You had questions about The Kitchen. (Click here to see the Before + After photos.) Mostly, "Did you cook Thanksgiving dinner?!" WHICH I TOTALLY DID, but you wanted to know other stuff, too. I gave up trying to answer by email and comments, so if I don't cover everything here just give me a heads up.
Here goes.
Back up. Are those black AND white cabinets I see?
Yes, and the white is actually a shade called pearl. Which is brilliant and perfect and may be used in every single house I buy from now until eternity. The trim and exterior doors are painted to color match.
Are there parts that turned out better than you thought they would?
The chalkboard wall is better than I'd hoped. When we were designing The Kitchen, I'd mentioned the idea to Andrew as sort of a passing comment and immediately regretted it. He was all for it, because it's a way for us to easily keep track of his travel schedule without losing notes or leaving voicemails. While I liked the old school blackboard look and the way that it would make the completely useless space functional, I was afraid that it would turn an already cramped area into feeling like a cave. Not so. Once we did it, the small black wall actually made the ceiling feel like it grew by a foot.
Total opposite of what I thought would happen.
Can you tell me where you got the wood shelves?
We made the shelving with pine planks cut to fit wall to wall. We stained them with two coats of Cabot Polystain in Dark Oak and had them hung with Ikea black painted brackets. Andrew filled in the screw holes with black caulk for a more finished look.
Where did you find those stools?
Here.
Is that painting your work? Can I buy it?
Yes. No, it's not for sale.
What did you use on the floors?
Rectified Italian travertine with a bone colored zero grout line.
How do you like the built-in undercounter refrigeration and freezer units?
They're definitely an investment, but I highly recommend them if you can swing it. Having three is great for this room. Especially because we divided the refrigerator into two units, which gives us the same cubic footage of a traditional stand alone model, but they're accessible from both the eat-in and prep areas, as well as the cooking and dining spaces. The freezer is also fantastic. It has so.much.room.
You can read more about the refrigerators here.
Well, I think that covers it.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
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