kitchen appliances :: oven/range

We have started shopping around for kitchen appliances. Truth be told, I started my search a few weeks ago... I went to a local appliance store and came away with a lot of preliminary information.

When we remodeled our kitchen in our previous house, John chose all the appliances. (My mind was on the growing baby in my belly, and I wasn't any help whatsoever. Poor John.)

I learned several things from this kitchen, and one of them was that I do not need double ovens. I am not that girl. Another thing I learned is that I really liked my Viking range.


This is what I'm sure of:

• I want an oven/range combination.
• It must be stainless steel.
• Gas burners, for sure.

This is what I think I want (but not sure):

• I like Viking, but am open to other brands.
• We think we want a 36" with 6-burners.
• We're pretty sure it won't be "dual fuel" because that add $2000 - $3000 to the cost (yikes!)

I need your help and your recommendations in reference to oven ranges. (Forget refrigerators and dishwashers for right now...)

What do you know about Blue Star appliances? Any good?
What do you know about Fisher & Paykel? Know anybody who has one?

If you could choose any oven range combination, what would you choose?

in lieu of a dining room :: a roll out table

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that we are planning on building a table that rolls in and out of our island. It's best explained through pictures.



If you look closely at the picture, you can see how the rolling table works. The frame of the island is built by using cabinets that are usually wall-mounted.

source: O magazine, 2008

The description reads

Under the stationary, standard-height counter, Williams installed cabinets that are normally wall-mounted. Shorter and shallower than base cabinets, they allow the table to pass over and around them when it is stowed away. The tabletop is stainless steel wrapped around a sound-dampening plywood core, and rolls on six casters that lock to hold the table in place. When the table is fully extended or fully collapsed, the legs are positioned to allow all the cabinet doors to open.

We are going to do a few things differently with our roll-out table and island:

• No sink in the island.
• No casters on the roll out table. We're yet to figure out what 'sliding' mechanism we'll use, but it won't be wheels.
• If space allows, we would like to have an area at the island for barstools.
• Wood-topped island, but roll-out table will be made of stainless steel.
• The legs of our island will be a little different -- we're not loving the look of all those table legs.

Our roll-out table will be made so that there is always room for 4 (or more) at the table. In other words, the table will never completely disappear into the island. If space allows, we would like to make it big enough to seat ten people.

To be clear, this will take the place of any dining table. You can revisit a blueprint of our great room/kitchen area here.


So what do you think? A creative space-saver or an eyesore?

kitchen inspiration

image via

I love everything about this kitchen.

sleek white cabinets check
silver handles check
open shelving check
white subway tile check
dark wood floors check
metal counters like 'em but would love 'em better if they were concrete

simple. simple. simple.

3 big changes

We have a lot in store for the little blue house.

Obviously, we have a lot of cosmetic changes, "lipstick and rouge" if you will. However, it is the structural renovations that are more important to us right now.

#1 Bump out the front entry

The plan to bump out the front entry came about as we were talking with the architect. Although we have many ideas about *modernizing* (is that a real word?) the rest of the house, John and I were stumped as how to change the front. The curved section pictured here threw a wrench in the works. The architect suggested that we push the front door out several feet and create a hip roof. We already had plans to convert the fireplace to a gas insert so the need for the chimney stack went away.

#2 Relocate stairs to the back of the house



As mentioned earlier, we will be removing the spiral staircase in the center of the house and the exterior staircase. The staircase will be relocated to the back of the house, as pictured above and below. The above elevation shows what the upstairs will look like, and the elevation below shows what the downstairs floorplan will look like.

#3 Push the kitchen back approx. 10 feet.

We will push the kitchen back so that it lines up with the second story bedroom wall. This is what it looks like now...



so imagine those walls closed up.

And there you have it. Wish us luck.

house tour, part III

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, there is no *formal* entry to our house -- once you step through the doorway, you're immediately in the great room.



Besides the bedrooms and bathrooms (and the loft space above the spiral stairs), there is only a great room and a kitchen. No living room. No separate dining room.

That is both one of the things that we loved about this house, and it's also one of the drawbacks.



One of the things we learned from our previous remodel, is that we lived in our great room. I mean, we spent all our time in there. Even though we had a seperate living room and dining room, we rarely used them. In fact, we never used the living room. It was simply a place to put the Christmas tree in December.

The extra rooms were wasted space.

So now --in this house-- we don't have the wasted rooms, but we're limited for space.



That's where our renovation plans come in.

Before we made an offer on the house, John figured out how and where to relocate the stairs, as well as push the kitchen back.

Lucky for me, I married a man who is very good at visualizing wall placement, as well as understanding terms like "loading-bearing wall" and "structural engineering." Lucky for him, he married a woman who has the patience and imagination to live with (and in) yet another remodel.