Before I get too deep into the nitty gritty of updating you about all the wonderful plumbing, etc., that P has been doing, let me explain a bit of the big picture: where the kitchen is now, and why we're messing with it.
Problems with the kitchen we hope to resolve with this remodel:
2. We love open floor plans--and this is not open
3. The cabinetry is in very good condition, but it screams early 80s. P and I lived through that era once, and don't feel a need to repeat it. Plus it's really dark, and is sapping the bit of light we have in there. Have you ever heard anyone complain in a remodel that their kitchen has too much storage? Well, then let me be the first. We actually keep our shoes in one of those cabinets, because what else would we use it for? Which leads to:
4. The side door leads into the kitchen. This is the door we use all of the time, and there's no place for us to keep keys, shoes, jackets, etc.
5. The vinyl flooring also screams early 80s, and is not in good condition.
6. While there is a lot of cabinetry and counter space, I end up feeling cramped, and like I need more room to spread out. I'm sure I could take some of the blame here in how I've organized things and work, but the bigger problem is the layout.
When you enter the kitchen via the side door, you turn right and see what I think of as the "core" of the kitchen:
This is the part of the kitchen where I do almost all of the cooking. You've got all of the appliances--sink, range, refrigerator, and dishwasher--in a very tight area, with a bit of counter space. And not to complain, but it's actually less counter space than it appears--I took this picture with a fish eye lens that distorts the foreground, making it appear larger than in real life. (That's also why the pictures are blurry--I need to work on my focusing skills with this lens!)
To your right when you come in through the side door is the rest of the kitchen:
And across from it:
(What's that strange wooden box, you ask? Check it out:
Yeah, that's been a major obstacle in figuring out our new floor plan.)
This portion of kitchen is a late 80s addition. It added storage space, but since they didn't go to the expense of rerouting utilities, it didn't change anything about the way the kitchen really functions. I do all of my work over in the "core" kitchen area, while all of the new countertop space over here goes to waste. I know it sounds a little silly to say I don't want to walk five extra steps before chopping my onion, but seriously, no one cooks that way.
Want to see a floor plan rendering of this? It's going to blow your mind:
How many zig zags can a single wall have? They're a function of the last remodel--we're hoping ours will be a little better conceived!
