Dream Kitchen Remodel
A kitchen is supposed to be the heart of the home, where everyone comes together to try new things, find a hug, or just hang out…
When we are not working and I am not stamping, we finally got the time and money to work on our kitchen. While it was not an ugly kitchen, it was not functional in so many ways. The original 1939 house ended just outside the kitchen before an addition was put in the 50’s. It was a very small L-shaped kitchen that had a small back-porch converted into one large pantry that caused everyone that wanted to get through the kitchen to go around it and into the workspace of the kitchen. After tearing that all out, the through-traffic can still go by and not interfere with the primary workspace of the kitchen.
We have loved classic or vintage kitchens, so kept the cabinet design as true to the vintage design with the flush doors, old hardware, and added our favorite - soapstone countertop. We worked with a custom cabinet shop to make sure we utilized every inch of space as the area is small. They were able to recreate the scalloped work above the sink and repeated the pattern for the vent hood. I love that we kept the shelves that are around the sink and next to the new banquet. We added a soapstone shelf to the window sill above the new apron-front sink as well.
While I love vintage fixtures, it was very hard to find a faucet that is both mounted from the wall, but also has the functionality of a spray nozzle for cleaning. The new faucet is “buggly” (butt-ugly), but works fabulously. I had been using a simple wall mounted faucet FOREVER, and as we had the original basin sink, it was hard to clean large items with the small radius of the old faucet. We also LOVE having a built-in dishwasher. The old counters were not deep enough for a dishwasher, so for 5 years we scuttled back & forth to the sink a portable dishwasher…UGG!!
One of our greatest finds was the old fir floor (tongue & groove) that was under the old tile and linoleum floor finishes. It took lots of sanding, but the original floor was in nearly perfect shape and adds so much warmth to our kitchen. We are truly fortunate that our home has never been a rental, so has not been beaten up over the years.
Keeping the kitchen palette with the simple white backdrop with touches of black in the countertop and the grout in the backsplash was intentional, as I wanted my little vintage décor finds to pop. We had a hard time finding the right island that would not overpower our small space and could not have been happier with the US made Boos Boards butcher block island with the vintage green base. While I would have liked the extra storage under the island, the legs give us the feeling of more space in a crowded kitchen.
The banquette is a daily used feature that was a surprise to both my husband and I as we find we seldom eat in the dining room now. I am ok with that as that space is bright and cheerful, yet cozy for two. I will be adding cushions to the space and am looking for the perfect vintage fabric to go with it.
I am not a fan of recessed lighting, yet wanted to make sure we had as much light as possible. As it worked out, the location of the light above the banquet was a perfect start and kept the distance for the other 3 new light locations as well. We found another US made manufacturer, and got the lights from Rejuvenation, located in Portland, Oregon. The shiny nickel finish matches the drawer pulls and I love the look of the flush-mount school house globes.
The rugs are from Ruggable, add more color and warmth, yet are super easy to clean. We purchased the extra padding for the rug under the sink and less in the pathway in front of the shelves and refrigerator. Best thing about Ruggable (other than ease of washing) is that our cats cannot rumple the heck out of them EVERY SINGLE DAY!! They stay where you put them!
We feel we have kept to the 1939 feel of our historic home (the home is on the local and national registry), and have kept the charm but added so much functionality to our kitchen. I could not be happier with the outcome. I still pinch myself when I go in there.
