Go ahead and laugh, but I tried to channel all the Carl Larsson/Cotswold Cottage/Massachusetts Colonial/DeVol Workshop/Massachusetts Greek Revival (my actual house's era, 1860)/Unfitted Kitchen inspiration into my kitchen design. (If you want all the visuals, go here to my Pinterest board.)
(A print of this is up in a bathroom upstairs — I think I will bring it down soon!)
I also had to be remembering that I have worked here for 24 years and the layout is ingrained in my muscle memory, as are my preferences for my work order. I have made numberless meals on a regular basis for up to eleven people every day, and I know what I need to have right at hand. I know what frustrated me (not much light! so many paths! small work area! where to put the fridge! bodies in my way!). I know what I loved (the fireplace! my view of my yard! people at the kitchen table! being able to go right out to the deck!).
And also of course, there's the matter of staying in the budget. And not going crazy!
Obviously a big part of any kitchen design will be the cabinets. As I said, everything had to be ripped out (floor, ceiling, walls, everything), and our old cabinets, while solid in some ways (not in others), were not going to fit the new situation.
For instance, after three (3!) layers of walls were removed, we gained some inches, and the two (2!) layers of ceilings coming down made the end result 6″ higher. If you can keep your cabinet boxes, you should. It's not hard to change doors or paint, and for about 23 years we were pretty happy with the old cabinets just painted a cheery yellow.
My excellent contractor put me onto a local cabinet maker, Carousel Cabinets, and they worked with my design to produce custom cabinets fitted to the inch. And I'm going to say that having talked to a conventional kitchen cabinet dealer and gotten a quote, what I got was less expensive and far more particular. The dealer can only offer semi-custom (basically in 3″ increments), which means you end up with spacers and upsellings for expensive little fillers that aren't really useful.
Dave at Carousel Cabinets (and this is not any sort of promo whatsoever) sat with me and sweated out the exact configuration I needed to make my limited space work for me. He also added his expertise in thinking in three dimensions, resulting in some of my more cockamamie ideas actually working (e.g. the corner shelves next to the stove — it was he who expanded them so I could actually access the space — I talk about this problematic area here and there are many befores-and-afters in that post).
Here are my drawings — and if you are going to work directly with the cabinet maker, you need something like these, or a designer to come up with them. He will then make his own schematics.
One of the services the kitchen dealer (you know, the showroom where they have all the displays, and basically salesmen for your project) offers is this interface, between your possibly vague ideas and the cabinet factory's need for precision, but they are more used, I think, to working with a conventional kitchen rather than an old, funky one like mine. For instance, they all wanted me to have a big island with stools and get rid of my kitchen table…
Finally, I simply took graph paper and drew things to scale myself; but it was a lot of work, though also fun. (I will say, following some blogs of actual designers, in the end a lot comes down to the actual installation, and it's not uncommon for things to look a bit different from the plan, whether you are an architect or a housewife.)
I wanted the Shaker design for the cabinet fronts, but simple so I could easily wipe them (no beading, which I love but fear, as I'm not that good of a housekeeper).
I wanted the feet on the bottoms of the lowers — this is the element that most gives the “unfitted,” furniture-like look even when you are needing to maximize every inch's efficiency, meaning it all had to be quite fitted in the end, despite my visions of hutches and so on.
Fortunately, Dave was willing to make that all look the way I wanted, and my contractor, Joe Basile, who is an amazing carpenter, made those feet happen after Dave made them. “I love them so!” I exclaimed. “I hate them!” he responded. Well, they took him a long time to install on my wonky floor! (Some touchups still need to happen here, FYI)
The cabinets are wood (high-quality maple plywood for stability) and the doors and fronts are MDF (“it should be called H[high]DF because it's an incredibly solid, durable product,” Dave told me). I went with that for a couple of reasons (the wood cabinets, the two uppers, have wood doors though).
One, wood fronts are much more expensive, and for me the budget priority was to have everything fit perfectly and work efficiently. Two, I don't have AC, and in the summer my kitchen is humid; in winter the wood stove is going all the time and things get very dry.
I know from experience with my old, solid wood cabinets that the face boards move, splitting the paint and so on. I decided to avoid all that (with the need for refinishing down the road) by doing with the MDF.
I love them. They feel and look like wood. I was worried they would feel plasticky, but they don't — as they are painted, they feel like the other painted surfaces (eg the shelves). They are beautiful.
I love my open shelves so much.
As you will recall, we had taken the doors off of some of our old cabinets and so I was familiar with having things be open. I love my bowls and pretty things. I love seeing them — they make me happy, as well as saving me from rummaging for just the right serving dish by being on view. I am fine with wiping shelves, and the truth is you have to wipe down closed cabinets as well!
I feel like a princess with my soft-close drawers! True royalty!
And I highly, astronomically, stratospherically recommend drawers for your lower cabinets! What a joy — they pull all the way out and are so sturdy — you can load them up.
I have so much to say about how I decided where everything would go, but this will have to do for now. I am also on the lookout for vintage shelves for the spaces below the built-in shelves, so all that will have to be for another post!
Paint colors: Cabinets: Benjamin Moore Governor's Gold; Walls/trim: BM Calming Cream; Upper cabinets: cherry with walnut stain; Island: pine with chestnut stain.
bits & pieces
- For many years, as the LGBT gender ideology got going for real, Christians were inundated and inundated each other with soft and hard rhetoric for accepting it, mostly based on false ideas about charity and niceness. We've now come to the (inevitable, forewarned) point of internal approbation, and we need to repent and put a stop to it, however late in the game. I recommend reading Leila Miller's forthright words on the subject here and here (I mean, really — can we just bring back taboos against being sketchy?). I also recommend reading what Cardinal Müller has to say, here. Common sense, Scripture, and the perennial teaching of the Church, people!
from the archives
- Prudent purchases for the household — I wrote this for an unmarried lady, but it's never too late.
- No matter what people tell you about “today” and how “things are different, you need to tell your kids about things,” remember — parents have to protect their children's innocence.
liturgical living
Again, remember — Candlemas is coming. Go to this post and scroll to the liturgical living section for candle thoughts!
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Lisa G. says
Oh, my word! SO BEAUTIFUL! Good things come to those who wait. And plan carefully. 🙂
Leila says
It’s been such an experience to plan everything! Something I wanted to have the chance to do! I am grateful!
Amy says
The feet on your lower countertops are a triumph! It’s a seemingly small thing that really does make such an enormous difference visually! I love these kitchen posts so very much!
Leila says
Thank you! I must say the cabinetmaker really went above and beyond with them!
Serena says
Oh my – your kitchen is just gorgeous! I loved it before, but now it is just chef’s kiss! Feel free to post more pictures. I love seeing real, working kitchens as opposed to so much of what you see on Pinterest.
Leila says
Thank you! I WILL post more haha…
I can’t help it!
Ona says
Everything about your kitchen is so lovely! And calming , in a funny way, to just gaze at : )
Leila says
I’m glad! Thank you!
Sarah says
The thing I love most about your kitchen is that it makes me feel hopeful instead of envious or sad, the way some showroom kitchens do. It gives me ideas for how I can tweak what I’ve got and plan for later on. It’s just lovely! Congratulations! I hope you splurge on dish towels to celebrate.
Sarah says
I had to enjoy your pictures again and saw how pretty your dishtowels look! It’s my favorite kitchen indulgence. Or one of them. So many to enjoy! Pretty pottery, nice napkins. Gorgeous feet on cabinets!! Kitchens are just so great. Even when they take a lot of work or are very imperfect, they’re still great.
Leila says
Oh phew. I am glad to know that. I really don’t want to make anyone feel bad, that’s for sure. It’s my hesitation in posting. Once I got an email, long ago, asking whether I didn’t feel bad about showing PERFECTION when people are struggling with their situations. I was so taken aback because I felt I was showing my weeds and cracked plaster and old wall-to-wall carpet… but it’s hard to manage others’ expectations.
My aim is to show the pretty where I can and encourage. In season (being able to have something new) and out (making do with the old!).
Sarah says
Goodness, please post more more more! Especially your thoughts about the process and who was helpful when. Someday it’s likely that we’ll all have to do some renovations, and there’s an art to planning and budgeting those too. Easier when you’ve seen it done!
And truly, your blog has had so many pictures of your old kitchen that we know you managed there with all its lovely quirks and made joyful times. I was thinking about how you said you were there for 24 years. 24 years x 365 days x 3 meals a day at least. Yowzers! That’s plenty of time to think about kitchen flow. Thank you for every bit that you share with us! I’d love to hear about what it was like to put everything back in those pretty cabinets.
Leila says
I will!
Marina Lehman says
Your kitchen is lovely, and I have to say that I found your drawings really charming and useful in their own right here. They helped me see what you were going for and how it all comes together.
Leila says
Thank you! I saw someone else do this sort of drawing on Instagram and at first I thought, wow, I could never do that. And then after some time waving my arms around vaguely at various contractors, I realized, no, it has to be done!
I will also say that the sort of computerized plan the cabinetmaker comes up with is not inspiring. You see where things go, but you don’t get the feel of it at all, because it’s all just boxes, and I really needed to see that it would be pretty!
Athena says
OH I JUST LOVE IT 🌷🌷🌷🌷
I knew that stove would be perfect if switched to the refrigerator spot. And the corner there is just how I wanted it when I planned your kitchen in my imagination lol
“My aim is to show the pretty where I can and encourage. In season (being able to have something new) and out (making do with the old!).”
Thank you for this 👆Auntie Leila , much love to you.
Leila says
You saw it all haha!!
Thank you!
Athena says
Ack…the electrical outlet covers! Good to the last drop!
Kim F. says
YES!! Please tell us more about these! We just had to replace a couple of electrical outlets in the kitchen that weren’t working. My husband went to Lowe’s and bought all white (we previously had off white/almond which I kind of detested). As he’s installing them, I’m reading your blog asking “did they have any other switch plate covers at Lowe’s? You know, fancier ones?” I have pale, yellow walls in my kitchen and I love your metallic covers with the black outlets. I never would have thought of that! Maybe when I redo my kitchen in 10 years, I’ll do that! 😉 Thanks for all the inspiration!!
Leila says
I will! We’ll go overall the details 🙂
But no, they don’t carry them at Lowe’s
Mrs. Bee says
There are so many questions to ask! For instance, what was the thought process behind deciding what would be a drawer and what would be a cabinet? Your west wall drawings had lower cabinets that became drawers instead, inquiring minds would like to know why 🙂 The drawers are interesting, they mostly seem quite deep, so it would be great if you could tell us your plan for them, especially the two different kinds to the left of the non-vintage sink. Speaking of that, you have given up a divided sink – is it because you realized you needed a big one, since the division necessarily means smaller wells, or was it just a design preference? And how do you use the two of them?
You don’t have to answer here, we can just enjoy future posts with all the teensy weensy details. It must be great to come down every morning and see everything all over again! Happy Sunday to you!
Leila says
Yes, the design did change. I will explain it all…
Spoiler: The stainless steel sink IS a double sink!! Believe me, I will tell you all about it!
Victoria says
Looking just lovely! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Leila says
Thank you!
Kim F. says
I keep coming back just to look at your beautiful kitchen and remind myself that this can be done! One thing I noticed is no tile on the backsplash. I do not have any either. It was one of those things we thought we’d get to eventually. We are now on year 24 in our house. I suffer from analysis paralysis so the thought of choosing something that would be glued to my wall FOREVER was daunting. I don’t mind my walls without the tile, I guess I just thought they were unfinished that way. I’m assuming you chose to not have tile. I would love to hear your reasoning for that. And I love the beadboard behind the stove. I always imagined that’s what I would prefer for my backsplash, instead of tile. Also, I’m so happy that you listed the cabinet maker. I am just over the border in NH, Pepperell is 5 minutes from me. It’s nice to have someplace local for quality cabinets!
Leila says
The places I would want a backsplash would be sink(s) and stove. My one sink has the window behind it and the other has a backsplash built in (the vintage sink). Behind the stove I have the bead board. My thought was to have a hand-made Delft or Portuguese kind of backsplash there, but I do like the bead board!
Everywhere else, there really isn’t anything splashing. The stone fabricator told me they have the soapstone there and if I decide I want it installed (like a 4″ backsplash), they could come do it for just the cost of the labor. The contractor suggested I just leave it like this…
I too have those commitment anxieties, especially about the permanence of leaving beautiful tiles behind if we ever move! And the truth is, I have lots of things back there! Trays and jars and so on… So far so good. However, readers with a long memory will recall the handmade tiles I already have… they are boring a hole in my consciousness haha…
Ei LL says
So satisfying to see and enjoy your kitchen renovation. My favorite part of kitchen reno (down to the original studs and outside wall) is finding a convenient place for everything, adding more natural light whenever possible, and having a smooth flow for each area. Your new kitchen is just lovely and calming. I too prefer the deep wide drawers, furniture feet, and easy access to each designated area (with plenty of pretty outlets). I hope that you enjoy this beautiful kitchen for many years.
Leila says
Thank you!
Cabinets R Us says
While having cabinets in an unfitted kitchen offers some organization, it’s crucial to strike a balance. Unfitted kitchens exude a unique charm, reminiscent of a bygone era when functionality melded with aesthetics effortlessly. Cabinets can subtly disrupt this authenticity, yet they provide storage convenience. Embracing the unfitted style while incorporating cabinets requires finesse. Opt for open shelves to maintain the airy feel or choose cabinets that mimic standalone furniture. Blend modern functionality with the unfitted charm by selecting complementary materials and finishes. Ultimately, it’s about preserving the kitchen’s character while embracing contemporary needs.