The Kitchen Details (This Post is Longer Than I Planned)

We are still riding high on the New Kitchen Express, and really enjoy cooking our own meals- even if we did promise to start eating [much] better with the completion of the project. I'm confident my waistline and our equity are already better for it.

Diving into the kitchen renovation was exciting and overwhelming. So much to do and no idea as to where to start? While we wandered blindly at first, things slowly started taking shape and we gained some momentum.

In mid-December, we demo'd the old kitchen, and refinished the floor. WHAT a RUSH! We moved the gas line and installed ventilation. New cabinets, new lighting, paint, counter top, appliances, backsplash and voila: in just under 3 months, we had a new kitchen!

All of the lighting came from Rejuvenation. We replaced the existing center light fixture with the Thurman fixture and 12" Schoolhouse shade. Over the sink we installed Dana fixtures withBell shades. There was a bit of a snag with the Dana fixtures, but the exchange was easy. We also had a scare with the ceiling fixture, but the cabinet above the refrigerator just barely missed making contact with the shade- phew!

If you read the kitchen reveal post, you might remember that I surrendered creative decision making over. It was while we were counter top shopping. I was the sticking point. We were not impressed by the selection of natural stone slabs- in fact, I would say we were quite disappointed. We settled on Corian. It was easy to order (I think...) , installed quickly and thecolor is perfect.

Oh, and that tile? It's discontinued, and I can't find it on the Internet. But it's exists. Browns, tans and creams in glass and a travertine-like material. I'm sorry I can't find more information!

We chose a 30" single bowl Kraus sink. It is 10" deep, made of 16-gauge stainless steel, and arrived with it's included grate (and random golf towel). The grate is nice- when you're using the sink, dishes do not sit in dirty water, and your sponge can fall in without getting saturated. Sometimes the grate needs to be moved to wash the sink or get all the scraps into the disposer. The sink can be found here.

Along with a new under mount sink, we chose a wall mounted faucet. That means we won't be cleaning that nasty seam where the fixtures meet, anytime soon. During the design phase of this project, ease of use, cleaning and maintenance has been a priority. The faucet is found here.

Before I forget, I'd like to introduce you to the Waste King 8000 TC! The disposer is BIG, and takes up a lot of room under the sink. It has received great reviews, and seems very well built. It does not need a switch- it can be wired directly to the power, because the on/off switch is triggered by the cap. When you feed scraps into the disposer, you insert the cap, with water running, and press down. By lining up the notches, the cap presses the button that turns on the disposer. Our Waste King still has a wall switch, so we have to turn it on (and off) twice. I like to think of it as a safety measure. We saved on this purchase here.

The next three appliances came from this store.

The new dishwasher also has a food grinder, and is *whisper* quiet. So far, this baby has made us very happy. It has a variety of settings, including "Sanitize," but, so far, we have only used the "Normal" setting.

Before the renovation, the kitchen depended entirely on the window for ventilation. Adding an exhaust hood was important. This micro-hood has already made us very happy. I haven't been able to find a link to this exact model, but Sears carries many Kenmore microhoods.

The range is almost identical to our old range. It has a broiler and 4 gas burners. It does not have the perma-grime stains, which is a bonus, and is 8 years younger.

The refrigerator is pretty slick, with 24 cubic feet of counter depth food storage space. Features include "theater lighting," Multiflow cooling and it is Energy Star compliant. This last appliance was purchased at this outlet. Shopping at the outlet saved us a bundle, but we learned a couple lessons for the next time.

Finally, the feature I am most pleased with: the bulkheads! I thought they would look fine. I think they actually look great, and give the appliance an integrated feel and appearance, making them part of the kitchen, rather just something stuck at the end of the row of cabinets.

Next to the refrigerator, you can see that grate we reworked for the modified vent. That grate represents my greatest DIY victory to date.

Dare I invite feedback? Of course, like all bloggers, I get really excited about comments and treasure each of them. So... What do you think? Are you in the middle of a reno/remodel/restoration? If so, please do share a story or comment with a link to your blog so we can enjoy yours story, too!