Real Time Kitchen Update

It's all happening! The counters are being installed as I type this very post! How freaking gorgeous does that look??

The sink and dishwasher aren't hooked up yet, they're just there for placement purposes. But I don't even care, seeing that counter go in has made the last few weeks of stress and dwindling bank accounts totally worth it!

Kitchen Update: Floor and Lighting

When you're gutting a room and starting over from scratch, there are a lot of decisions that need to be made. It's not just paint colors and cabinet door styles - there are functional considerations in everything you put in a room. For example, take flooring. Most people have tile in their kitchens, which makes sense. It's durable, it's waterproof, and it's relatively inexpensive. What's not to love?

Well, my kitchen is now visually connected to the rest of my house, and I wasn't keen on having such an abrupt flooring. But I also didn't want to put hardwoods in a room that would likely see spills and mops on a regular basis. So after a little research (and a lot of HGTV watching), I settled on cork floors, from Lumber Liquidators. The color is very close to the oak hardwood in the rest of the house, but the texture is different enough that it doesn't look like I tried (and failed) to match the floors.

Plus it was pretty easily to install. Just roll out the underlayment, and click down the tongue-n-groove planks. See how easy my big brother, Monty, makes it look?

Once it's all in, the seams practically disappear into the pattern.

Cork is also supposed to be easier on the feet, and naturally water resistant. Martin was curious, and soaked a piece in a bucket of water to see how it would hold up. It was about 12 hrs before the particle board backing started to swell, but the cork didn't change at all - not too shabby!

My dad has also completed the relocation and installation of the new lighting. I actually bought one of these lamps way back when I lived in the Meganplex, to put in my kitchen there, but the wiring was so decrepit that my dad didn't want to risk shorting anything out by replacing the fixtures. So this sat in a box until it was safely in its new home, and accompanied by a new twin (from Ikea, around $60 for the pair!).

Flooring, lighting, cabinets, all done! Up next, we have a whole lotta tiling to do! Time to get grouty!

Kitchen Update: Cabinets and Counters

Drywall and plaster patching are pretty much finished (except for the ceiling), but today was super exciting because we actually got to hang some cabinets! These things have been collecting dust in the garage for months, and I finally got to see them in my soon-to-be-gorgeous kitchen. Anyone who has ever renovated a kitchen knows what a monumental moment this is. 

Beyond just being excited, we had to jump the gun a little on installation, because the countertop guys are coming tomorrow to measure things. Speaking of countertops, want a sneak preview of what I picked? OF COURSE YOU DO!

After much research and debate, I finally went with Carrera marble for the counters. And I am so glad I did - isn't it gorgeous?! I went to Planet Stone, deep in the valley, for wholesale prices. Of course I've yet to see the final quote, but whatever it is, it'll be worth it. Just looking at those two pictures side-by-side gives me goosebumps. 

Kitchen renos are so fun!

Kitchen Demo: It's Finally Here!

It's been a whirlwind of activity at the Rosenfeld Cottage the past few days! Demo has officially begun on the kitchen remodel! Check out the before pictures, so I can have your complete sympathy...

Can you believe I ever hosted Pre-Thanksgiving in this kitchen?? Now feast your eyes on the glory that is demolition...

Looks better already, doesn't it? That big old hole in the floor is so that we can run the plumbing over to the other side of the kitchen, for the sink and dishwasher. The crawlspace was too small to fit a person, so we had to go in through the top. Luckily, replacing the floor was already on the menu, so it wasn't too big a deal.

When we pulled down all those weird pressboard ceiling tiles, we uncovered a recessed vent hood in the ceiling! Not only is it a cool piece of character from the original build, but it also saves me a bit of money on buying a new hood (those things are expensive! Who knew?). 

It already feels about ten times bigger than it did. You can see we have some drywall up on the half wall! Things are beginning to take shape!

Disaster Watch 2011: Backyard Nightmare

When I walked through my house before purchasing it, the backyard was fine. Not fantastic, but it was a good size and seemed pretty well maintained. Then I moved in, and it all went to pot.

I was so focused on fixing up the interior, that maintaining the backyard was pretty much out of the question. I hired a gardner to mow the front lawn and generally keep things up, but I didn't give him access to the backyard, mostly due to the fact that it was the construction headquarters.

It has taken a beating pretty much from day one. I turned off the sprinklers, so that we weren't watering our building materials, which meant that the grass died. Then one of the dead avocado trees fell over in a storm (God was smiling on me though - it fell in the perfect position to miss both the garage and the cinderblock wall). Random chairs started showing up back there, positioned conveniently so that the neighbor kids could climb over the back fence whenever they wanted... it was about that time that things started disappearing from the workshop.

In short, the backyard is a hazard. Think I'm exaggerating? Check it out...

And this is actually after we'd made some effort to clean things up! I wish I could say "stay tuned for the big reveal" but sadly, there is no big reveal. This is pretty far down the priority list for right now, and I have a feeling it's going to be one of those projects that gets worse before it gets better. Heaven help us all!

Rug Update!

You may remember that someone who shall remain nameless recently ruined my cream-colored living room rug, and I was in the market for a replacement? Well, a friend of mine who had purchased a rug from Overstock.com, and then decided it didn't really go in his house, sold it to me for half of what it cost him! Score!

It's not really exactly what I had in mind, but a 9x11 plush wool rug for $200 is hard to pass up. I think with a few well-chosen accessories, I can really make it work.

The bad news is, though, that the cream couch might also be short-lived. Daisy is a big dog with a propensity for general dirtiness, and I think a leather (read: wipe-able) couch might be in order. So that might be my next big purchase!

The Rosenfeld Cottage

I just happened to show my incredibly talented Graphic Designer friend, Rachael, an illustrated house picture I liked on etsy, and the next thing I knew she sent me my very own Rosenfeld Cottage drawing! How freaking cute is this??

I kind of want to Mod Podge it onto everything I own! Can't you just see it now? Rosenfeld Cottage dishes, linens, cross-stich patterns, throw pillows, tea cozies... the possibilities are endless!

I'm going to bribe her into making it into a header for this blog. Stay tuned for a major (and much needed) redesign!