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Good thing this is not a design blog, or I'd have to be sure things were super tidied up and completely finished for me to show you what's been going on in the kitchen!
You are kind to indulge me on the kitchen reno! I am going to go on about it and just assume that if you are here for other content you will be patient and just skip to further down!
Today I'll try to give you the big picture. The stove was hooked up on Dec. 22, if you can imagine the nail-bitingness of that, so you will see why I needed a big break to get to this point. Yes, I was hosting Christmas!
I will go into detail in subsequent posts because I so love how it turned out and because I hope my 44 years of making do and wearing out and thinking about what works and would be beautiful could help you when it comes time for you to make decisions, little or big.
Just like everything else I write, it's all about things I wish I had known before or had someone to tell me about. I've made lots of mistakes and you will too, but it is just fun to try to figure things out and make them better.
Okay, come on in!
The view from the hall (the big front door, front stairs, den, living room, and dining room are behind me/to the left or right) — there are still paint cans and other evidences of a work in progress, but let's get to it:
Also, I want to say — I know many of you loved my old kitchen! I did too! I really did.
There were things that drove me crazy, and ultimately it had to go for a few reasons, one of which is the size of our house (huge) made it ridiculous to put money into sprucing up what was an inadequate space.
As my daughter-in-law Natasha said, there are often so many people here (and we do have 8 bedrooms), it doesn't make sense to have a kitchen with such a small workspace.
Another is the “one-thing-leads-to-another” aspect of changing out permanent fixtures like counter height, necessary to accommodate new appliances that wouldn't fit in the old: if we were going there, better to do it right.
Here is a sketch of the floor plan so you can understand the drastic nature of what had to happen. Keep in mind ALL the doorways, windows, and fireplace, and how HARD it was to fit things in, despite the rather large area (it's about 400 sq. ft, not counting the pantry).
(I should have labeled things more: at the top of the picture you see the door to the back stairs; they go behind the fireplace which is the jutting out element there. To the left is the basement door, going behind the fireplace with stairs going down. To the left of that is the door to the mudroom. The pantry and mudroom back up on each other but are not connected.)
The red line represents the new, pushed-out wall you see in the photo above.
The area to the left of the red line (shaded) was previously on the deck. We called it the “nook” and it was handy for storing deck furniture cushions in a big wooden chest when it rained and for just adding interest to our beloved outdoor area.
If you are a fan of A Pattern Language, you will see why I was attached to this nook, as unimportant in the larger scheme of things as it was (i.e. better to have the space in the kitchen!). It just added interest to the deck (I mean other than the trashed sink haha… )
Here's how it looked inside, BEFORE — the kitchen table is behind you and you're looking towards the sliding door out to the deck:
(This is an old photo and you can seen how much goes on here! My mother, Habou, cooking up some craft [Pysanky] for everyone to do, people talking while I'm preparing something, and so on… real life! somewhat squeezed in, which I love.)
People would say, “Couldn't you take that area and bring it into the kitchen?” and we always thought we couldn't.
We thought it held up the hallway upstairs (turns out, no, the joists went all the way across, but to be fair there is a beam there even up above that fake beam, that turned out to be supporting… nothing!). We thought we'd lose the window (no, duh, just moved it). We thought the radiator was a fixture (no, it could be moved — had no idea! construction is amazing!).
So the process of bumping that area out began and is what took so darned long (among other things of course). The radiator was moved as you see, above.
But make no mistake, this was an intense process.
Here is the view now:
We put in a “French” sliding door with as close to real dividers as you can get and still be weather-tight. And raised the opening by 2 1/2″ which didn't cost that much extra, but added a certain generous air.
I promise to talk about this area more… the secondary vintage sink, the extra oven, the storage… but right now, let's just feel the space!!
The other big change was bumping out the new, way bigger window over the main sink (left — East — side of the plan here, in red):
BEFORE (and don't get me wrong — I love the life and prettiness of this! we made do and it was glorious!):
AFTER:
He still has to put a trim on the built-in fridge to close up that gap, and actually here are trims missing on the uppers all around. The dishwasher will get a panel as well.
If you see anything and say, “Wait, is that how it is going to be” just know — this is not actually completely done!
Of course it's not haha…
You can see how much bigger the window is!
Just as we got things up and working, I read a post about “The 7 mistakes people make renovating a kitchen” and #1 is making the windows too big!
Well, I guess I did that. It does take away interior storage. But I do love it! I'm not living in a cave anymore!
The windows also have as true divided lights as you can get, and they are casement windows (the two on either side).
I may bring back stools, we will see. Right now they are out in the garage needing a good scrubbing and probably refinishing after 24 years of hard use, mainly by children and then grandchildren spinning on them!
The counters are all soapstone. I love them!
The floor is yellow heart pine.
I'll show you more details of all of it another day. We'll do a thorough examination of everything!
Here's how it looks now, coming in from the mudroom:
BEFORE:
The bricks on the left and the cabinet there as you come in on the right are gone and the fridge cabinet starts sort of where the stove starts.
(To see about the bricks, go to my Instagram highlight.)
Okay, that's enough for now, I think!
Since I know you'll ask:
This is the range: Kucht Gemstone 36″ gas stove. I got it because it is not too pricey, relatively speaking, and has a 4 year warranty and zero digital anything. We'll talk about it later!
This is the fridge: Fisher-Paykel panel-ready 36″ counter-depth fridge. The biggest headache in this whole renovation was figuring out where to put the fridge. We just have so many pathways and that stupid appliance sticks out and dominates everything. I decided it was worth it to get this one so that it just disappears and is still in handy reach. So far I love it and find its configuration makes up for its small size in cubit feet. The old one (which is very good actually) is in the pantry, so overall I have a lot of refrigeration available to me.
(These are the only two appliances I bought new. I will eventually tell you about the others, which I got used.)
bits & pieces
- Surrogacy is something we need to oppose. It's trafficking in human flesh, murder, and depravity. One woman's experience of being the child bought in a transaction with her mother.
- If you need a little brushing up on the question, does 1 ÷ 0 = 0, go here! (Spoiler: it does not, but sometimes 3rd grade is hard.)
- Having recently observed the Feast of the Circumcision, I thought it appropriate to pass along this examination of the practice. In my own researches, I came across the same issue the author brings out: hospital circumcision is substantially, clinically different from ritual circumcision, which of course I support as a matter of religious freedom, though, from the point of view of religion, it's clear that Christians are under no obligation to undergo or impose it. (If a Christian has reasons to circumcise the male child, avoiding division between spouses for instance, I strongly suggest seeking out a Jewish practitioner, foregoing the hospital route, which in my opinion amounts to mutilation.) I realize this is a touchy subject (and can quickly get anti-Semitic which is abhorrent to me), but I think it's important to know that what happens in American hospitals is not the same as the ancient practice.
from the archives
Can your New Year's Resolutions Take the Reality Test?
What is the best possible New Year's Resolution? Besides very practically knowing what is for supper and being on top of the laundry (I explain it all in that link and the series it began, becoming the third volume of The Summa Domestica)?
It's making Sunday a day of rest, worship, and celebration (not necessarily a big party but an interior sense of festivity and gratitude for the gift of life and for each other).
Because it is important and actually part of the Commandment of observing the Lord's Day to rest, I really encourage everyone to take this seriously. Here are some concrete ways to rest:
- If you have lots of kids you probably do have to do a load or two of laundry, but do the minimum. Don't use this day to catch up on laundry.
- The week can be busy — don't use Sunday to address bills.
- Kids have sports — mine did and I get it. Don't do practices on Sunday mornings.
- Don't shop on Sundays (other than for an emergency). Everyone has the need, duty, and right to rest on Sunday. If there is a demand for retail on this day of rest, there will be a supply. If there is no demand, we can go back to allowing those less well off to have the minimum necessary for human flourishing — a day of rest, where each person is something other than a cog in the machinery.
Even though, as I said, I'm a major proponent of knowing what is for dinner and doing what is necessary to make it happen, I am begging you not to make Sunday the day you prep all your week's meals, as a staggering number of advice-givers suggest.
The influencers say this because presumably their audience works all week, so they are responding to a perceived need to make Sunday the catch-up day to prepare for Monday and more work, but it doesn't take a PhD in human development to see how detrimental such a regime is to well being is.
I get many emails with Auntie Leila questions, and at the bottom of it all is the need to have time to think, to reflect, to put things in perspective. This time is the Sunday.
Practically speaking, I suggest scheduling your big meal of the week for Sunday — make a big roast or pot of braised pork or something else hearty that you can prep the day before or quickly in the morning. You will have to do some work, but think beforehand so it's as simple and nice as possible — and so that you can rest a bit too.
A great benefit is the meals that will plan themselves when you do this, because if you have a ham on Sunday you will then have at least 4 ham meals ready to go when you need them, ditto turkey and pot roast, but it's not the primary reason.
Of course, all this means making the whole week a preparation for Sunday, if we are to truly rest. So this is a big Resolution.
Try it — you will be amazed at how not only that one day changes for you, but your whole outlook on life. You will gain a new perspective and be enlightened about where the path is and how to follow it. God will send His blessings!
liturgical living
St. Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor.
Heads up! Candlemas approaches… My sense is that when I have a good supply of candles and they are blessed, I use them more. Candles make the home feel much more cozy and warm. I highly recommend using them, especially on the family dinner table!
It's a good use of household money to buy them in bulk and have them all year. And get them blessed!
I'm ordering my candles and you might wish to as well, for the blessing! I've ordered a big batch of beeswax tapers from these nuns (Rosie recommended, and Bridget recommends the votives as well). And I ordered these (in ivory, for my slightly smaller diameter candlesticks) and these and these for my Christmas decorations that take candles — these Amazon ones are affiliate links, thanks for using them!
I may have recommended these at some point — I hope not. Don't buy them, they are terrible! This year I am going back to these (affiliate link).
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My book, The Summa Domestica: Order and Wonder in Family Life is available from Sophia Press! Also in paperback now! All the thoughts from this blog collected into three volumes, beautifully presented with illustrations from Deirdre, an index in each volume, and ribbons!
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Nicole says
Just wanted to add that we have ordered the soaps made by these Dominican nuns as gifts for our girls. (They won a sample set at a church function and LOVED them.) I am not personally a fan of heavily scented soap, but they seem to really be something that the 8-12 year old girl set enjoys, whether as a drawer sachet or in the bathroom. I remember loving them too at that age. They make a good gift!
Leila says
What a good idea!
Donna L. says
Hurray! Such a treat to see your long-planned-for-and-much-loved-kitchen renovation pictures and thoughts! I simply adore so many things about it, and truly to the depth of my being, appreciate that you shared it as-is so we can see it sooner, and also lived in and in active, daily use–and am eager to see the foods, festivities and celebrations it will host over the next many years! Happy New Year and May God richly bless you all~
Leila says
Thank you!
Happy New Year!
Amy says
The kitchen makes my heart sing, and I’ve loved watching it all unfold! It is so lovely, practical and a good stewardship of resources! I’ve been looking at the Kucht stove as well as we are saving up for a replacement down the line, and so I am delighted that you picked it! I love the integrated fridge, and feel like when possible it makes such a different to have the fridge more harmoniously integrated. I’m eager for all the kitchen chat to come detailing you picks! I know things are still in process, but the only change I’d suggest (and please don’t take the suggestion as rudeness, just a fellow kitchen lover playing with ideas) is a different rug as the dark color doesn’t compliment your overall warm choices in regards to paint colors and other finishes.
Leila says
Thanks for the suggestion! That rug is leftover from the “before” and I do love it. I think it works but I was also going to say that photos are tricky. I feel like it works better than it looks in the picture! But that said it’s all cotton and will probably be too dirty soon… I’ll have to wash it outside in Spring and by then there will be something else there!
Maria says
Maybe my error, but it appears that the article linked to your circumcision clickable text is the article on proponents of the Latin Mass in the 60s/70s. Just in case it was a mis-link.
Leila says
Thanks, I fixed it!
Mary Keane says
Your kitchen is GORGEOUS! The whole thing already feels so warm and home-like. Good move on the counter-depth fridge. That was the key to fitting it into our renovation as well. (This is Mary with the Marian-themed kitchen. ;)) And I thinks swapping the positions of the range and fridge will give you a lot better flow, especially when you have a lot of kids around. Lots of traffic by the range is stressful. Looking forward to reading alllll the details!
Leila says
The swap has already been amazing in a way I didn’t expect. The corner there not only opened up visually, but I guess I hadn’t predicted that physically I just have… elbow room!
Where the fridge blocked my elbow and upper body from getting into it, I now can use the space!
And yes, that was the main thing I hated — the stove stuck out in the path the way it was before. I accepted it but am happy it’s not that way anymore!
Nancy says
Love everything about it! Looking forward to hear how you scored the vintage kitchen sink.
Leila says
Thanks! I will tell you all about it!! 🙂
Abby says
You are brave to tackle the circumcision subject, which (having spent time on baby birth boards!) I have seen provoke.. animosity.. quickly! I wanted to say that we had our first son circumcised (my husband felt strongly about it at the time, from a practical point of view, having been a soldier in a war zone- he felt it was important with the way the world is heading, because not being circumcised and not having access to bathing facilities for months on end can be a recipe for big problems. However, it was SO, SO traumatic a procedure (for us as parents to watch, and for our tiny helpless newborn!) that we despaired over the thought of ever having to put another son through it. When we found out our most recent baby was going to be a boy, our discussion on the way home from the ultrasound immediately turned to that topic, and (rather to my surprise) my husband was just as adamant that we NOT do it this time around. So one can change one’s mind on the subject given more evidence.. I will say both our boys seem to have zero issue with either the choices we have made or with any health complications from going either way on it so far.
I’d love for you to share a bit more, if you can, on the emotions around renovating after so much “making do”. We spent all the early years of our marriage very much in the making do category – job losses, career changes, babies, putting money into fixer upper houses, car accidents, etc etc. There wasn’t much if any extra, and I got very used to not spending money on non-essentials (and some essentials as well). Now that we have more disposable income, I’m struggling with a combination of guilt when we spend money on things we CAN afford (buying a GOOD kitchen table, an addition that we are putting on because we could really use more bedrooms for kids..) and also find myself neglecting to buy things that really I ought to (recently placed an order for more nursing bras, having realized that I’d worn the ones I had day in and day out for.. something pushing a decade!). It can be emotionally hard to go from “always make do, don’t spend” to “we really should spend for quality on this thing” or “it is ok to buy necessary things as well as things that will bring enjoyment to the family!” I think I had felt there was a certain near monastic sanctity in making do in the poverty of young family life, and it feels greedy/frivolous/wrong somehow to not be in that phase (for now! we do realize that hard times can always circle back!)
Your new kitchen is lovely, by the way!!
Leila says
Thank you!
I will share on all those things! It’s HARD to bite the bullet and spend money, and I spent a super LONG time trying to source things second-hand. In the end, there were some things that had to be bought new, but many I was able to thrift.
I am firmly in the camp, though, of getting the RIGHT thing that will LAST if you can afford it. (Appliances generally don’t fall in that category, but we’ll talk about that later!)
sarah says
Yes, please do talk about this! It’s hard to know what to invest in “doing the right way” and what to thrift. It seems the fruit of experience. How to know which kid underwear will fall apart in the wash, which car seats are a rip off, etc. One can either learn through getting burned or fleeced, through trusted friends, or just muddle through with faulty instinct. Here is a fine group of trusted ladies though! I do value this site so much, and the wonderful ladies who comment too.
Ellen says
Haha! The underwear issue! I have 2 girls close in age and spent too long looking for undies that would last and they could pass down and the legs wouldnt unravel. Thats one where i should have saved my money. A few packs of hanes that can be pitched when they are grey and stained. Now, pretty hanna anderssen play dresses – those go the distance and are worth the money (on sale).
Mary says
The kitchen is lovely and I love that it the product of many years of waiting.
There are actually people who are MDs and moyels (practitioners of ritual circumcision).
Leila says
I didn’t know that!
Molly B. says
Auntie Leila,
Your new kitchen is beautiful. Thank you for sharing pictures and details! I love the patient waiting, and the reward. What a blessing! My favorite is the huge beautiful window – who can pour love into preparing family meals whilst in a cave? Atmosphere is so important, not just for dining!
Thank you for tackling the circumcision topic. So very important.
The Hyoola candles are awful. We bought last year directly from the company and regretted all year. I too have bought from the Summit Dominicans but their supply goes quickly (hence the Hyoola purchase last year…), so plan ahead, people. I got an order in this year but not everything was in stock. So we will also pour some of our own, this year (or try! Important to practice!), using beeswax from a local source recommended by a friend.
Lastly…”at the bottom of it all is the need to have time to think, to reflect, to put things in perspective. This time is the Sunday.” We can’t do it all, and we shouldn’t try! Squeezing extra in on Sunday depletes us. Unscheduled time on the Lord’s day, after we meet our Mass obligation, allows us to recover from the busy-ness of the week. Not the mention the graces received from praying the Mass and receiving the Eucharist! I know you have touched on these topics before and I can only say – your encouragements/exhortations have been helpful to me and my family.
So interesting how all the topics you mention upon help us cultivate orderliness and peace – a rightness that begins with God. As always, a wonderful Saturday post! Even if I am reading on Sunday! Thank you!
Leila says
Thanks, Molly!
I appreciate it!
Catie H says
Beautiful, Leila!! The switch of the stove to that elbow of the counter footprint was the perfect move. We have the same layout and I love it. We also have a counter-depth fridge and I love that as well. A lot less food gets lost in the back! Lastly, your bonus area with the second sink and oven and your Brio is amazing!
I would vote for the bigger window over internal storage as well!! Gorgeous window and view!
As my Italian neighbor once said to me, may you enjoy it in good health!
Leila says
Thanks, Catie! The window… LOL … but it’s so GLORIOUS!!
Sharon says
My mind is kind of blown by that refrigerator… Are those cabinet panels? Painted whatever color you chose? I didn’t know you could DO that!
Leila says
Yes, the fridge comes “panel ready” — the cabinet maker makes panels to fit and the contractor installs them.
That was my big splurge, other than the counters! But the fridge is not as expensive as some. And it seems well made and well thought out.
It sits flush with the other cabinets and that makes the entry there workable — and it is my most used entryway!
Mrs. Bee says
It may sound odd, but one of my favorite details is how much room there is between the sink and the window, and how the window comes down at the counter level – this feature buys so much more natural light! It makes for a beautiful, restful place to work.
I wonder why that nook existed in the first place, it seems strange to create it on purpose but for no reason. But your house is old enough that who knows how many changes have been made to its footprint over the years anyway.
Do you have plans to have curtains or Roman blinds anywhere? I feel like I want to see some fabric to soften a bit all the wooden architectural details.
I’ll enjoy more details and more explanations! And also please let us know what cake is under the glass dome on the island!!
Leila says
The counter going out to meet the window was my daughter-in-law’s idea and the contractor’s and stone-guy’s workmanship, amazing, beautifully realized.
It is very nice not to have to contemplate a damp windowsill! And as a short person, I love having the window be so low. The old one was actually lower than most, and I did love it — just not the wet wood (always getting moldy!).
We spent many an hour puzzling over the whole area of the nook and inside the kitchen, especially after the walls and ceiling came down. It was truly a mystery. The “beam” was constructed VERY solidly on one side (the inside corner jutting into the room) and on top, and then, on the other side (by the wall next to the little hall going out to the hall in the main part of the house), literally, a 2 by 4 as a “support.”
Who knows?
I do plan to have blinds or something… in the summer we will need them!
The cake under the glass is left over from Epiphany — it is Deirdre’s King Cake! You can see it here: https://likemotherlikedaughter.org/2014/11/a-crown-cake-for-the-feast-of-christ-the-king/
Leila says
(But that photo was taken just after Epiphany — the cake is long gone LOL)
Mrs. Bee says
Here’s another simple Epiphany treat from a lovely British food blog: https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2015/01/dorothy-hartley-cattern-cakes-lace-and-a-victorian-epiphany-tart-recipe.html You’ll enjoy the story behind the use of so many jams. Late January is when I start thinking about your Meyer Lemon cake, what a delight!
Anne-Marie says
Eliminating the soffit so that the cabinets can go all the way to the ceiling gives the whole kitchen cleaner lines, more unity, and a more open (upwards) feel. Lovely.
When I was first pregnant, I contacted a mohel about circumcision. I was politely but firmly rebuffed: ritual circumcision is a rite, reserved to practicing Jews, not a personal service available to anyone.
Leila says
Yes, re: soffit — and my ceiling is now about 6″ higher than it was!
Re: mohel — I certainly respect the position of the one you queried, but I do know of non-Jews who were able to get the services of a mohel. So it may just have to do with who you ask.
That said, of course, as with any such procedure, it’s vital to ascertain that the person really, truly knows what he is doing and has a good record. (Which, by the way, cannot be said of hospital procedures. It’s sort of horrifying… )