The above picture is a rendering of my proposed kitchen remodel floor plan with window seats.
The most exciting development in the last week is that a Paonia, Colorado customer has asked if she could have my old cabinets and help with the demolition project. She came over, made measurements, took pictures, went home and called back a little while later saying she thought everything would work in her kitchen and is very excited and so am I.
I really am old-fashioned at heart, I believe in the old adage of “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
So why am I no longer making do with these serviceable cabinets, then?
My kitchen remodeling project has several goals:
1. Replace/Update 35 year old appliances that are not repairable.
2. Re-do the kitchen layout so the kitchen can accommodate more people and add an island to facilitate traffic flow.
3. Expand the existing small kitchen space into the existing dining space to add a desk and get family paperwork off kitchen counters and move the dining room table into the existing sun room, a large space that is underutilized.
4.) Most importantly, I intend this “new” kitchen to be my future studio for producing instructional DVD’s.
In the last week I have been able to reduce the cabinet costs by choosing to use rustic alder (it’s on sale this month) instead of rustic cherry, making minor cabinet modifications that don’t take away from the original design, and identifying other cost saving options.
My plan is to order the new cabinets next week, and use the week-end to decide whether to keep the window seat cabinets (lots of extra storage and seating) or eliminate these cabinets from the project to cover other costs. An elder in our church who I consult when facing big decisions has encouraged me to give myself permission to waffle back and forth in the next few days, – yes, I want the window cabinets, no – I can live without them. So that is what I’m going to do.
The above picture shows a representation of the kitchen without the window seat cabinets. Whether I do with or without the window seat I will be putting a small bistro table in the space in front of the window for eating. The funny looking beams at the ceiling line represent beams going up to a cathedral ceiling in the new kitchen area. The existing kitchen area ceiling will have to stay the traditional 8 feet.
I’d love to hear from you with your thoughts.
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