Kitchen Remodel

Here is where we started our kitchen remodel back when we first bought our home. From this setup, we changed it significantly by adding two 4 x 4 posts to both sides of the island, thereby giving us a place to install a pot rack. We had no way to install the pot rack in the ceiling. The thing we found almost useless was the angle of the island. At first it seemed like a unique way to place an island. It wasn't long before it was a total pain.
  •  Original Kitchen

    Original Kitchen

  •  Pot Rack W/4 X 4 Posts

    Pot Rack W/4 X 4 Posts

kitchen-remodel-9-2017
Above was my first finished rendition of our kitchen remodel. The final one is completed below. The difference is the hutch has been removed and I changed the carts near the pellet stove to be more accurate pictures of what they contain.

Yes, that's a gigantic Kitchen Aid stand mixer sitting on the floor and looking like a commercial mixer. Though in reality it is a Univex 20 quart commercial mixer because there are no substitutes for a commercial mixer with the program I use for designing my projects. I don't have a single Kitchen Aid product in my home. My husband got their top-of-the-line handheld mixer, and I used it to make a batch of whole wheat chocolate chip oatmeal cookies. At the time I didn't own a stand mixer. Halfway through mixing in the last of the flour, smoke started pouring out of the motor. The Kitchen Aid Handheld mixer bit the big one and died. Since then I have owned only Cuisinart Stand and Handheld mixers. They take a licking and keep on kicking. The Univex can make six loaves of whole wheat bread at a time.

When the kitchen is finished I plan to make an all time favorite which my husband has never tasted: Kiana's Seven Keys Bread. It's a loaf of bread which I developed back in 1979 to 1980 to rave reviews by anyone who ever got to taste it. A friend, after tasting the bread, introduced me to a restaurant owner who wanted me to become their chief baker and make my bread exclusively for their place. It's the darkest loaf of bread I've ever developed, being almost black in color.

The window on the back wall near the mixers used to be the 8 by 4 foot window. It really does look like the picture now except the cabinets and the wall color are not as shown. That gets finished next. I wasn't certain I wanted the walls to be that deep yellow color until bigger sections got painted. Then I fell in love with the color. It's rich and warm.

All of the windows in the dining area have deep wooden blinds on them. The color matches the cabinets. I haven't decided if I want the dining room table in wood or painted. And the cushion color on the window seat isn't decided either. Though I do like the contrast of an aqua accent and maybe some purple dishes for accents as well.

In the island on the other end near the refrigerator will be a recycling center. Right now the recyclables are all over the utility room and kitchen in different receptacles which I dislike. I was trying to decide if I wanted to keep the original island base cabinet when I came up with a great idea for it: A recycling center. My husband loved the idea because we are avid recyclers, keeping us down to one 13-gallon trash bag each week for our entire household. The only down side is taking it to the recycler ourselves because there is no service for that.
Stacks Image 9