2014's Resolution: Kitchen

2014's resolution for me was the kitchen. Instead, we gutted and rehabbed the bathroom. I'm not complaining, because the bathroom was hideously ugly and more importantly - it's DONE and I never have to do it again.

Now that the cold weather has arrived, I'm readying the cutters and sledge hammer for the kitchen. Waiting a year (by accident, really) has given me a chance to think on my old design, and I've come up with another I'm toying with.

Plan A: Counter seating

Plan A: Counter seating

Plan B: Built-in bench with round table

Plan B: Built-in bench with round table

I was really sold on the 2 stool/counter space before but now I'm not so sure.

Kitchen Virtual Makeover

Thank GOD for computers and programs. I can only image how fucking divorced I'd be if I made Guy move things around multiple times to see what I liked in a room.

I found a totes awesome program that lets me move things around. I think I may have come up with a decent and fairly *cheap* way to get a better looking and more functional kitchen. Here's some reminder photos of my small and stupidly designed eat-in kitchen.

Let me tell you, my house layout is all over my neighborhood. BUT... since our house is a corner house, we have that back door, as see above. Other houses have the door on the side of the house, so they can use that space there for a table. If we do that, we block ourselves in and it feels congested and awful.

So conclusion: House builder fail.

Here's our current layout:

On the North side are our only cabinets plus sink and a table we've yet to actually use.

South side is an exit door, oven, a cart with booze and a microwave, fridge and wall that juts out to hide the chimney stack.

What I hate about this configuration:  No flow, at all. Not nearly enough counter space. Double sink (not seen in mockup) is really overkill. No dishwasher. No matter how we position a table it feels "wrong".

Meh.

Here's my proposed layout:

Here's what's good about this: We're reusing ALL the cabinetry. Would eliminate the metal microwave shelf. Would add some shelving, would add a DISHWASHER. Would extend countertop by a mile or so.

As you can see, seating would be built in. A risk? Maybe, but for us, it would really work. The big expense in this entire change would be a dishwasher, stools, and countertop. We already purchased a new sink (smaller and deeper) and paint for the cabinets is fairly cheap.

Second Story Inspiration

Dresser is about halfway finished. Gel stain is STICKY and mineral spirits are wonderful.

Meh.

Anyway, our Cape Cod's layout is fairly typical, especially on the second floor. It's a half story with 2 small dormers.

The bit of white on the left is the bathroom that we're finishing up now. There's a a good amount of  storage. It's decently sized and currently holds nothing.

Obviously the paneling is ugly. There's some staining on the acoustic ceiling tile, but it could be painted. The carpeting is still there, aside from a couple big stains, it is in very good condition. I'd like to turn this into living space that we actually would go up and spend time in, if that makes sense. A sofa is a definite, but I'd love to get creative with it, too.

So, paint the paneling? There's ONE light... our neighbor gave us 2 big fixtures that match and are brand new, so they are going up (unless I can con hubs into recessed lighting), and I'd like to make that one light into two, one on each side. 

Until that day arrives, help yourself to some attic eye candy:

Nautical and cozy! Source

Love the color, lights, built-in.

Built in seating/shelving. I like the way it curves with the ceiling.

I wish. Source

The Newport from Lewis Mfg.

Here's a authentic 1939 illustration and floorplan of a home that is nearly identical to our little Cape.

 

This is the layout of my house. How neat! If you have a home built around this era, you can check out more floorplans there.  Otherwise, it's still a blast to check out all the beautiful old illustrations and color schemes.