More than two years ago, I saw a remodeling magazine that featured a white kitchen with glass cabinet and Gothic muntins (or windowpane dividers). It was a design epiphany.
It was also the kitchen of two doctors, which should have clued me in that my aspirations were about to get the better of my budget.
Our front door has always been one of my favorite things about the house—why not carry that design into the kitchen cabinets? The kitchen cabinets led to a new Gothic door for the dining room corner cabinet (one of Cynthia's brainstorms). And then I got the idea to make the vaulted ceiling into a Gothic arch too. It was all Gothic, all the time around here.
Today, the three long-awaited glass kitchen doors arrived. Each door took these meticulous craftsmen ten hours to build. They are a true feat of woodworking. And they are not quite right.
I saw at first glance that the curves looked too round and not steep enough, and my heart sank. Here they sat, the kitchen's focal point, after years of planning, months of waiting, and dozens of work hours, and they just weren't right.
What's amazing about this unfortunate and very frustrating development is that Nelson and I were able to talk it over and figure out what happened, without any rancor on either side. (He used the exact proportions of the cabinets in the photo, but since our cabinets aren't as tall, those proportions led to rounder curves.)
They are completely beautiful. They just aren't quite Gothic. And knowing how much labor went into them, I felt awful beyond words.
"This is not something to lose sleep over," Nelson said. "I don't want you to fret about it. We want you to be happy." He apologized for not doing a layout first for us to look over, and I apologized for not asking for one.
I asked for time to think it over, thinking they might look all right to me in the morning, and he said it was fine to think about it as long as I didn't worry about it.
"We'll make this the way you want," he said firmly, as we looked at three doors that had taken his son Joe the better part of a week to make—time I'm sure was not fully covered by the cabinet bid in the first place.
By the end of the conversation, we were both laughing. And after Doyle left Nelson a message that we did want to try again on the doors, but that we would pay for the extra labor, Nelson called us back to tell me again not to worry about it, that they would get it right, and that all was well between us.
I appreciate that more than I can say. And rather than look back on what happened, I'm already looking forward to the next door design. I'm pretty sure it will be perfect.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Molokini
Right off the coast of Maui is a little cresent-shaped island called Molokini. Doyle and I snorkeled near there when we visited Hawaii some 15 years ago, and saw countless sea turtles and brilliantly colored fish. Molokini is markedly smaller than the other islands, but it is no less beautiful.
With that idyllic trip in mind, I have dubbed our new island Molokini. It's a slender 18" wide (the counter will overhang by a foot on one side) and just five and half feet long—tiny compared to most new kitchen islands.
Don't get me wrong: those big islands are fabulous, and well worth a visit. There's so much to see! Our neighbors' new kitchen is the home of an amazing, very well-designed Big Island, and it has already enjoyed significant face time with a visiting celebrity chef. It's packed with so much storage space that I can envision some of the drawers being set aside for out-of-season clothing. There is truly a place for everything.
Our little island will house not everything, but more than you'd think: a microwave, four regular-sized drawers, and two wide, deep drawers for pots and pans. There will be room for Will and Anna to perch on stools and do homework or have after-school snacks. (The picture is misleading—it will be turned when it's installed, with the drawers facing the sink wall.)
Best of all, its location is ideal, which counts for a lot when you're talking about islands, or any real estate for that matter. It will direct traffic through the kitchen, creating a much-needed walkway outside the work area.
Traffic should move through our new kitchen as freely as fish dart around the warm waters of Hawaii. And given Anna's love of vivid hues and Will's collection of plaid shorts, our activity may be just as colorful.
With that idyllic trip in mind, I have dubbed our new island Molokini. It's a slender 18" wide (the counter will overhang by a foot on one side) and just five and half feet long—tiny compared to most new kitchen islands.
Don't get me wrong: those big islands are fabulous, and well worth a visit. There's so much to see! Our neighbors' new kitchen is the home of an amazing, very well-designed Big Island, and it has already enjoyed significant face time with a visiting celebrity chef. It's packed with so much storage space that I can envision some of the drawers being set aside for out-of-season clothing. There is truly a place for everything.
Our little island will house not everything, but more than you'd think: a microwave, four regular-sized drawers, and two wide, deep drawers for pots and pans. There will be room for Will and Anna to perch on stools and do homework or have after-school snacks. (The picture is misleading—it will be turned when it's installed, with the drawers facing the sink wall.)
Best of all, its location is ideal, which counts for a lot when you're talking about islands, or any real estate for that matter. It will direct traffic through the kitchen, creating a much-needed walkway outside the work area.
Traffic should move through our new kitchen as freely as fish dart around the warm waters of Hawaii. And given Anna's love of vivid hues and Will's collection of plaid shorts, our activity may be just as colorful.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Moving right along
This week brought more cabinets (everything but the glass doors, island, desk, and window seat is in place), surprisingly complex ceiling molding, and the long-awaited new concrete by the front and back doors. We considered having Ringo contribute a paw-print, similar to Will and Anna's 2002 driveway handprints, but decided against it.
Thankfully, we aren't trapped despite having fresh concrete at both doors. Chad and Jordan built a sort of wooden platform so we can use the front door without leaving shoe prints. There's a smaller wooden plank in back, too, but I think I'll just stick to the front door for the next day or two, until the concrete is set.
We also have an installation date for the granite: June 3. Mark your calendars!
The next big question is the paint colors for the walls in the kitchen and the office/entry. I had hoped to wait until the counters were in place to choose the wall color (colors?), but it is more efficient for the painter to do everything at once. And it would keep things moving along.
What do you think? Can you choose a good wall color based on a small chip of granite?
Thankfully, we aren't trapped despite having fresh concrete at both doors. Chad and Jordan built a sort of wooden platform so we can use the front door without leaving shoe prints. There's a smaller wooden plank in back, too, but I think I'll just stick to the front door for the next day or two, until the concrete is set.
We also have an installation date for the granite: June 3. Mark your calendars!
The next big question is the paint colors for the walls in the kitchen and the office/entry. I had hoped to wait until the counters were in place to choose the wall color (colors?), but it is more efficient for the painter to do everything at once. And it would keep things moving along.
What do you think? Can you choose a good wall color based on a small chip of granite?
Friday, May 7, 2010
It's returnable
Whenever my sister gives a present, there is something she is compelled to convey to the recipient before the first rip in the wrapping paper:
"It's returnable!"
I've been thinking about this a lot as we're making some final selections.
Returnable:
• Stainless steel undermount sinks from Overstock.com. Yes, sinks. I ordered one single-bowl and one double-bowl so we could look at them in person before deciding. With a flat rate of $2.95 for shipping, why not?
• Lights from Rejuvenation.com ... although they cannot be returned once they have been installed. Still, it's comforting to know we can send them back if we don't like them out of the box.
• Disposer from Overstock.com (where I was thrilled to find Consumer Reports' top-rated disposer for half the suggested retail cost--a Waste King model with a lifetime warranty).
• Cabinet hardware from Restoration Hardware. Incidentally, they told me that if I order it by calling the Kansas City store instead of through the catalog or website, I won't pay tax or shipping. Nice.
Not Returnable:
• Floor tile (still in the beehive kiln in Ohio, or else being meshed by people who wish this idea had never occurred to us). If we don't like it, look for forty square feet of herringbone mosaic coming soon to eBay. Since it's custom, I can understand why it's not returnable.
• Marble backsplash tile. Not custom, yet also not returnable. Which is why I've decided to wait to order these until the counters are in place, so I can be sure I like them together.
• Kitchen faucet. It would have been returnable during the first week if uninstalled, but how am I supposed to tell if I like it before it's installed and has water running through it? It's a Grohe; I was amazed that prices varied by up to $100 from different online suppliers.
The cabinets are so handsome. I love the doors and the beading detail. And I have my fingers crossed that the Gothic muntins for the three glass doors will be the perfect finishing touch.
"It's returnable!"
I've been thinking about this a lot as we're making some final selections.
Returnable:
• Stainless steel undermount sinks from Overstock.com. Yes, sinks. I ordered one single-bowl and one double-bowl so we could look at them in person before deciding. With a flat rate of $2.95 for shipping, why not?
• Lights from Rejuvenation.com ... although they cannot be returned once they have been installed. Still, it's comforting to know we can send them back if we don't like them out of the box.
• Disposer from Overstock.com (where I was thrilled to find Consumer Reports' top-rated disposer for half the suggested retail cost--a Waste King model with a lifetime warranty).
• Cabinet hardware from Restoration Hardware. Incidentally, they told me that if I order it by calling the Kansas City store instead of through the catalog or website, I won't pay tax or shipping. Nice.
Not Returnable:
• Floor tile (still in the beehive kiln in Ohio, or else being meshed by people who wish this idea had never occurred to us). If we don't like it, look for forty square feet of herringbone mosaic coming soon to eBay. Since it's custom, I can understand why it's not returnable.
• Marble backsplash tile. Not custom, yet also not returnable. Which is why I've decided to wait to order these until the counters are in place, so I can be sure I like them together.
• Kitchen faucet. It would have been returnable during the first week if uninstalled, but how am I supposed to tell if I like it before it's installed and has water running through it? It's a Grohe; I was amazed that prices varied by up to $100 from different online suppliers.
The cabinets are so handsome. I love the doors and the beading detail. And I have my fingers crossed that the Gothic muntins for the three glass doors will be the perfect finishing touch.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
A shout-out to my readers at BU — that means both of you
Thanks for reading this ... it means a lot.
I promise to check with you first should I require any colorants at any stage of this project.
Now, get back to work!
I promise to check with you first should I require any colorants at any stage of this project.
Now, get back to work!
More cabinets than I ever imagined
With every cabinet that goes up, the kitchen looks bigger to me. I didn't anticipate that. Maybe it's because I can start to really see the storage spaces we've been planning for so long.
Good news: the Dover White is exactly the shade I wanted. Even with lots of stark white drywall still exposed, this kitchen already feels warm to me. I love it!
In other news, we finally, finally decided on pendants to go over the island. We ordered them from Rejuvenation, the same place we found the back door hanging light. I think they will look great, and they were vastly more affordable than the antique options we were considering. At this point in the project, that's a very good thing.
Good news: the Dover White is exactly the shade I wanted. Even with lots of stark white drywall still exposed, this kitchen already feels warm to me. I love it!
In other news, we finally, finally decided on pendants to go over the island. We ordered them from Rejuvenation, the same place we found the back door hanging light. I think they will look great, and they were vastly more affordable than the antique options we were considering. At this point in the project, that's a very good thing.
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