Kitchen Makeover

We're learning, that after fifteen years of living in our home, things 

are starting to fall apart or just look really tired and worn out.  Since

our homes are supposed to be a reflections of us, what does that say

about me?   Appliances have died, the furniture is becoming threadbare

and the carpet is, well, gross.  I don't even want to think about  all the

little creatures that live there.  Everything from the back decking to the 

walls need a new coat of paint.  Adult children have taken their furniture

with them, leaving us with empty bedrooms.  We're feeling a bit 

overwhelmed by it all. 

Since the kitchen is the most used room in our home, we are starting

there.  I spend lots of time in my kitchen  and it's the gathering spot

for anyone who comes in our house.  I love the open design that lends 

itself to plenty of people moving around at the same time.  I enjoy having

help in the kitchen!   So, I like my kitchen, but I'm tired of the dark colors 

and am ready to make some changes.

Normally, I am a fan of change, like the change of seasons, for instance.

I love that!  But when it comes to remodeling or redecorating my home, 

I have a hard time with it. This is why I feel so much pressure when I 

buy new furniture.  I know I have to really like it, because I won't be 

changing it, until it becomes embarrassing and falling apart.  It's just 

too painful of an experience for me. 

When it comes to redecorating, I am not a visionary person.  I can't

imagine what something is going to look like.  I'm not good at making 

decisions, when faced with hundreds of faucet choices or paint colors. I can

see a picture of something and know instantly if I like it or not, but I have to

have limited choices to choose from.  I guess I don't like redecorating,

because  I'm not good at it.  I would love to just pay someone to do that

for me, but  that's not going to happen.   Luckily, my husband designs homes

for a living, and is very artistic and visionary. He can see and understand

things in ways I can't.   This can be good and bad.  The good thing is, he

has very good taste and  I trust his decisions (mostly),   The bad thing is, 

dreamers (like my husband), aren't usually methodical and systematic

(like me).  Hence, there can be a few challenges when these two kinds of

people try to work together.  It's a communication thing.  

This is all a very nice way of saying, we drive each other a little crazy

when it comes to things like this!!!!  So, a kitchen remodeling project 

(along with everything else that needs to be done around here) will test

our patience and resolve to remain happily living in the same house. :)

Because I'm methodical and systematic, I like to lay out a plan for how things

are going to happen.  Because he's not - I doubt, it will really go like this.

But it makes me feel better just pretending.

The first thing that we needed to do, was replace the counter tops.

The existing laminate was buckling and bubbling up in several areas. 

Here's a picture of the old counter tops,

and here's pretty much the same shot with our new granite counter tops.

We chose a light color granite for the island and darker granite for
the remaining counter space.

The desk area has the dark granite top as well.

I have a nice, new stainless steel sink and new faucet.   These sinks are

so much deeper than my old ones and I like the cool little racks that

sit in the bottoms, although I haven't really figured out what their 

purpose is, except to look cool.

I'm excited....very excited about my new countertops and sink.  I think
it has already improved the kitchen area by leaps and bounds.

This is however, just step one.  The other things we have planned are:
*Tile to go behind this cook top.  I just can't wait to go to the tile
   store and start looking through a million kinds of tile. (yes, this sentence
   is dripping with sarcasm.)

* Trim cabinetry and paint cabinets.  I know I want lighter cabinets.

    We are thinking about painting the island one color and the cabinets 

    another. We like the idea of the island looking like a separate piece

    of furniture from the other cabinetry.  Mark is sorting through colors

    and then I will help him make the final decision.   

* Purchase a new dishwasher and trash compactor.

   I've been without a dishwasher for about a year and a half and have 

   adjusted just fine.  But it sure is nice to have one when you are feeding

   a crowd of people.  I'm looking forward to having a dishwasher in my 

   kitchen again.

* Paint the walls to match the new cabinet color.  

   This won't be so bad, because we have very little wall space to paint.

* New lighting.

   My kitchen is too dark.  The track lights that I currently have look nice,

   but I don't like the way they light the kitchen.   I feel like I'm either standing 

   in a spotlight or standing in the dark.  We are talking about lowering the 

   ceiling a little and putting in recessed lighting that would do a better job of

   lighting the entire area.  This would be a huge job, so who knows if it will

   really happen or not.

•  Purchase a long rug to go in front of the stove.

   I want something that can be easily cleaned, because I'm messy when

   I cook.

It's a pretty big project - and as time, energy and most importantly money,

allow, we will chip away at it.  In the meantime, I will enjoy those new

counter tops!