I’m finally starting to feel good about our kitchen project and I’ve quit chewing my fingers from anxiety! (it’s a horrible stress related habit. It’s disgusting!)
Decisions have to be made and sometimes I get frozen from all the options. This kitchen was a nice change of pace for me, as my options on many things were limited to what would fit in this small space. That certainly narrows down your choices. Here’s what it boils down to. (no pun intended.)

We decided to hire “Jerry” the carpenter to make the cabinets. After having many cabinet makers in and out of the house, he was the one we liked the most, had the best ideas, and would ultimately be able to give us the look we really want. His price was reasonable for what I knew he would be faced with. He does not finish them so I would have to do it myself or hire someone. The counters will be Silestone quartz and I’m leaning towards a lighter color.

here is Blanco Maple and Yukon Blanco….

Here’s a stock photo of the Yukon installed. PRETTY!

Blanco Maple is our first choice.

We also like some of the ECO counters made of 75% recycled content composed of post-industrial or post-consumer materials and is bound by an environmentally friendly resin which comes in part from corn oil. They’re so beautiful but even more expensive than quartz. We’ll see.

This is Eco White Diamond

For the sink. Well it’s a no-brainer. I’ve wanted this sink for as long as I can remember and I finally have a chance to get one.

This Kraus sink is heaven to me. I’m so tried of the split sinks I could scream. I want one that I can fit a large pot into and have room to move. I’m in love with this sexy baby! She will be mine.

The faucet was also something I’ve wanted for years. So you can imagine how fun it is to finally get thing that you’ve only dreamed about having.

This American Standard faucet is so beautiful it deserves two pictures. I like this model because it comes in Stainless Steel as well as chrome. I’m squealing with delight as I think about this in my kitchen. I highly recommend at some point in your life getting exactly what you want! It agrees with me. (SPOILED BRAT, I KNOW!) I guess when you work hard, save your money and prioritize… it can all happen.

The cook top also has to be replaced. The current CREDA cooktop was super HIGH-END at the time it was installed and still is. It’s a brand made in the UK and was manufactured in the US for a while but I don’t believe it still is. It’s a very compact design which is perfect for this VERY small space. I can’t have the cooktop eating up my counter space. I do cook most nights of the week so I do need something comparable. I found two German companies that make a 24″ top. (the current one is 22″, so I’ll gain a couple of inches)

Miele offers two at 24″. One has 4 burners, the other three. I would probably choose the four burner.

Gaggeneau also offers this 4-burner model in 24″. I’m not all that fond of the controls in the front, but it’s an option. I’m leaning toward the Miele.

So you can see that I’ve been busy making some major decisions. If I have enough money left over, I may get a new oven too, but the current one is only 2.5 years old and I’m not changing the size so it sort of seems silly to spend the money there. Jerry will be coming over this week to take exact measurements and get my final word on layout. He then will start building cabinets within the next 8-10 days. ( I just pinched myself!) I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!

Unfortunately (or fortunately.. whichever) it means I have to stop working on the master bedroom for right now and focus on the kitchen. I’m going to try to get all the brick clean and painted before the cabinets are installed. Obviously they’ll have to be touched up after installation but at least the majority of that will be finished and I can focus on getting the cabinet finish on. So I’m switching gears to the kitchen and I’ll post some shots as the bricks get painted. I’m sort of nervous about it but I did paint some of the brick in the bathroom and I feel like it’s going to come out really nice. (fingers crossed!)