Let the Kitchen Renovation Begin

In the next few weeks I will be renovating my kitchen and dining room. I am so excited about it I can hardly breathe. We procrastinated on this for 2 years (Knowing the disruption it would cause).
This is our primary residence, not the beach cottage. It is long overdue. Every major appliances has been failing, and there is not nearly enough cabinets.
The kitchen seems small and cramped so I am completley opening it up to the dining room, so I can run one long wall of cabinets down the entire back wall.
We are changing windows and doors to achieve the open- look that I desire.

Here is a 360 of what we have now going counter clockwise.
One thing I will miss is my kitchen table, it is the first thing I see when I enter the room.

The large window and the door will have to go to make room for a long line of cabinetry.
I will put in a double window above a sink and eliminate the back door. ( putting a new French door elsewhere.... you'll see.)

Where this small pantry is here we will be extending the wall and putting in more cabinets.


To the left of all this is the work area. the stove, sink, dishwasher and refrig. are all on their last legs.
And the cabinets, floating from the ceiling, there is a small space between them and the counter, so it's just not opened up enough to the dining room and, ......

Do you see that Dining room window in the back on the right?... That will become a new French door.

As you can see the cabinets just don't hold enough, there is not that many. We usually always wind up putting some stuff on the microwave because we cant fit it!!

There is about 15 cabinets here, and with the changes I am making I will have, 29 cabinets.... that is twice as much!

I actually love the black sink and might keep it. It is like granite and, I haven't found any I like better yet, I will just make it an undermount which can be done with this particular style. 

This fridge doesn't owe us a thing, and has been leaking so I will get one with a larger capacity.

All the appliances will be switched to Stainless, and my cabinets will be white. I love the carrera marble but not the maintenence, or expense so I am looking at some granites that have that look.

Below are some pictures from the idea book I have created. Showing the looks I am going for.

I would like a hearth like stove area similar to this but with the sides completely open.

I adore the pot filler, the corbels, and the design on the backsplash. I just need room for my elbows.

I love the platter and pottery on top.

More magazine love:

I love the large pane glass window over the sink.

I want a nice island in the middle to eat at because we are giving up our kitchen table.

The overall look I am going for when viewing from the dining area is below: So this is my inspiration.

Except my oven area will be where their refrigerator is.

 Note the interesting chandelier in this photo. It looks like it is made from twigs!!

Below is the view from the dining room now.... Those cabinets really chop up the view! I hope my vision turns out like the inspiration photo! 

That whole blank wall to the left will be my stove area. 

And that light will have to go!! Time for a pretty chandy or 2!

So I will be posting about the events to come in the next few weeks, or months, however long this takes.

Wish me luck and please let me know if you have any great ideas or suggestions!

Thanks for stopping by! 














I'm joining in the fun at Gina's Transformation Thursdays

My Vintage Bottles from Philly Morph to Xmas Centerpiece

I love to decorate with my Vintage Bottle Collection.

I chose the aqua colored ones for this display.

Some Frosty glass and greens.

 In a previous post I showed you a couple of my vintage bottles. They all come from when my hubbo used to dig holes in the streets of Philadelphia to fix people's plumbing lines.

Back in the 90's I found these cute little cabinets to display them. The arch at the top is similar to my china closet. This is where they live, when I am not decorating with them.

For some Winter wonderland, Christmas spirit, I paired them up with my white milk glass platter and some evergreen from the yard. Not sure what this bush is, but it grows very tall, like a tree, and has the tiniest little pine cones on it. I love it.

Most of these bottles where thrown into the holes dug by the original pipe layers way back in the early 1900's or prior. I looked many of these bottles up and some date back to late 1800's. When men sold special potions in horse drawn carriages. Potions for health and energy, or "snake oil salesmen".
Today, they would just deliver them to convenience stores. like red bull or monster, energy drinks.

I chose a lacy white vintage crochet tablecloth over plain icy blue fabric, for extra frostiness.

I also tried the bottle on a silver platter, and added a few candles to the bottles with larger mouths.

It's hard to decide. which would you choose the silver platter or the white?

Ink bottles, medicine bottles, tincture bottles and lysol containers.

And the candle fits perfectly in the one...

Loving the birdseye view!

A simple, vintage, white frosty, Christmas decoration.

I thought I would add 4 more pine cones from the yard! and I decided on the white platter.

I love the simplicity of it.

I hope you enjoyed walking in my winter wonderland!

Thanks for stopping by!
I will be joining the parties...
Funky Junk Interiors

Under the Table & Dreaming

Metomorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Sprucing up the Dining room

Most of the day today I spent shopping! Boy that is tiring. Some shopping was for food for the Thanksgiving Feast. Some was to begin Christmas shopping because my daughter had some time off of school today. There was little time for much else, but I have, at least, begun my dinner table for Thanksgiving, and will complete it tomorrow. The previous post was really just for decoration and to get the household in the mood. That tablecloth wasn't big enough once the leaf went into the table.
I always use the tablecloth below only on Thanksgiving day.
The table isn't done yet, but I am for today!

I like how the leaf china goes so nicely with this  cloth.

The best part is, when I see all my children around the table, joking and cutting each other up!
It usually is so funny and heartwarming because they( all 6 ) get along pretty good with each other, and for that I really feel blessed.

I also really needed to spend some time re-doing my dining chairs.
And I gave them a lick and a promise!
I plan to give them a full fledged make over at a later date. I will completely take off the seats and re cover them when I find the perfect fabric but for now I HAD to do something. These are 26 years old and the seats just don't come clean anymore. They have been spot cleaned many times, now they need a fix.

look: Before

My temporary solution: Cover in painters drop cloth.

I am thinking about using this as a permanent fix by printing something vintage on this canvas-like fabric, and then securing it to the seat by completely unfastening and screwing back down. I really like the feel of this painters dropcloth!...I love the natural look of it.

For now I like the way it has frayed up.

I cut the cloth into squares. I washed them  and didn't even dry them. You will get all sorts of fraying and have to cut most of that off.
I cut two corners in on an angle.

Laid it flat on the chair, and tied in the back.

You could also tie each leg, which I tried, but it doesn't lay as flat on the sides.

Not bad for a quick temporary fix. I do intend to work on these to secure them to the seats, and to print something special on them. When I do I will post it.

Before:

After: one half hour later

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I am going to attempt to make it to these parties:

It's a Hodge Podge Life

Vintage Inspiration Friday

The Shabby Nest

Funky Junk Interiors

Getting ready for Thanksgiving

I am trying to figure out which tablecloth I will use on my Dining table.
These are my choices,

1. A grey and brown leaf design Damask Tablecloth, which looks great with my Thanksgiving plates. 

.

• A plaid pumpkin and leaf design
• A multicolor fall leaves design

The first 2 I have had for years and use mostly every year. The multicolored leaf design is new from Home Goods and I really love the vibrant color.

As I pull out some other accessories I will make up my mind. I have a nice set of amber glass fostoria candlesticks that I like to use at the Holidays.

And I have a pretty fruit decorated box that I've had a few years, I'd like to pear up with that multi colored leaf cloth. But I will get to that latter. For now I will concentrate on the dining table.

I think I will go with the pumpkin cloth. And use some of my old vintage bottles.

 that hubbo dug up years ago when he dug holes in the street for a living
 fixing people's plumbing lines in the great  old city of Brotherly Love!

I've had this collection of vintage bottles for years. I keep most of them on display in 2 small cabinets that I got a very long time ago. Once it was filled and I had about 6 more with no where to put them, I ended my collection, Didn't want it to get out of hand.

I can show you more of them at another time, so back to the table.
I love, love, love this bowl, filled with pumpkin gourds and pine cones, but I will actually empty the decorations out on thanksgiving to use this for the mash potatoes!!

I like how it is starting to look

Should I put leaves in the vintage bottles?

Decisions.. Decisions!

I will leave it for now, for tonight and for the weekend.

A sign we are getting prepared.

But the bottles will have to go back in their cubbies on Thankgiving Day.. there won't be room for them.

And once I put my extension in my table, I will change the setting to the brown and grey cloth that goes so nicely with my plates! Because this cloth isn't long enough!

But tonight was fun! And the dining room looks festive.

So if I find the time, I will be back the day before thanksgiving or sooner, with the longer table setting, my damask tablecloth and my plates! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh I dressed the kitchen up today too. That was easy peasy, 

Because we always have a full bowl of fruit around the house. it went so nicely with my new

 Home Goods cloth

And my little leaf candle in the corner!

If you like table settings, please visit with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch

I finished this post late but I am heading there now!

She is hosting a fabulous Mikassa giveaway!
And some wonderful Friday linkies..

Feathered Nest Friday 

Favorite Things Friday

Show and Tell Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Vignette Friday

Vintage Inspiration Friday

The Shabby Nest
Because my bottles are nifty and thrifty I will be showing them at Linda's Coastal Charm
Nifty Thrifty tuesday

Thanks so much for stopping by! I really hope you enjoyed your visit.

I'd love it if you post a comment!