Kitchen Project Introduction

I hinted at the end of my last post (actually, didn't hint, flat out said) our next big project is our kitchen. I have never been through a kitchen renovation before and while it is pretty major, it is not all-the-way major because we aren't changing the layout, taking down walls, moving plumbing, etc.

Here is our kitchen today:

It looks well enough, however the major impetus for this project started with the appliances. They are old! As far as we understand, the whole house was renovated about 10 years ago and it was turned from a cape into a colonial: the second floor was added, the whole back was bumped out, and the kitchen was redone. However, they reused the appliances - everything else was new, these were not. The theory (according to the previous owners, who I am in contact with about various things) is that the owners before them ran out of money and ended up having to sell the house, which was not their intention when they started the home's major overhaul.

When we bought the house, it was disclosed that the appliances were "fully depreciated". We thought, no big deal, we will just change them out. Welllll, not so fast. First, there is no stainless steel refrigerator that will fit in the space where the white one is (and the white one's insides are very "used", it freezes things in random spots, not to mention the low shelves are prime for curious-little-kid hands!!). We wanted a fridge on top, freezer on bottom, and would have settled for something not super fancy but there was simply nothing that would fit. 

Second, there are cracks in the granite around the cooktop. One in the back, and ones that emanate from each front corner as shown:

Hard to make out, but the whole front piece of the granite wiggles because the cracks come all the way out and all the way through the countertop.

At first we thought, let's just cut the granite, take out the cooktop and oven and get a slide-in unit. We could probably make that work. And maybe we could modify the cabinets around the refrigerator somehow to fit something more modern and suitable for our needs.

But then we thought, if we're cutting the granite, and cutting the cabinets, and the kitchen is not to our taste anyway, let's just re-do the whole thing. We're going to be in this house for awhile so if we do it now, we will get the maximum enjoyment out of it.

It's been a long road since then! We got quotes from a couple contractors and talked to a kitchen designer, but ultimately ended up at Home Depot. We knew we didn't need a full-on new design/layout, just wanted to refresh everything - new cabinets, appliances, and countertops. After several meetings with our now beloved Deirdre, who worked tirelessly with us, we have pressed "Order! Buy! Let's do this!" and are about a month out from our cabinet delivery. Eeeeeee!!

We decided on the Martha Stewart Ox Hill cabinets in Picket Fence (white). But turns out, when you have a 500 page book of all your cabinet options, it is almost paralyzing! All the different sizes, inserts, etc. kept me up at night. Like instead of a 3 drawer base should I have chosen a 2 door base with one drawer? What about the trash, where should that go? And is there any other spot for the oven besides next to the fridge??

I'm telling you, it's a lot. We moved things around a ton before ultimately having something that looks like this:

The actual software perspectives are pretty neat.

That is our final design right there. The desk area on the left is coming out and being replaced with floor to ceiling storage units for toys, games, puzzles etc. The new induction cooktop will be in the same spot as the old electric one, but we moved our wall oven/microwave combo unit over next to the fridge. We just couldn't make it work in any other spot based on our dimensions, functionality, etc. I think it will be ok. We picked the LG Viatera Quartz in Rococo for our countertops - they sold me on its indestructability...we'll see ;)

Overall look and feel for the new kitchen will be pretty classic - white and gray, which is very in right now and therefore not unique, but we are fine with playing it safe. The dining area, the kitchen, and the living room are all in one big open space so any crazy design elements I think would throw off the balance. I love Ann Sacks tile so I'm hoping to do something awesome right above the cooktop for the backsplash. Those decisions, plus the pendant lights, sink, etc. are still coming down the pike, but for now we've nailed down the big stuff. When it's time for the demo to start, believe me, you'll know ;)