Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Kitchen designer

The kitchen designer came and looked at my kitchen yesterday. She asked how much I wanted to spend, and said that it was very doable. She took some measurements and will take them back to her office to draw up some ideas. It's a pretty small space, so I don't imagine that there will be big revelations, but there were a few things that I'd like to see drawn out (literally).

For one thing, the cabinets are original. This means they are shallow (18" deep from the wall instead of 24") and that the counters are about 4" lower than what is done today. We talked about getting more counter space by making the new cabinets turn the corners onto the presently bare walls, and I'm excited to see what that looks like. It sorts of feels like there will be a lot less space in the middle of the room, but that's fine.

I'll get a dishwasher, even if I don't use it much for just me. It will be nice to have it when I'm cooking several things and would otherwise have to stop and do dishes to make room for the next recipe. I don't particularly like my stove, so I'll probably get another. I like my fridge just fine, but I'm wondering if I should replace that as well to... what, start fresh with new appliances? The designer did say there are smaller fridges out there, and it does dominate the room, so maybe I'll check it out. I could live with keeping both stove and fridge if it comes to that.

Anyone want to weigh in on appliance colors? I do like how bright my kitchen is with its yellow cabinets and white appliances. Does anyone just love their stainless steel appliances?

I'm going to call the builder the designer recommended, and then talk to the builder that did Mr W's room when I first moved in and see what it's going to take to do both the kitchen and the deck. Cha-ching (in the money way, not really the 'wow I just got something great' way).

It struck me as I drove back to work yesterday that I can stay here if I want. That I'm meeting more and more people who are part of this neighborhood, part of the community here, and I am part of it too. It was sort of like the feeling when one rides without training wheels and thinks, "Hey, I'm doing it!"

6 comments:

  1. I'm a fan of white appliances. Although I have a stainless steel second refrigerator in our entryroom which I would not give up, the door of it shows every single fingerprint that walks by! My daughter had a black door on her refrigerator house before last and had the same problem with it. She also said the black color felt much too "heavy" in the kitchen.

    In this day and age, living in an area or neighborhood or community where you feel comfortable is a big, big plus. Why not have your home as pleasing and efficient and comfortable as possible?

    Will we have lots of pictures as this project progresses? Please, please, please?

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  2. I'm a fan of white appliances, too. Stainless is a fad - and impossible to keep clean (all those fingerprints!) and FORGET black. I have black-fronted stove and dishwasher and I h.a.t.e them. Having a functional, nicely 'flowing' kitchen is so nice. And well worth the investment. Even though I can't walk to anything, living in a small town certainly has its advantages - you never feel alone and people do keep their eye on you. It's nice to belong.

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  3. Yeah, I like white, too. It's plenty bright here in CO, but the idea of a dark kitchen doesn't do anything for me.

    Yes, I'll take lots of pictures. :-)

    Indeed, the word for the feeling that I got was that I belonged. It's still kind of profound.

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  4. Linda - why not do fully-integrated appliances... you face them with cabinet fronts and they disappear into the kitchen; can do the DW and refrigerator/freezer. If I were designing a kitchen I would opt for as many drawers as possible, especially on the lower cabinets. Have fun with it!!
    PS: I agree on the SS & black appliances - upkeep is difficult!

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Hi, sorry to make the humans do an extra step.