Skip to main content

Zen kitchen

 
A leak rendered my dilapidated kitchen a disaster area beginning the week after New Years and ending April 25. In the process of reconstruction we addressed two dozen issues including demolition of damaged cabinets, painting, patching, new overhead light, new plugs, new counters, new sink and faucet, new Elfa pantry and wall shelving, and total cleaning and reorganization. My friend Janet asked for some pictures of the result, and I hope she is pleased by my offering here. This kitchen is by no means fancy, but every bit of it makes me very happy. I thank Duane from ServPro in Brighton, MI who supervised the construction, all his helpers, and my daughter Alisa for guiding and helping every step of the way. Alisa ordered and installed all the custom Elfa shelving and she recycled and re-purposed several carloads of material from the kitchen reorganization. She made all the hard things seem easy, as always. Thank you, all.
Nebby friend Drake Mallard wants to see what's going on!
New Elfa shelving that replaced damaged cabinets
New sink and faucet
New knobs on cabinets
Long shot showing new counter and repainted vent over stove as well as new smaller microwave
Baking area with new counter, repaired wall, and painted base cabinet
New bowls from Crate & Barrel
New Elfa pantry
Wax apples, tea cozies, and graduated cylander (none new)
In the dinette area adjacent to the kitchen, the little candelier is from PartiLite.
I made a new valence for the dinette window using an old sheet I like very much. 
I made the placemat last year for the porch, but it looks nice in my new space.
The dining room adjacent to the kitchen has been cleared of all kitchen-related items and is ready to become my craft space. I will paint the walls -- maybe Martha Stewart's "fig" color.

Kitchen re-do accomplishments:
  1. ceiling painted
  2. new overhead light
  3. new plugs and switches and cover plates (painted to match wall color)
  4. remove old laminate backsplash
  5. new counters from Quality Kitchens, wider peninsula for seating
  6. new sink, Elkay
  7. new faucet, Moen
  8. clean cabinets and renew finish with Howard Restor-a-Finish
  9. clean and paint vent fan, new filter
  10. remove damaged cabinets
  11. new Elfa wall shelving
  12. new Elfa pantry
  13. paint walls and trim Martha Stewart "Milkpaint"color, Glidden Duo paint
  14. new drywall and repair damaged drywall
  15. new cabinet floor under sink
  16. fixed broken drawer
  17. fixed broken shelf in cabinet
  18. painted pantry door and repair
  19. clean blinds
  20. clean, line and re-org cupboards and drawers (new drawer organizers)
  21. painted damaged base cabinets with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover gloss "almond"
  22. new knobs on all cabinets
  23. new 3-piece Easter decor bowl set from Crate and Barrel
  24. new swag in kitchenette (Ralph Lauren sheet)
  25. new microwave, Emerson

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Notes on Purl Soho Cross-back Apron pattern

Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized,  front view Purl Soho Cross-back Apron, regular sized,   back view by Linda Theil This is the Purl Soho Cross-back Apron featured on their website at  https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/11/20/cross-back-apron . Their page includes complete directions for making this one-size-fits-most apron with large, side-pockets and cross-back straps. This retro apron is so nicely made and looks so much like the apron my grandma wore in the Nineteen-fifties that I had to make one for my friend who appreciates the nostalgia and the beauty of this design. Although this apron pattern, as published, can adjust to several sizes from 2-10; I also made a larger option, adjusting the width of the pattern pieces to accommodate up to size 16 and up. Size adjustment may also be made by varying the length of the straps. These notes are a record of my experience with the pattern, and should only be viewed as commentary; y

Holiday weekender

  by Linda Theil Alisa's always cleaning house and often asking me if I want some item I'd given her before she sent it to a new home. I couldn't refuse the holiday-print, round table cloth I had bordered in red pom-poms forty years ago, even though she had slit the cloth to the center so that she could use it as a tree skirt. I decided I would make a holiday-getaway bag from the salvageable remnant. The olive-drab faux waxed canvas I ordered on sale looked really great with the old print. I used Diane Spencer-Ogg's outstanding "Escape Pod Travel Collection" patterns. Pictured below: The holiday themed “Weekend Bag” and "Travel Clutch" in olive-drab faux waxed-duck canvas from Sally Tomato , vintage holiday print exterior and interior, and accents of Mora bordeaux faux leather from Emmaline Bags . Pattern and video tutorial "Escape Pod Travel Collection: Weekend Bag and Travel Clutch" by Diane Spencer-Ogg. Weekend Bag front Weekend Bag bac

Sujata Shah's no-template piecing

16-inch, four-patch "pinwheel" block designed by Sujata Shah, pieced by Linda Theil 2016 Fabrics:  Sturbridge line by Kathy Schmitz for Moda and Daily Zen line by Michael D'Amore for Benartex. I attended quilt artist Sujata Shah's "Pinwheel" class sponsored by the Greater Ann Arbor Quilt Guild  at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor  on July 17, 2016. Shah is inspired by the work of Gee's Bend quilters and has developed a no-template method of piecing to emulate their unstructured designs. Shah's book, Cultural Fusion Quilts , is available at Amazon.com.  Shah's uses four 11-inch squares to make each block, but she said a quilter could use any size base they choose. Since I had a package of precut 10-inch squares in the "Sturbridge" design by Kathy Schmitz for Moda, I based my block on that size. We were instructed to bring a variety of backgrounds in one color and brights in another color. Since I signed up late for