(Happy to have this magnetic knife strip to clear off my counter here. It's this one – affiliate link)
We had some technical issues with the blog this past week, so I apologize if you couldn't comment and/or came here to find the blog not available. But my wonderful friend Andrew Malone (husband of my fabulous editor Nora Malone, who helped me so much with The Summa Domestica) gave things an overhaul and now they should be more functional now.
And despite my best efforts, the new Poetry Day post, which I decided to separate from last week's post, did not have comments activated, but now it does, so please do go check that out. I added a PDF version so you can print it out if you would like! Deirdre has so many good thoughts about how to help children memorize and declaim poetry!
Speaking of functional, I thought we'd discuss a little more about cabinets (there was already a lot here) and especially, my island!
We gutted everything in this room, so it wasn't possible to use the old cabinets. Because we actually gained some inches by taking down the three (!) layers of walls built up over the years (plus about 7″ of ceiling height!), we had to start fresh. If you have basically good cabinets but don't love the style, consider simply refacing them with new doors and even either removing some or all uppers or adding boxes to go up to the ceiling. There are lots of options and the internet is positively teeming with them all.
I have seen several posts on trends saying that having shelves instead of upper cabinets will no longer be the thing, but I'm not really caring about that… I had actually lived with open cabinets because Rosie had removed the doors on a few of our old ones, and I love the practicality of that way of doing things.
If you look at old world/old fashioned kitchens, you will see that it's seeing the dishes and pots that makes them charming.
I also tend to forget, immediately, about things not in view.
But no question, I was going to lose some storage in my immediate work area (gaining some across the room, true, but that's not helpful for everyday dishes).
And that is how I came up with the idea of the island's design.
This big lower drawer is made to look like two but is really one. The cabinetmaker suggested it, saying I'd have more room inside this way, since I wanted inset drawers.
Before, I had made do with the existing island by making a more workable top for it (thanks to the Chief who made it happen).
Things I liked about that old one: The surface entirely undisturbed by sink or any other thing (if you look at the before befores, you'll see what I mean), so I could roll out my dough or put out our dinner to serve it from there, very handy.
And the fact that you could move it — move the whole thing a little closer to the sink if the kitchen table were extended, a little further away from the sink if several people were working at once in that area. (Again, you can see the befores and afters of this “make-do” renovation in this post.) It really fit perfectly into the space I have, taking into consideration traffic patterns, which are myriad and considerable here.
BEFORE:
Things I thought could be nicer: I absolutely love the “dairy” or “baker's” table look with the turned legs. I love the way it's a piece of furniture and not an extension of the cabinets, complete with barstools putting the occupiers' backs to the rest of the room. We love our kitchen table, and certainly the work area is close enough to it. I may bring back the stools that went on the ends, but they will have to be repainted, so we'll see. Their main virtue, in the eyes of my grandchildren, is the satisfying spinning experience of them!
I spent some time looking for an old dairy table sort of thing.
But then I realized: Besides a very specific size requirement, I also need two sets of drawers, not just one, so I can put all the dishes into the bottom one and keep my arrangement of utensils in the top.
And, Reader, I just really love the idea of drawers you don't have to wrestle with! Soft-close hinges are … an unbelievable luxury that also saves marriages, since you don't have to wrestle a drawer shut or close a cabinet door left slightly ajar (not to mention askew), after a spouse has blown through getting out the things he needs.
So I designed this one:
Basically the same size… And the cabinet-maker executed it so beautifully, even giving me a little storage on the other side for napkins and candles and little sundries: it's nice to have such things accessible from the “table” side of the room. (You can see about the counters in this post, and why I chose soapstone, not marble as indicated in the drawing, after all.)
You can make a drawing like this too. You need graph paper, a ruler, and a pencil!
The examples you'll see (mostly from the English cabinet company, DeVol) of the dairy table-as-island have a certain look on the legs, a tapering off that is so graceful. This was my main inspiration photo:
Since the cabinetmaker has to source those legs, vs. make them from scratch which would raise the cost considerably, the ones he could find that have the squared off part, the block, long enough to support two sets of drawers, have the more squat balls at the bottom.
(Do you see where the cabinet part goes into the legs, on the upper squared-off part? That part of the leg has to be square — it wouldn't work very easily/cost-effectively to get it to go into a turned, rounded part of the leg.)
But in the end, I'm happy. I think the turned part with its round vs. tapered foot gives a good impression of bearing the weight of the drawers and heavy soapstone top. It is on sliders so it can be moved, though it is much heavier than my old one, what with the stone on top and all the dishes in there!
As to how it functions, I have the same basic layout of the drawers as before, but the lower area is plates rather than things I had in the old one, which now have new spots elsewhere.
This drawer, below, has flatware for meal service — handy to the dishwasher, which is a turn away, and the table. I can put things out on the island for someone else to set, or else easily access if I'm doing the setting myself. Things would fit even better if my set were truly flat vs. having those rounded handles, but it works.
The left drawer has my serving utensils and the secondary working utensils for cooking — things I use enough to want somewhat handy, but not enough to put closer to my work area. We'll discuss all that another time!
And again, all the everyday dishes are right there, a quick turn from the dishwasher.
A note about drawer organization: I got the slanty bamboo organizer for flatware here (affiliate link). I would have preferred a simple divider kind of thing, but none really fit in an efficient way.
I got the other bamboo dividers (there are others I will show you another time) from Aldi. They had just the right things for me at just the right moment. I'm sorry if you missed it — there wasn't even time for me to post about them! So all of these organizers (and ones I haven't shown) were massively cheaper than any sort of custom arrangement.
In an example of taking a wait-and-see attitude (so useful in so many situations), I thought I'd need those dowel sorts of dividers for the plates and bowls drawer, but actually, due to the smooth operation, I really don't and I'm glad I didn't spring for them. And that's good because a) I am not the sort of person ever to commit to any arrangement in there and b) they are expensive.
You might not think it, but the dishes and bowls really do stay put.
Bonus: the stool I need — a relic from my parents'-in-law house — just right here; so I got it out of the living room where it had previously resided under the piano — because that's where they had kept it — slides right underneath and you can't even see it!
Okay, I think that's about it for the island!
On to our links!
bits & pieces
- A lovely ramble with Denise Trull through the ordinary, extraordinary, happy life of the beloved illustrator, Arthur Rackham, as she tells us of a book (affiliate link) her husband bought her: “He loved his home, his wife, his daughter, his art. He genuinely had a splendid time creating all his illustrations with whimsy and wit and a constant eye for beauty. He had no pretensions nor demanded to be treated as though he were some sort of art god. He treated his art as a living as well as a thing to give him pleasure. He was very careful to save the money he earned and invested it for his family's comfort and ease. He bought a comfortable, whimsical house and made sure his own artist-wife had a studio of her own. He also listened eagerly to her comments and suggestions. She was his greatest and most sought out critic.”
- Do you have a glut of limes? Sometimes there is a sale all of a sudden. Here's a way to preserve them. I've just uploaded a new highlight on my Instagram, by the way, on my process for fermenting garlic. It's so easy to grow this crop and I have a wonderful supply (in part due to not having a kitchen for seven months but I digress). Fermenting makes them tasty and handy, as the peeling gets done in one go.
- A disturbing development in the Catholic Church, but also in many sects, is the growing affirmation of homosexuality; this is purely a capitulation to worldliness; the opposite of true religion. I signed this statement which expresses very well why this can never be accepted by the faithful.
- Next month my husband and I will be in St. Louis to give talks — I hope we will see you there! Here is the info:
from the archives
- Speaking of saving marriages (see above, drawer closing innovations), I stand by these products, much cheaper than couples therapy.
- Don't miss my easy and delicious birthday (and every occasion) cake — we only have a little time left to us for chocolate!
liturgical living
St. Blaise
Tomorrow the Seven Sundays of St. Joseph begin!
Ash Wednesday this year falls on Valentine's Day. Don't be surprised about this! Gird your loins! You can do it! Celebrate on the 13th or the 15th. We will survive!
Lent is indeed nigh! I recommend this book by Suzan Sammons.
Using traditional resources from the saints and Church Fathers, Suzan offers a treasury of daily reflections on the Stations of the Cross. Augmenting the rather quick thoughts that happen during the weekly Stations devotions, these are meditations spread throughout the whole of Lent, offered in a way that can be fruitful for the whole family.
If you're looking for a personal devotional this Lent or a family activity that is rooted in tradition, this book is one I can recommend. And Sophia is offering 30% off on their site right now. (I am not an affiliate of Sophia Press.)
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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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Sarah says
Hi! Two things! I couldn’t click on your affiliate link for the bamboo divider for your flatware! We just had a kitchen built last March and I am still looking for a flatware divider. Embarrassingly, our silverware is loose in the drawer! Would love to look closer at the one you chose. And two; we already have tickets with our dear friends for your talk in St Louis. We will see you there! (It is our parish!)
Sarah
Leila says
Ah, thanks — I just forgot it! It should be there now — refresh your page.
These work because there are two and they fit side-by-side perfectly, with only a small bit of wasted space lengthwise, which was the most I could expect with these unique drawers!
Looking forward to St. Louis! It will be fun to see you there!
Leila says
Also, my drawers would still have loose things in there if Rosie hadn’t alerted me to the Aldi sale, which in turn made me pull the trigger on the slanty one.
She refused to allow me to put the old ones back haha — sending disapproval from way across the country, so loose flatware it was, for quite a while!