The Kitchen That Could - Part One

Back in May of this year I said goodbye forever to my kitchen in Houston so that I could live in the country in the 1860's farmhouse that Brad and I have been remodeling for 20 years.  Just kidding, it's only been like 2 years...but it dang sure feels like 20 years!  Here's a look back at the kitchen when we first started tackling it many moons ago...it was in rough shape.  The kitchen was in a part of the house were the roof had been leaking for a long time and it needed our help B-A-D!




And take a look at the "padding" we found when we pulled up the flooring....check out the dates too!




I never knew that Lane Bryant was around in those days! :)


Anyway, sorry about the trip down memory lane, but the unfinished kitchen in our country home has been a huge source of frustration.  You see, trying to cook in that kitchen is like camping...seriously.  I have a 2 burner hot plate and a microwave to work with.   (sorry, cleaning THIS thing is just not high on my priorities these days)


But now I have this!


Yes, our refrigerator is in there and we have a utility sink...so running water is a big plus, but still, everything is everywhere and trying to cook the smallest thing is a huge undertaking.



Don't ask...not sure how a banjo, guitar and a box of booze got crammed in the kitchen either!




So a couple of weeks ago we decided it's now or never and we decided come hell or high water, this kitchen was going to get finished by Thanksgiving!  I wanted to be able to bake in my kitchen for Christmas dangit!  So we successfully got our cabinets, new stove and a dishwasher.  Now, anyone who's a relative or a friend of the family and has ever visited this house before the remodel, knows that there has never been a Voelkel woman with the luxury of a DISHWASHER in this house unless of course, it's the kind with 2 hands and a heartbeat.  So I am over the moon to know that I will be THE FIRST Voelkel woman to be able to use a dishwasher!



This past weekend my step dad came out to help Brad install the cabinets and stove.  And thank goodness for my step dad who recommended the layout that I wanted for this kitchen...even though our prior measurements determined that it wouldn't work.  Guess we don't know how to use a tape measure too well? :)


With the new layout, we have tons of room, so much that we have a surprise addition that will make you say - holy moly that was a great idea!

On Monday we went to Ikea and spent a good part of the day there.  By the end of the day, my dogs were barking, my brain was mush and we had some pretty awesome stuff.  We decided to use their butcher block counter tops.  I LOVE the look of it and think it will look awesome with the farmhouse feel that we're going for.  We also got a pretty neat light fixture too...but you'll have to wait and see that once we reveal the surprise addition!

Yesterday we got busy doing a little customization on our cabinets.  When we purchased them from Home Depot, they were your average run of the mill oak cabinets, nothing fancy.  But thanks to our friend Beverly down the road, the owner of The Round Top Farmhouses, she gave us a really cool idea to save money and give them a more custom look.  We purchased a sheet of beadboard and cut it into pieces that fit inside the inset of the cabinet and secured them with some liquid nail and tah-dah!!!



 Pretty snazzy huh?  All we have to left to do now is to caulk and paint them.

We've been agonizing over the color for a while now, but we finally agreed on black cabinets and we're going to try to tackle that today and tomorrow.  That's the progress report for now...stay tuned for more updates this weekend or early next week!

2 comments:

Isabelle Bazan said...

Girl, you are bringing back some memories for me!! I remember living in my house and cooking in a makeshift kitchen, too. It was fun for a VERY little while and I was sooooo ready for the kitchen to progress. I'll bet it's something to look forward to everyday to bring such personal custom changes to your house. Can't wait to see the finished room.

*Jennifer* said...

oh girl, I knew you wanted out of the city, but i didn't know you wanted out this bad.....;)..more power to ya though, it looks like it is going to be well worth it! and lucky dog, I have always wanted black cabinets...can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Post a Comment

Give me some love! :)