With the extraneous walls down, old kitchen area removed, ceilings opened up as well as a mini-bathroom removed, we can begin to breathe again, actually as well as figuratively! Our asthmatic feline Buster is happy to no longer be sequestered upstairs. The flow of the home is starting to return. We wished to spend a long time in the area before making any type of major style decisions, which has assisted us to comprehend the house’s quirks, exactly how the light moves throughout the day, as well as exactly how much we can hear our neighbours with the shared wall. But, it’s not all time wasted: while making these decisions, we have been moving ahead with decidedly less attractive things: a new furnace as well as water heater, as well as new wiring.
Doing the reno slowly enables time to just gaze at the space, usually what it takes to get to that Eureka! moment, or a sense of utter exhaustion, whichever comes first.
Now dealt with with a blank canvas, we can arrange the kitchen/dining space nevertheless we want — or so we thought. Our very first plan, situating the kitchen area behind the staircase wall (above), would have expense rather a bit more to move plumbing, as well as would cause the counter to jut out as well much into the hallway. This last realization came when I went down the hall right here at the H&H offices to “Ask A Designer” (a.k.a. Cameron MacNeil) for his thoughts on this plan (a definite task perk). He stated it is perfect to have 42” for a hall passageway. scratch plan A.
On to plan B: a medium sized-galley with a gorgeous exposed-brick wall as well as a dining area by the bay window with a cosy couch, much like having a Swedish kitchen area sofa. (I like that they even have a word for this: köksoffa!)
I am imagining late-night dinners that go on as well as on…
And, like the traditional Swedish kitchen area sofa, additional sleeping space for guests who stay all night.
In the demo, we found that we do indeed have a lovely looking brick wall in the kitchen area area, however unsightly pipes from the upstairs bathroom, as well as a heating duct (covered in asbestos, I may add) are foiling the plan! We likewise discovered an old pocket-door that had been plastered into the walls, a circa-1950 Russian coin, some 1960s baseball cards, as well as my favourite, a horseshoe.
So it seems the home will dictate the design. Now, our choices are to move the duct as well as conceal the water pipes in the ceiling with a bulkhead (not my favourite), or move on to plan C, train tiles:
Or, failing that, move down the alphabet to plan D as well as accept the heating duct for a somewhat more industrial look:
Well, you understand what they state about the best-laid plans…
For more inspiration, view Lynda Reeves’ kitchen area renovation photos.
Photo credits:1. Catherine MacIntosh2. Living etc October 20083. hello Tiger blog, photography by Anna/Juniform4. Catherine MacIntosh5. From home & house may 2007 issue, photography by mark Olson6. Living etc September 2009