kitchen
In most homes, the kitchen is the center of all the action. This is true in our house as well. However, our kitchen actually is the center of everything. It is literally the hallway of the house. Every room is connected via the kitchen, which explains why the space has 5 doorways and about 20% efficiency!
We quickly realized that while the room is generous by 1910 standards, the layout created a lot of wasted space. As part of the overall design, the kitchen will be completely gutted and moved about 5 feet [in progress now!]. We didn’t touch the kitchen (with the few exceptions detailed below) until the Spring of 2010. To read all about our 2010 kitchen progress, click here for an archive of related posts.
August + September 2006
As Kyle demoed to make way for the new dishwasher, we discovered the remains of some old newspaper from 1955 that had been used as shelf liner.
If only our car had “terrific new power”.
We also found a half full box of Lipton tea from approximately the same era. It must have fallen between the cabinets somehow.
This is precisely why we tried to get as much done prior to moving in! Fortunately, we had about a month overlap before we had to be out of our rental. We didn’t quite get through our ambitious list, but we did get things spiffed up to a certain level.
Well, at least we didn’t have to worry about protecting the kitchen.
Our new fridge! It is a Danish model, sold through Summit in the U.S. Not only is it the perfect size for two and for small spaces, but it is extremely energy efficient and costs just under $1000.
August 2009
Here are a few photos of the “current state” of the kitchen. Not too different from the “before” images.
New dishwasher, new water filter at the sink. That’s a respirator hanging up to dry above the sink.
We bought a used range from a friend that was remodeling his kitchen. It’s not fancy, but it was a huge upgrade from what came with the house [which, for the record, we never used] and the glass top often doubles as a workspace. We installed an IKEA butcher block over the laminate counter to the left of the range and it serves as the main work surface in the kitchen. The outlet (painted green), has one receptacle for the vent hood and one receptacle that must be shared with the mixer, crock pot, ice cream maker, waffle maker, toaster, griddler, blender, food processor and every other small appliance that we own (as well as the vacuum on occasion). The floor register is for return air and while it’s awkward now, its location will make more sense post-kitchen remodel.
Kyle built the shelf insert next to the dishwasher. We added the plastsic drawers as a temporary fix to our drawer-less kitchen. The bottom shelves are for pots and pans.
Comments are closed.
I found your site through apartment therapy, it’s really great to see other DIY folks putting such love into thier homes.
Not sure if this is the appropriate spot, but just wanted to offer to take those original cabinets off your hands when you’re ready. I live over in cap hill, I can do removal myself and i’m willing to pay for the pleasure if that’s an issue. My house is of the same vinatage and i’m slowly doing a “retro reno”.
you can contact me at baileydotcandiceatgmaildotcom if your interested in that.
http://cid-c7c781d2bfd40d17.skydrive.live.com/play.aspx/1918%20Bungalow?ref=1
Hi Candice,
Thanks for the cabinet offer! Unfortunately, I’m not sure they can be reused since they were built in place (i.e. – the back of the cabinets is just the wall behind). We probably will try to salvage the glass doors but they’re not in the greatest shape either (some cracked glass). Have you tried ReStore? Keep an eye on Craigslist too…I’ve seen ads in the past for old kitchen cabinets.
-Lauren
Yep, that era would have been built in place, the wall forms the 6th side.
At this point it’s looking like I’ll end up building my cabinets from scratch to get the look I want and any pieces to the puzzle would come in handy.
Second use is actually my top choice for salvage, you might actually want to check them out for some of the high end appliances that end up there. I scored my subzero for remarkable little scratch.
Thanks for the tip on Second Use…didn’t know they had high end appliances!
Since you have had your fridge for a while now, do you recommend it and did you find a distributor in Seattle? I live in town and have only space for a 24″ fridge. There aren’t a lot of reviews out there for it.
Thanks,
Hye Son Yi
Hi,
We do recommend it. We have two of them in my office and have used them on other projects. We bought ours through AJ Madison (online) but I believer they carry them locally at Almvigs (65th and Roosevelt). Our is pretty simple – no defroster, icemaker, etc. though I believe Summit/Conserv has come out with additional models that have these features. I believe there are also more 24″ options out there now, so you might check out both Almvigs and Albert Lee and see what’s new. Hope this helps!