Coffered Ceiling

For whatever reason, I really am into interesting ceilings. After spending many dinners out while the kitchen remodel trudged on, one particular place that caught my attention was Caldera, a neighborhood pub named after the extinct volcano about 10 or 15 blocks from my house. Since I stole all their color ideas for the breakfast nook, as well as the bench, I might as well copy the coffered ceiling as well. It was the final main construction of the kitchen remodel and it turned out pretty good.

The first step was to add furring strips to add depth to the main stiles

In mid-stile addtion. 

After a few coats of paint

Cabinet Hardware

The drawer pulls finally arrived which means the drawers don't have to be opened by pieces of tape anymore.

I copied the drawer pull from the antique table that my mother left for me so I have some consistency.

An opportunity to include Scully in the blog. 

Bench Stain

Taking advantage of the combination of a sunny day with staining and varnishing the bench that will go into the breakfast nook. I stole this idea from Caldera Public House, a great neighborhood spot just over the hill. I also stole the color scheme which I will hopefully complete in the next several weeks.

Rejuvanation Contest

The 3rd annual Rejuvenation contest is underway and I entered this time around. The winner get a $1000 gift certificate to be used at the store. Check it out....

http://www.rejuvenation.com/advice_ideas/contest/entrant.html?rid=121

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.

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.

Espresso Machine

What can I say. I splurged on this one.

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.

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

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.

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

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