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renovation home |
What we envision:An historically appropriate style of kitchen, with simple face-frame, inset cabinets and granite countertops. The cabinets rise in two tiers, to take advantage of the 10 ½' ceilings, although they do not quite reach the ceiling. They are "uplighted" over the cabinets for indirect lighting. The cabinets are 'furniture-like', with architectural details - to most closely represent an unfitted kitchen. The kitchen is built around the architectural features (i.e., window and door) in the existing exterior wall. Walls are smooth, and painted where not covered by cabinets or tiled backsplash. Crown molding and baseboard molding are close to the woodwork in the house, but do not have to match. The cabinets should be light colored, perhaps with a piece or two of darker wood. Some cabinets should have glass doors.The highlight of the kitchen is a 6-burner antique reproduction stove, and cabinets should frame it, but not overpower it. The color of fixtures (faucet, strainer, drawer pulls, cabinet knobs) may be determined by the trim color on the stove - nickel, brass, or possibly copper. There are only the two of us, no children. While both of us cook, we do not necessary cook at the same time. We have a tendency to cook standard, out-of-the-freezer stuff most of the time, but want the capability to cook large and/or complex meals and entertain. We use the microwave for heating leftovers and veggies, but not much more. We tend not to store large amounts of perishable goods, but often buy staples in bulk. We don't want to eat in the kitchen, nor do we like to have people 'hang out' in the kitchen. I like the fact that the kitchen is a separate room, and is not open to the rest of the house. We have tried to choose furniture and/or items in the house that are not obviously modern, and want to continue that in the kitchen. We want a working space, but we want it to be attractive and appropriate. We cannot add space to the kitchen. We can possibly squish the second bathroom to gain an extra 6" or so, but no other structural changes can be made. The kitchen has to be designed around the existing openings for the door and window in the exterior wall. We intend to live in this house for another 7-10 years. We need to feed the dogs and store dog food in the kitchen, but we do not store cleaning supplies or other non-kitchen items in the kitchen. While a desktop would be nice, our space is limited. I would, however, like to store cookbooks (lots) and recipes in the kitchen. We really need a plan that inhibits counter clutter without using appliance garages - we have a tendency to use any horizontal surface as storage, The current kitchen is dim, mostly because of the tiny sliding windows, which are being replaced by new windows in the original openings. We leave a light on right now in the stove hood for the dogs, so some way to have low-level light in the kitchen at night is required. The current kitchen also includes a dishwasher, refridgerator, and microwave that must be included in the new kitchen.
What we love about the current kitchen:
What we hate about the current kitchen:
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Last updated
03/05/2009