Kitchen Memories & Contemplations

Kitchen Memories & Contemplations seemed to be a more fitting title than Kitchen Face Lift or Remake because this is truly about the memories of this little 10'x18' room and the decisions involved in the changes that will be taking place. So bear with me on this one. I am not sure it is worthy of a story/episode in my book, so for now, it will take center stage on my blog.

If you are fairly new to reading or following my blog this will bring you up to speed. Our house was built in 1954. We bought it and moved in in September 1977. Other than painting and changing floor coverings and wall decor, the house is as it was when we bought it, until 2011 when we started the first face lift project. Click on this link to see that story.

I fell in love with the house the minute I walked in that August day. I saw beyond what it was (that is a story in and of itself) and saw what it could become with someone who would love it and take care of it...and we did. I loved it because of the large maple trees in the yard. I loved it because we could grow into the three bedroom ranch. I loved it for its location close to a good school, and a block from the park and our church. I loved it because it had a walk-in closet that I saw as a walk-in pantry. But I will come back to that.

So here are the BEFORE photos:

I am standing with my back to the pantry door.

The fridge is to my right & unseen from this angle.

To my left is the 'back' door. Behind me on my left is the 

pantry door. Behind me to the right is the opening (doorway)

to the basement & dining/living room. And to my right-right is the opening 

(doorway) to the hall, the front door and the rest of the house.

You need to know all this to understand the contemplation piece of this post.

(There is a memory to the table that I will include later in this post.)

The country blue that has adorned the walls, the window coverings,  

the hand towels, the appliance covers, and floor rugs will be GONE! 

I have NOT selected the next color. 

I have a few days before I HAVE to make that decision. 

I think it has been country blue since the late 80s,

 before our daughter's high school graduation.

Back to reminiscing: 
The kitchen was small, but I'm a one-person-kitchen sort of person, so its smallness was okay with me. We were a family of three at the time. Besides, it had a walk-in closet/pantry. The walk-in never held coats and boots as was probably intended since it was right next to the 'back door'. It was large enough to house our first dishwasher. We rolled it out of the pantry, across the kitchen floor to hook it to the sink. It housed our first microwave in 1981. That sucker was so large and so heavy it had it's own built-in stand made of 2x4s in the pantry, above the portable dishwasher. Eventually the dishwasher became a built-in and I lost a lower kitchen cabinet. But that was OK, because I had the PANTRY! The microwaves got smaller and became under-the-counter mounts. And the walk-in pantry became more of a "if it doesn't fit anywhere else, put it in the pantry" storage place over the years.


The pantry late last week:

The left side wall of the pantry was the back wall of a built-in

hutch that was at the top of the landing coming up from the basement.

Over time, we added shelves to the back wall and the wall on the right. 

Because it was a walk-in it housed a lot of stuff, most of which

was moved to the garage before this photo.

The built-in hutch: 

The hutch was home to my set of china and blue glassware until I bought a formal dining set with table, chairs and a china hutch. (In the mid 1980s, maybe?) The built-in hutch then held the 'second best' set of dishes...the white Corelle ware, place settings for 12 (the china was an 8 piece place setting and the gourmet group had 9 and 10 members over the years) and other good, but not best dishes and glassware. It had a shelf that has housed my purse for 35 years. (THAT I will miss.) 

When the discussions began for the kitchen project two or three years ago, Hubby was adamant that the hutch had to go. I had to grow into the idea. Finally, when the discussions got to the final stage and the contractor shared how the hutch could be walled on the outside and the shelves could become another inside wall of the pantry, I consented to the change. All those dishes I have collected  over the years (finally able to afford them and just plain really wanted because they were cute) would still have a home, just not a visible home to anyone and everyone. 

So that was the final decision last August when the cupboards and counter top were selected. And that was the decision until Monday. But more on that in a bit.

The kitchen table and it's 4 country blue roller chairs

went to the church rummage sale last week. 

I hope they found a good home!

I think the table has been in our kitchen for about 25 years.

Back to reminiscing:

We had not been living in the house too many years before I saw this table with two chairs and a bench in the JC Penneys catalog and ordered it for the kitchen. The chairs and bench were covered in a faux leather the color of warm, rich caramel. The bench sat under the window. When it was meal time, we slide the table out, put the two kids behind on the bench and we sat on the chairs. Since there wasn't much room to move around, everything was on the table when we sat down for our meals. And every meal was at that table. When the table was not in use, the big chairs slid under along the empty side, giving me room to work. And it did work. The table top matched the counter (not sure if the new counter came before the table or after), the wood trim matched the cupboards and wainscot and its sturdy steel frame stood up to the sliding in and out, two and three times a day for more years than I truly can remember. Maybe ten or fifteen years ago we got rid of the caramel colored bench and big awkward chairs and replaced them with the roller chairs. Speaking of big and awkward! But they tilted and Hubby wanted tilting chairs on rollers. Not such a great idea as we get older! 

Many, many years ago for a short time, probably less than a year, we had a house cat named Mittens. Mittens was black with white paws. She was the most and only unfriendly creature to live with us. We got her from the shelter over the summer at our daughter's begging and pleading. (Maybe it was her May birthday gift one year?) When we all went back to school in the fall, Mittens bit the corners on the backs of the kitchen chairs. She bit and chewed other items and furniture as well. She was declawed so she did not claw or scratch, but she loved to bite. She was moved to a farm where she led a very healthy, unsociable, and long life as an outdoor cat. The chairs and bench were consigned as "is" with Mitten's territorial marks. 

Monday, April 29th:

Because the walls of this house are plaster, a remake of the kitchen

was impossible without taking it to the studs. The face lift had to

include updated wiring and more electrical outlets, and as we 

found out, some new pipes for plumbing with shut-off valves.

It didn't take too long for the crew of three to get to the bare walls.

This is in reference to the first photo...

The sunlight is coming through the back door on the right.

Jesse is in the walk-in pantry.

The opening/doorway to the basement & living room is the first

plastic covered doorway on the left. The second plastic

doorway on the far left leads to the hallway and 

the rest of the house. Pretty basic & raw.

The plan was to widen the doorway to the pantry, allowing for

bi-fold doors and widen a wee bit the doorway to the basement

and dining/living room, just because. 

And then they removed the built-in hutch...

I am standing in the pantry looking at the doorway 

to the basement. Dining/living room is on the right.

Standing in the hallway doorway saying good-bye

to the built-in hutch.

It was this scene that was a lightning bolt moment.

Kitchen Contemplation:

OMG! Look how open the kitchen became once the hutch wall was removed and the pantry walls were gone! What if that wall was completely removed? (Does a wall with two doorways...more open than solid...count as a wall?) Would I gain use able space if the fridge was moved to the pantry area and a floor to ceiling cabinet/cupboard became the pantry? Maybe a peninsula could be built where the fridge was located? Could the dining area be moved to the pantry location? Would I gain anything besides a more open feeling? 

These were NOT new questions. I have thought about all of them and more for two years. But actually seeing the possibilities raised them again. The contractor graciously halted work and answered my questions. The cupboard man stopped by and talked me through ideas and possibilities, again. Of course, knowing the new cupboards were built and waiting to be installed and knowing the counter top was also cut and waiting installation had a bit of influence with the final decision. 

But what really helped to tip the scale was remembering what I loved about this house 35 years ago. The pantry. That was reinforced when my daughter-in-law and I were discussing her dream kitchen. "It would have a walk-in pantry" she said, "just like your kitchen!" So...the pantry would stay, but with some modifications. The pantry will not be as deep as it was, but it will be, be larger and more use able because it will be all shelves. 

The contractor has removed the wall above the doorway leading to the basement & dining/living room. Just that little change makes the kitchen feel more open. His crew also removed the door frame leading to the basement. Now it is an opening, not a doorway. These wee changes will make moving furniture out of (no more will go into) the basement a bit less confining. (The front wall of the pantry is now where the pantry ceiling light is in the above photo.)

BUT...changing the original walls of the pantry meant we would need new flooring. The laminate had been cut around the pantry walls. We had no extra pieces. The floor product we had chosen 15-20 years ago is not made anymore. So off I went on the hunt for kitchen floor covering; something to compliment the counter top and the cabinets. Last August I chose a counter top and cabinet color to compliment the laminate floor that was going to stay in the kitchen. I brought home 7 or 8 samples. We looked at them in late afternoon light, in evening light. (We still had a kitchen ceiling light Monday night.) And I played with everything Tuesday morning. I made a decision. (Notice the pronoun.) I am hoping it will look as good, once it is all done, as I envision it. The slight problem is the flooring installers are booked until next week Friday. Ideally, the flooring should be installed a week from today. But it is what it is. In the big picture two days won't matter.

Tuesday, April 30th:

The electrician spent the day at the house.

He installed can lights (more than I will need) and 

many electrical outlets along the soon-to-be back splash.

He also did a few other little projects since he was here.

He will be returning.

Wednesday morning:

By 8:00 this morning I had four men in my kitchen and I wasn't married to any of them! At 9:00 the plumbing crew appeared, adding 3 more bodies in the 10x18 space. Some were in the attic. Some in the basement. But working around all of them was the contractor and his crew stuffing insulation and covering the ceiling and walls with sheet rock. (I don't think it is called sheet rock any more.) Most of you know I am not a morning person. I say hi. Ask if there is anything I need to know and disappear into the living room with my computer. 

The plumbing crew

I was going to say not a crack to be seen...

but that isn't quite true!

An aside comment that has nothing to do with the work in the house: Earlier this week I saw a TV commercial advertising shirts for plumbers. The shirts are 4 inches longer than regular shirts and made by a company in MN and advertised as plumber shirts. I think the name of the shirts has crack in it. I hope I see the commercial again, now that it has relevance. 

This is how the north wall looked at noon today

when peace and quiet returned for an hour.

3:00 PM today, Wednesday, May 1

There may be an update or two before the cupboards are in place.

You'll just have to check back every now and then.

Until then...

I will continue to wipe up, wipe off, vacuum and Swiffer

fine white dust. I think I have seen the end of the wood 

chips and shavings. 

We will continue to eat out as trying to think of crock pot

and microwave meals is becoming boring. 

I know, I know... day 3 of 21 or more???

Pictures of the grandson will break up the monotony

of my whining about the kitchen project.