsworth Green" by Benjamin Moore which will match the bathroom ceiling, for balance.

The fixture close up for the clawfoot tub. Also from Signature Hardware.

The fixture for the vessel sink is from Belle Forte.


Bath Vanity Sink

Sharon Greenwood Pottery (former Creative Director gone potter) made the vessel sink for the bathroom. It originally started with just the shape. Then I mentioned it'd be cool to have some relief design in there but I wasn't quite sure what it would be. After showing me some pattern samples, we somehow got on the fleur-de-lis concept, then the pie plate shape. The whole process went great and was a lot of fun to see it develop.

The results blew me away. 

Photo credit: Sharon Greenwood

Photo credit: Sharon Greenwood


The vanity is white carrara marble sitting on a simple black antique cabinet






Saturday, April 16, 2011

Butcher Block Table

I was originally going to have a custom made butcher block table built to a specific size with an integral knife block and separate cutting board and all that jazz but it turned out to be way too expensive. I ended up getting this online for about half the price of the several bids I got. It's a bit smaller than I'd like but it's great to have.


Scully giving me that look. She's either waiting to go to the park or eat.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Trim and Molding

For the end of March/start of April, the remodel entered the finishing phase by installing the trim and molding. To me, the appeal of remodeling is venturing into things never attempted before, however cutting and installing molding which I've done a lot of still gives a ton of satisfaction. It's easy but yields great results......when done right, of course. I had to redo the garden window trim twice. It's best not to install trim when you're totally sleepy.

Window trim and the start of the picture rail in the breakfast nook.

Base boards and trim around the fridge and bathroom door

Bathroom and pantry door. I had to get fairly creative in this tight area.


Quarter round to cover the gaps between the base board and hex tile.
I didn't take any pictures of the crown molding, but here's a cell phone shot of my guide on how to set the saw  up with regards to the orientation of the crown molding and angle of the saw. This is my 4th or 5th time cutting crown molding and it's STILL confusing. 
The garden window trim between attempts
The finished garden window trim

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Countertop

For the countertops I decided to go with Corian which just about everyone tried to talk me out of. Since it's essentially plastic, you can't place any hot items on there. However, living with formica for the last 15 years, I am used to that and didn't think that'd be an issue. What I like about the Corian is the clean solid look and the cool feel of it. With granite and silestone and all the other hip tops with a speckled pattern, it tends to hide food crumbs. I like a sterile food prep area myself.



The bullnose edge makes it easier on your hip when you walk by.


The installer did a great job terminating at the farmhouse sink.

At the last minute I added a short, coved backsplash, with the intention of containing small spills without covering too much of the travertine backsplash wall

Sunday, April 03, 2011

Kitchen Appliance Install

The gas range finally arrived. 

So far, this was the only subject of aggravation in the entire project. The original lead time given to me was 10 weeks and a few weeks before it was to arrive, the lead time doubled to 20 weeks. I could tell you the reason that was given to me, but I doubt it would be factual.

I ended up finding another supplier (AJ Madison) that told me they had the range in their warehouse and could get it to me in a week or two. This was too good to be true. After receiving an automated reply that it was on back order just before scheduled delivery date, I was concerned and called them. A lot. I was on hold for so long so many times and never got a good response However, in retrospect it didn't turn out too bad as they got it to me in about 4 weeks. I think the wait was worth it too.






I was blown away after inching the range into place and stepping back to see. It's starting to look like a real kitchen.
The ergonomic control knobs hooked me.

Temperature gauge

The Waterstone Gantry Faucet. I splurged on this but it's used everyday so it's worth it.

The Insinkerator Excel disposal with an air switch (not shown and not sure where it will be installed just yet).
Panel ready Bosch dishwasher without the panel.
Hidden dishwasher controls