I'm waiting for Shayne to get up so I can work on the stairway. Unfortunately I'm also looking at vintage-ish kitchen remodels. *sigh*
Since we've realize we're not going to live in this house forever, we've been having some huge renovation dilemmas. Like, how far do we take our dreams for this house? We've pretty much scrapped the bathroom ideas since any bathtub I want would mean moving plumbing around. I'm fine with that. But the kitchen... is ugly. And we absoloutely have to do something to it before we sell the house. But how much "something"??
The el-cheapo laminate floor we installed last summer really should be replaced before we sell. $125 was a great temporary fix, but it's really cheap. And looks it. I've dinged up a few spots by dropping large items, and I don't think a crappy floor would be a great selling point. So the floor is kind of non-negotiable. But what do we do? Lay a subfloor over the scary linoleum, then some kind of linoleum? Take out the base cabinets, get rid of the scary linoleum, and refinish the original hardwood?
And if we take out the cabinets, do we "replace" them with the originals out in the garage? Paint the current dark wood to brighten up the room? Just buy new hardware to spruce them up?
What about my beautiful Chambers stove? At 37" wide, it's not going to fit a standard opening. And I so want to start cooking on it...
Ugh. I'd probably feel better about it if I didn't cook quite so much. For the past 2 or 3 months, it almost feels like I've been living in the kitchen. And the more I'm in there, the more I hate it!
Oh well... At least now it's super-clean and organized. Yay for nesting! I have at least 6 months before I have to even start thinking about what to do to improve that God-awful room.
Showing posts with label ideas: kitchen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ideas: kitchen. Show all posts
7/26/2009
11/15/2008
Musings on a 1920s kitchen
Just thinking out loud here...
After looking at numerous photos of kitchens from the early to mid 1900s, I'm trying to figure out what, exactly, has changed. Most folks now value a large kitchen with lots of counter space and even more storage. Much of our food comes prepackaged. We have lots of leftover containers. We like appliances for everything: coffeemakers, blenders, microwaves, toaster ovens, and mixers, just to name a few. The fridge stores condiments, plus the usual dairy products, meats, veggies, and leftover food. We like dishwashers, plus sinks that have at least 2 compartments. Many kitchens now have seating for at least 4 people, house computers and workstations, and sometimes even televisions.
In the 1920s, kitchens were often small, with limited built in storage, and maybe a table for a work space. Most food was made fresh, from scratch. The staples were stored in a "Hoosier" cabinet or a built-in cupboard. Most "appliances" were hand-cranked, like small mixers or meat grinders. Work space consisted of a table or maybe a small countertop. Refrigerators were smaller and stoves were larger. Sinks were wide, shallow, and had massive drainboards.
The ony reason I can think of for kitchens to be bigger and have more storage now is for convenience. We (as a society) cook fewer meals and spend less time doing it. Why do we need more space? With prepackaged foods gaining popularity, we needed somewhere to put them. Since we don't like to do things by had any more, we need appliances in abundance. And why should we hide our pretty small appliances away when we can have them conveniently sitting on the counter waiting for use?
I don't want to kill the resale value of our house (assuming we ever move), but I also need to assess the type of cooking that we do. We don't use many prepackaged foods, but I often buy things in quantity. We keep the staples on-hand: baking basics, spices and seasoning, pastas, cereals, some canned goods, and several types of crackers. I seem to use the same few pots and pans for everything. We've been phasing out plastic leftover containers, but the glass ones don't nest as well. I have too many appliances that I don't use. We own a blender that I think we've used twice. Our food processor gets used once or twice a year to chop onions and celery. I do use the electric hand mixer a lot. The food mill is used for pasta sauce, but I only make 1 or 2 big batches per year. The toaster oven and microwave seriously hog our counter space. I have a drawer full of utensils that never get used.
I already knew that we don't want a "modern" kitchen. For one thing, we don't have the space, but we also just don't live in such a way that the kitchen is the gathering space. We don't entertain too often, and we make simple meals that don't require hours of prep. When I do cook larger meals, though, I wish I had more prep space. A work table would be wonderful. We could also get by with less storage. Eh, I need to get through the upstairs first, but after looking at kitchen pics at the Library of Congress, I just started obsessing again...!
After looking at numerous photos of kitchens from the early to mid 1900s, I'm trying to figure out what, exactly, has changed. Most folks now value a large kitchen with lots of counter space and even more storage. Much of our food comes prepackaged. We have lots of leftover containers. We like appliances for everything: coffeemakers, blenders, microwaves, toaster ovens, and mixers, just to name a few. The fridge stores condiments, plus the usual dairy products, meats, veggies, and leftover food. We like dishwashers, plus sinks that have at least 2 compartments. Many kitchens now have seating for at least 4 people, house computers and workstations, and sometimes even televisions.
In the 1920s, kitchens were often small, with limited built in storage, and maybe a table for a work space. Most food was made fresh, from scratch. The staples were stored in a "Hoosier" cabinet or a built-in cupboard. Most "appliances" were hand-cranked, like small mixers or meat grinders. Work space consisted of a table or maybe a small countertop. Refrigerators were smaller and stoves were larger. Sinks were wide, shallow, and had massive drainboards.
Image from Library of Congress Archives
The ony reason I can think of for kitchens to be bigger and have more storage now is for convenience. We (as a society) cook fewer meals and spend less time doing it. Why do we need more space? With prepackaged foods gaining popularity, we needed somewhere to put them. Since we don't like to do things by had any more, we need appliances in abundance. And why should we hide our pretty small appliances away when we can have them conveniently sitting on the counter waiting for use?
I don't want to kill the resale value of our house (assuming we ever move), but I also need to assess the type of cooking that we do. We don't use many prepackaged foods, but I often buy things in quantity. We keep the staples on-hand: baking basics, spices and seasoning, pastas, cereals, some canned goods, and several types of crackers. I seem to use the same few pots and pans for everything. We've been phasing out plastic leftover containers, but the glass ones don't nest as well. I have too many appliances that I don't use. We own a blender that I think we've used twice. Our food processor gets used once or twice a year to chop onions and celery. I do use the electric hand mixer a lot. The food mill is used for pasta sauce, but I only make 1 or 2 big batches per year. The toaster oven and microwave seriously hog our counter space. I have a drawer full of utensils that never get used.
I already knew that we don't want a "modern" kitchen. For one thing, we don't have the space, but we also just don't live in such a way that the kitchen is the gathering space. We don't entertain too often, and we make simple meals that don't require hours of prep. When I do cook larger meals, though, I wish I had more prep space. A work table would be wonderful. We could also get by with less storage. Eh, I need to get through the upstairs first, but after looking at kitchen pics at the Library of Congress, I just started obsessing again...!
4/11/2008
Is this a good price for cabinets??
I've made a few calls to local cabinet makers, and I've had an extensive correspondance with one out of southwest Michigan (if we decide to work with him, I'll provide all relevant info). He's said he can replicate our original cabinets and is willing to work to tie in to the originals as well. Using paint-grade poplar plywood with solid doors he's quoting about $1600 without installation for 5 cabinets. Here is an illustration of the new cabinets. The originals are in gray, the new ones are white.
Also, if anyone has any comments on the layout, I'd be happy to hear them. The fridge will eventually be replaced with a counter-depth model. Unfortunately there's nowhere good to put it that won't make a tunnel of sorts. We're also considering recessing it between the studs, since the wall isn't load-bearing. As it stands, there's ~28" between the corner of the fridge and the chimney bump-out. The bump-out will be decreased by 2" when we remove the framing over the chimney and repair the plaster.
The dishwasher will be a 18" model, since I don't think a 24" will properly fit the opening. We'll see how it goes.
The 15" cabinet next to the sink will extend all the way back and will be fitted with some sort of sliding shelf mechanism to utilize the space.
3/25/2008
Giving up the dishwasher?
Since I'm chronically unable to focus on one thing at a time, I've been thinking about the kitchen again. Specifically, bringing our old, original cabinets back into the house. The real reason I'm even considering un-remuddling the kitchen before we've done the bathroom is the back porch/laundry room project. We need to rip out the carpeting that runs from the laundry area into the kitchen. I'd like to replace both with some nice, new Linoleum, instead of some cheapo temporary flooring. And if we're replacing the flooring, it only makes sense to get rid of the '80s cabinets and have the new gas line run at the same time as the dryer hookup is moved.
It would be a relatively cheap remodel. We fix up the cabinets on our own (~$200), buy new hardware (~$300, but we may be able to polish the old stuff), install flooring (~$1200 including labor), get a salvage sink (~$50)and buy a new range (~$500). After lighting and such, we could probably bring it in under $3000. Best of all, we could do it in stages, so it wouldn't be an all-at-once cost.
Here are the old cabinets, unhappily banished to the garage:
Imagine them a nice, clean cream or white. The refrigerator goes on the left, the stove on the right. The dishwasher goes...in the trash?
Dishwashers use a lot of energy. I found statistics online that said if you fill both basins of the sink with water for wash and rinse, you use 50% less water, and less energy to heat that water. We don't entertain often, and we usually run the dishwasher twice a week. It's rarely completely full when we run it, but we've run out of silverware, glasses, or bowls.
To help you visualize, here is the kitchen right now:
The door at the bottom leads to the stairs and basement.
And the original layout:
The original layout is good for the kitchen. It keeps it from looking cluttered and cramped. Right now, the refrigerator is right next to the door to the laundry room, and it feels very closed-in when you're walking through. It will be worse when we put back part of the wall that used to separate the dining room and kitchen.
Another pro is that when we take the cabinets and appliances off of the west (bottom) wall, we can have a heat vent back that is now covered by the stove.
A third plus is that the old cabinetry leaves room for a 40" stove. And I really wouldn't complain about having a nice, antique Chambers range... (And I just made the mistake of looking "Chambers range" up on ebay. There's a beautiful one an hour away in Valparaiso. I'm trying not to hyperventilate... Why did I look?!)
I'm just not sure if there's enough storage for a modern cooks. Granted, I don't even use all the storage in the kitchen now... And even though some cubpoards are full, I know I can pare it down if I have to. We could also install some shelves or cupboards between the studs on the west wall.
So, what do you think?
It would be a relatively cheap remodel. We fix up the cabinets on our own (~$200), buy new hardware (~$300, but we may be able to polish the old stuff), install flooring (~$1200 including labor), get a salvage sink (~$50)and buy a new range (~$500). After lighting and such, we could probably bring it in under $3000. Best of all, we could do it in stages, so it wouldn't be an all-at-once cost.
Here are the old cabinets, unhappily banished to the garage:
Imagine them a nice, clean cream or white. The refrigerator goes on the left, the stove on the right. The dishwasher goes...in the trash?
Dishwashers use a lot of energy. I found statistics online that said if you fill both basins of the sink with water for wash and rinse, you use 50% less water, and less energy to heat that water. We don't entertain often, and we usually run the dishwasher twice a week. It's rarely completely full when we run it, but we've run out of silverware, glasses, or bowls.
To help you visualize, here is the kitchen right now:
The door at the bottom leads to the stairs and basement.And the original layout:
The original layout is good for the kitchen. It keeps it from looking cluttered and cramped. Right now, the refrigerator is right next to the door to the laundry room, and it feels very closed-in when you're walking through. It will be worse when we put back part of the wall that used to separate the dining room and kitchen.Another pro is that when we take the cabinets and appliances off of the west (bottom) wall, we can have a heat vent back that is now covered by the stove.
A third plus is that the old cabinetry leaves room for a 40" stove. And I really wouldn't complain about having a nice, antique Chambers range... (And I just made the mistake of looking "Chambers range" up on ebay. There's a beautiful one an hour away in Valparaiso. I'm trying not to hyperventilate... Why did I look?!)
I'm just not sure if there's enough storage for a modern cooks. Granted, I don't even use all the storage in the kitchen now... And even though some cubpoards are full, I know I can pare it down if I have to. We could also install some shelves or cupboards between the studs on the west wall.
So, what do you think?
9/09/2007
Kitchen inspiration
I found this picture posted over at Schmich Schack, and it was like a lightbulb went on in my head.
Those are our cabinets! Remember the fugly green cabinets out in the garage?
Those are our cabinets! Remember the fugly green cabinets out in the garage?That's what they are supposed to look like! The ones in the picture even have the same hardware! I knew that they could look nice with some work, but I somehow wasn't able to extend my imagination far enough to see what they should be. I can't say I'm crazy about the green walls (they look nice, but it's not what I want in my kitchen), and I'd like a tile backsplash instead of the beadboard, but I now have a clear idea of what the cabinets should be. I ran it by Shayne, and it even meets his approval... :)
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