Sunday, March 04, 2007

A Little More Progress

Friday, March 2, 2007
A lot of the cabinets were installed this week--enough so the granite people could come in and do a template. According to Adam, the granite installation happens about three weeks after the granite measure. Appliance installation and painting are the only major projects after the granite is installed, so we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

These are the cabinets that go above the cooktop. Some of the doors will be glass. Actually, not glass but something called ecoresin, made of recycled materials. And we're all about green--I'm just hoping that my new Prius will not cause me to gain as much weight as Al Gore has.

The empty spaces here are for the refrigerator and the oven. The oven is still sitting in our living room, waiting patiently to be installed. It's more patient than I am.
Not as much progress this week as in past weeks.
Like everyone else, the carpenters were snowed in for a couple of days. There have been a lot of complaints about the slowness of the snow removal. Like most other items in the state budget, the Transportation Department's snow removal budget has been cut. People seem surprised that the budget cuts have some correlation with efficiency.

Frieda, our good luck garden ornament, is still standing tall and perky in all the snow. I love Frieda because she seems so plucky, and also because she reminds me that large hips can be a thing of beauty.

12 comments:

TNelson said...

The kitchen is really starting to look wonderful! I'm sure you can't wait to do some cooking in it. I feel your pain about the snow - Our front yard looks much the same here in Omaha.

Trish

Anonymous said...

Those are some gorgeous cabinets. Hope you get out of the snow soon. Spring is hopefully right around the corner!

jini said...

your cabinets are beautiful. soon you'll be filling them and enjoying your shiny new appliances too. what's a little snow in the life of a minnesotan?? did i say little? my mistake. :)
anyway, it's so frustrating during the process, but it's all worth in the end. honest!

Marie said...

Trish,
I think that when the kitchen finally gets done, I will do an all-weekend bake-a-thon. I'm definitely ready to start cooking again.

Kristen,
Thanks. It's supposed to get into the 40's later this week, and the icicles were dripping away today.

Jini,
Thanks for the encouragement!

Yiuma,
Happy new year!
I've never been to Hong Kong, but I would love to visit. How is your bread baking going?

Anonymous said...

It's hard for me to tell, but is Frieda holding a tiny upright wooden spoon in her right hand? To me, with the hips and the spoon, she looks like the garden goddess of Homemade Bread.
Great looking kitchen, enjoy it soon!
Chris in RI
Hey it just hit me! You know what you need? An outdoor bread baking/pizza oven! Maybe when the indoor kitchen is done...

Marie said...

Chris,
It's not a wooden spoon--it's a wand with a star on the end, although I sure like the idea of the Garden Bread Goddess.
You might think you're kidding about the idea of an outdoor bread baking oven, but don't think it hasn't occurred to me. In fact, I do think it's just the thing I need. I haven't yet broached this subject with Jim.

Anonymous said...

You really have not only beautiful cabinets, but they are fun to look at too! I love their design.

I like how you made it so not all your doors will be glass, or to be correct, now that I've learned about it, ecoresin. It makes for a more interesting design!

I also love your little step down top line (of the 2nd photo) of your wall cabinets!!!

These two details make so much more of an interesting design than an array of cabinets marching across the wall in monotonous, boring repetition ...as most kitchen cabinetry does.

Plus, with the wood itself being interesting and the grain various, it makes the whole thing quite interesting. I don't sweep my eye over it and think "cabinets"... Instead, I find myself lingering, looking at the wood, the grain, the details of design. Now, I've just noticed that some of your panels have a center wood strip, and that the doors are different sizes.

Do you have something in mind for that tall narrow space above the little cube spaces? And what do you have in mind for the cube spaces themselves? Are they for a collection of something: teacups or kitchen trolls or Dala horses? or for bottles of vanilla, almond, lemon, baking powder, seeds, and bottles of herbs and seasoning?

Is it how you imagined?

Do I remember your saying something about worrying that you wouldn't have enough cabinet space? Does it feel like enough now?

I too would be more and more eager to try it all out and cook!

Marissa

pinknest said...

i am jealous of all your cabinet space. jealous i say!! i have one cabinet for all my dishes.

Marie said...

Yiuma,
You are also always welcome in Minnesota--a good place to visit if you want to experience winter!

Marissa,
You're very perceptive about the design details. I love what's happened in the kitchen so far because it doesn't look like everybody else's kitchen. The little spaces are actually just the right size for wine bottles, and I think we'll use some of them for wine and some for miscellaneous tsotchkes.

Pinknest,
I'm jealous of your life in Manhattan! (But I do like my cabinets).

Anonymous said...

Wine bottles! I hadn't thought of that. I like that: something serious and classy about bottles of dark glass full of wine... and fun.

I am looking forward to the next post... I think, if I remember your list, that you maybe get hardware next? or trim?

What will happen behind the cooktop? Will there be tile perhaps?

Marissa

Anonymous said...

Marie, I've been away for two weeks and have been anxious to see how it is all coming together. I laughed when I saw all the boxes of cabinets everywhere! Did you kind of worry they wouldn't all fit in the kitchen? The alder is a very nice choice. (being originally from Oregon I,too, have heard of alder.)
I'm sure you could 'hot wire' the Wolf now, and start baking for us again!...No?

Marie said...

Marissa,
Yes, hardware and trim come next. Then, in just 10 days, the great day when the granite will be installed. Yes, tile is to be installed above the cooktop on Friday, March 23. We're going to Chicago that weekend, so, at least in theory, we should come back on Monday to see new tile. And that will also be a great day.

Melinda,
Good to hear from you again! Yes, I did wonder if I couldn't just plug in the oven and start baking on the living room floor. I had an idea that there might be some flaw in that plan, however.