I mentioned in my previous post that Ben used Google SketchUp to layout our kitchen design. It was a valuable tool for us. Here are some screen shots of what it looked like. We made some changes later but it gave us a general idea of layout and what could go where.
At long last our kitchen remodel is finished! We started construction on December 16 and finished somewhere around March 9, that's for what was supposed to be a "very simple" kitchen renovation. No ripping out cabinets or knocking down walls just multiple damaged deliveries and things not fitting like we planned. But now that it's done we are so happy with it and it's just in time because I am due April 1st and could give birth anytime now. We designed it ourselves using Google Sketch Up. It was tedious but allowed us to get a feel for the space and see what could fit. We were dealing with a weirdly shaped room so there were some strange angles involved. Not to mention our 1890 house where no lines are straight or even, we just had the contractors do the best they could. Our contractors Transcend Construction did a great job.
I'll try to give some details in case anyone is dreaming or planning on their own kitchen remodel. The choices can be overwhelming.
The countertops are soapstone, the farmhouse sink from Franke. The shaker cabinets are by Schuler from Lowes. The style is Sugar Creek Maple in Harbor Mist (grey color). The grey has a sight wash to it which is subtle and turned out great. We were a little worried about too much of a distressed look. I bought 3/4" wooden knobs and painted them myself using a matched Benjamin Moore oil paint.
The floor is Marmoleum in spa from Green Depot. The stove and hood are from Bluestar. The light fixtures are from Schoolhouse Electric. The refrigerator is the Active Smart model from Fisher and Paykel.
The Hoosier cabinet we found at an antique mall in Ohio on vacation and had it shipped cross country. It was still so much cheaper than something we could find around here. The zinc work surface pulls out for extra prep space. Inside there is a flour sifter (too bad we don't use that much flour anymore) and spice rack and some other little shelves.
This is the view looking out toward the rest of our main floor. The tin ceiling is original and the previous owner restored and had it painted. This place was originally a butcher shop, thus the high ceilings and open layout.
The bridge faucet is by Hansgrohe, I got a great deal on it through an Amazon store. We had an open shelf put in above the fridge for cookbooks.
I made a little cafe curtain for the window from striped linen. The curtain hardware is from Rejuvenation.
I've probably forgotten all kinds of details but feel free to ask me in the comments. This was our first foray into home renovation and we don't mind sharing our sources.
I've been working on the backyard quite a bit lately. We moved here in the fall so this is our first spring and summer here. It's definitely a work in progress. At some point we will replace the chain link fence with something nicer and we'd love to put in brick cobble stones. But for now we are loving just having an outdoor space of our own, a rarity in New York City. I figured I would show pictures now and then late in the summer when things have filled in.
Trying out tomato plants, hope we get some good ones!
I planted a mini vegetable garden in a 3' x 3' raised bed, we'll see how it does! I've never tried this before.
Even when we looked at the house, we always loved this little hidden door in the back. It leads into the garage.
The previous owner had nice pergolas built both for our entrance and the backyard. I've planted wisteria for both. Hoping it takes over and covers the wood. This should be a cool before and after if it works.
There is a nice hydrangea bush (no idea what color the blooms will be), a holly bush (which is unruly and takes over) and a peach tree. I planted impatiens under the tree.
It's been so nice to have a spot to go in the morning and have my coffee or work on crochet projects or sewing outside. There is always a baby calling me away though just when I get into a project. Oh well, he a good distraction.
Even though we moved to our new house back in November, we just lately moved Leo into his own room. We had all been sharing the "rec room" basement. Now Leo is getting the best spot in the place, with my coveted window looking out at the birdfeeder and yard. It's been nice to contain all his toys and stuff and let him freely play in there. He does try to escape though every chance he gets now that he is a pro at crawling! I had a lot of fun putting his room together.
The whale wall decal and the Leo print are from Little Lion Studio on Etsy.
I made a curtain out of thick denim which blocks the light for daytime naps.
Now that Leo has started eating food (and making a mess of it!) I decided to make an oversized oilcloth placemat. When it's time for him to eat I can just slide the whole thing to the edge of the table. I ended up using Nani Iro oilcloth from Purl. It's a bit of a splurge but they are such beautiful florals. I bound it with homemade linen bias tape, easy to make with this gadget by Clover.
Hi,
You may be wondering what happened to me and this blog? Well having a newborn and moving when he was about 2 months old really took the wind out of us. Not only that we moved into a house (with tenants!) so our to do list was and is really long. We are finally pretty settled in and loving the space. It's a little odd in that our bedroom (and Leo's) are in the basement with the ground floor having our living/dining room and kitchen plus craft room (the one true bedroom). I'll be posting pictures here of our progress. It's strange sleeping in a "rec room" but it actually is dark and quiet, two good things for restful sleep. Too bad Leo is breaking his trend of 10-12 hours of sleep per night because he has learned to roll over and gets stuck on the edge of the crib and wakes us up! We've been spoiled up to this point.
Anyhow, everything is great around here and we are enjoying our Christmas tree. Here are some pictures of the new place so far.
This cabinet we bought at Ikea and I covered the back panel with a Josef Frank wallpaper. I wish we didn't have so many books so you could see more of the wallpaper, oh well.
I didn't realize I hadn't posted in almost a month! I'm happy I've finally gotten the baby area (since we don't have a separate room) in order. We took a trip a few weekends ago to the Buck's County area in Pennsylvania and New Jersey to do some antiquing. We got the rocking chair, red shelves and some odds and ends. We were looking for a dresser but ended up just getting one at Ikea. I painted it a light grey, which changed the look a bit.
I made a mobile out of fabric scrap yoyos.
I also have been working on this crochet afghan. I have realized though that since the baby's supposed to come in August I'll have plenty time to finish it before it's cold enough to use it.
I got this great print for Christmas and just framed it for our kitchen. It's by my friend Ali Douglass. I thought I would show you a few of her other pieces as well as her great work studio. She makes all kinds of handmade objects as well as her illustrations, check out her Etsy shop!
I always love picking up finds in the streets that can be transformed with a little TLC. My husband always rolls his eyes and tries to dissuade me when we come upon something awesome. This time he even agreed this little table had potential. It was definitely a little worse for wear (including bubble gum stuck to the bottom!). A little primer and glossy oil paint and it's a perfect little plant stand.
This is what it looked like before....
This weekend I decided to switch out my framed pegboard in my craft room for a bulletin board. I've been wanting to hang up inspiration lately and didn't have a spot. I did like using the pegboard to hang tools, we'll see if I miss it. To make the bulletin board I covered a pieced of foam core cut to the size of the frame and covered it with linen.
Here is the pegboard I had before. Which do you like better?
