IN MY (NEW!) KITCHEN: NOVEMBER 2013

Posted in General, In My Kitchen by

Remember our old kitchen?  Well, we barely recognize the place now! Weeks of renovation struggles are over, and we could not be happier with the outcome!  So I join Celia, from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial in her series In My Kitchen revealing our new space…

In our kitchen…

Supernova1supernova2We now have a 6-burner Blue Star range, powered by gas, with a convection oven,
and a gorgeous coral-front panel… We named it Supernova 😉

and you can customize yours with a click here

In our kitchen…

cabinetsA new look for our tired cabinets, with new front doors and a green, antique treatment to the frames.  We love the hardware too. It matches the stainless steel look of the appliances.

In our kitchen (and dining room)….

compositefloor(click to enlarge)
A new hardwood floor, light, bright, and comfy on our feet.  It has a light semi-gloss finish.  That alone made our kitchen into a completely different space, joining smoothly with the dining room next to it.

In our kitchen…

fridgeA new fridge that actually makes ice! Isn’t that something? (when this photo was taken, the new granite countertop had not been delivered yet).  But, just a couple of days later…..

countertop1A gorgeous piece of Yukon White granite, born and raised in Brazil,  found its permanent home in the center stage of our favorite place in the house. The cabinet underneath was enlarged to accommodate the bigger stone. We absolutely love this addition, it makes cooking and hanging out in the kitchen so much nicer!

In our kitchen…

IMG_3103A colorful light fixture on top of the sink…   With a window frame painted in antique yellow.
No, we are not afraid of color!  😉

In our kitchen…

dishrackA dish drying rack from Simple Human.  I’ve flirted with this piece for 8 years, decided it was time to get one.   Very functional, very stylish. You can change the orientation around to fit your space, and the dripping spout works like a charm…

In our kitchen…
compositetrashcanA trash can also from Simple Human, perfect size to fit in the space between the fridge and the little hall that leads to the garage.

In our kitchen…
Bosch1A Bosch dishwasher that actually cleans the dishes!  Can you imagine that?  😉

In our kitchen….

knivesA drawer to hold our knives, with cleverly designed inserts sold by Bed Bath and Beyond.  The storage is completely flexible, you can customize to the size of your knives and drawers.
Three inserts did the perfect job for us.

In our kitchen…

IMG_3004A drawer with wooden dividers (also from Bed Bath and Beyond) to make storage a little more organized. Don’t you love the light yellow frame that we chose for the central island cabinet?   Brought even more light to the place!

In our kitchen…

newpotA little ceramic pot that is oven-friendly, and makes me smile every time I look at it. One of those happy little containers… found it at Marshalls.

To wrap up the post, a before and after short series…

photo6

kitchenafterkitchenafter2IMG_3099

A completely new look, that matches our mood, our style, our personalities.

Now, a final message from a four-legged friend who probably struggled the most with the ordeals of the hellnovation: Chief. He stayed inside with the workers all the time, but sometimes searched for peaceful places to sleep, as far away from the noise as possible.  A laundry basket (with freshly washed garage towels), or an empty luggage seemed perfect to rest his tired body… 😉

Chief2

Chief

I hope you enjoyed the tour through the New and Revamped Bewitching Kitchen!

ONE YEAR AGO: The Lab Move and New Beginnings

TWO YEARS AGO: Honey-Oat Pain de Mie

THREE YEARS AGO: Carrot and Leek Soup

FOUR YEARS AGO: Chicken Parmigiana 101

76 thoughts on “IN MY (NEW!) KITCHEN: NOVEMBER 2013”

  1. Beautiful kitchen and all the additional features like the knife drawer and block and the drawer cubbies for gadgets are just amazing. The little red ceramic pot is so cute as is Chief snuggled into the too small for him laundry basket. That sports bag CAN’T have been comfortable but I guess it was a case of any port in a storm.

    I love your new kitchen.

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  4. Sally, you and Phil (and the dogs) will enjoy this kitchen so much! It’s just beautiful, functional, sassy and a delight to see. It will be a delight to cook in, entertain in and explore. You’ll love the wood floor; it really is easy on the legs and knees compared to stone. You’ll love your Bosch dishwasher. We’ve had them for years, and they are whisper-quiet and get dishes really, really clean. You’ll love your granite island top. Impervious to stains, and ours has never needed any kind of special care in the 15 years we’ve had it. I am so happy you love your Bluestar and can’t wait to get ours (when the house is finally done in a little over a year from now). Picking the color will be the hard part! I had thought I’d just play it safe and go with stainless, but seeing your bright and beautiful coral makes me wonder if I should be brave and go with a color. Too many to choose from! You were smart to just go for it and not worry about being matchy-matchy with the other colors in the room. Truly inspired color choices.

    You two, your friends and family, will enjoy this kitchen the food coming out of it for years to come. Bravo to you both!

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    • The Bosch is already living in my heart….. the thing is soooo quiet! And does a nice job cleaning the dishes, something that was definitely not the case! As to the color, I cannot tell you how happy we are for going with the bold choice. Stainless steel now seems like a waste of opportunity to make a statement 😉

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    • I like the Simple Human products, and that drying rack is a fancier version of one I used to have. But lately I’ve stopped using a rack at all; I don’t like how any of them look in my kitchen. Now, I just use a thick dish towel on the counter, for things that either won’t fit in the dishwasher or are too delicate to go in there. I bought a bunch of pure cotton bar towels. They are very absorbent, launder well, can be bleached, and don’t take up a lot of space in a drawer.

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    • You might like Paula’s idea, which could work well – I need a real drying rack, when we were camping in and out of our empty home in Oklahoma, I did not have a dish rack and improvised with dishcloths – I find it hard to lay large serving dishes or pans without risking breaking a glass or two. I guess I am too uncoordinated and get pretty wild as I’m doing the dishes by hand 😉 But if it works for you, it will definitely simplify and cost a lot less!

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      • I’m not sure during cloths is cheaper. Over time, you will do more laundry, of course. I just like not having the big rack on the pretty counter when it’s not needed. You will find that your new dishwasher handles pots and pans as well as delicate wine glasses. Truly.

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  7. Great Job, I’m sure you will enjoy your cooking space for years to come! Isn’t it amazing how cooking in a bright and “airy” kitchen makes you feel good? Happy cooking!

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    • So true, JIm! The light does it all – I am sitting at the central island replying to comments, and lift my head to look at the colorful light fixtures, hard not to smile… and during the day, the yellow frame of the window is matching many of the leaves outside that are turning that exact yellow color. Now, of course that gives me some shivers of the winter to come, but at least I know it won’t be a dark winter inside our kitchen… quite the opposite! 😉

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  9. OMG I’m giddy with excitement! You are so more brave than I am with colors – but it turned out so well. That marble is to die for, as is the stove and fridge. One note – I inherited a Bosch dishwasher when we moved into this house in 2004 and it’s super quiet and works amazingly well. And is still working. I hope you have as much luck with it as mine! And the floors are so pretty, too. It’s funny. When you have light, you go dark (me). When you have dark, you go light (you). Beautiful!

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    • I remember when you posted pictures of your floor and the renovation – I think dark can be very stylish, but in this house it made the overall feel pretty sad and “down” if you know what I mean… 😉

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  11. Your new kitchen looks fantastic. I love the bold colors and the stove top and the fan- I love it all!
    Thanks so much for sharing- my head is buzzing with ideas for what I would like my ideal kitchen to look like!

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  15. I love checking out the before and after pics! How light and bright….and so gorgeous, you have made this kitchen! Your appliance are all top notch, I’m so very jealous!! The drawer knife, light fixtures, color selections, granite countertop you created a fabulous kitchen that just blends all together so well. Can’t wait to see all the great dishes you will be creating in that kitchen!!

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  17. I don’t even know where to start! First – I LOVE the drying rack. It’s now on my Christmas list. And I have total drawer envy. I need to get my drawers organized. They are such a jumbled mess. The knife sorter is a fantastic idea. So clever Sally! And overall the kitchen looks phenomenal. I love that the granite is from Brazil and the light fixture above the sink is likely my favorite touch. It looks so happy, warm and inviting. And of course, I can’t go without a mention about Chief. He just looks so darn snuggly. Nothing better than curling up on warm laundry. 🙂 I have to say it sure looks well worth the hellenovation. 🙂

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  20. Congratulations Sally! I am so happy for you! The new kitchen is breath taking and every single detail is elegant and beautifully thought of!
    The knife drawer and the drying rack are brilliant ideas! but the light fixtures, color selections and that stunning granite counter top truly transformed your kitchen!
    I can’t wait to see the magic you will make in there 🙂

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    • Thanks, Sawsan! There are so many lucky details, things we managed to get almost by accidents, little risks we took here and there, so it’s nice to see it all coming together finally…

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  21. From where I sit, Sally, your renovation was a resounding success. Congratulations! I love you new appliances and countertops. The kitchen looks so much brighter now. Best of all, though, are the drawer organizers. Just about every time I open a drawer, I think that I’ve got to get the organized “one of these days”. Those days have turned into years and the problem has only gotten worse. Some people make dream boards. I should place copies of your new drawers atop mine as motivational tools. And I’m a Simple Human shopper, too. 🙂

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    • Simple Human is a cool company indeed… as to drawers, we still have one that needs attention, but we are not quite sure how to approach that one – too many long utensils, hard to keep they all peacefully co-existing…

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  22. A Bosch dishwasher that cleans your dishes AND TELLS YOU ABOUT IT!!!! How fabulous. I cannot wait until I have a kitchen of my own to play with, you’ve done a stellar job with yours!

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  23. Sally…. what an incredible transformation!! No kidding you are over the moon — look at that smashing room set ablaze by the Supernova :). What a fabulous piece in tandem with the 6-burner Blue Star range. And I’m also loving the new floors… so bright and squeaky clean – they look beautiful. The drying rack seems well worth the splurge and the perfect time to go for it! Now tell me, how long are your drawers going to remain flawlessly clean and organized like that? (please tell me not too long… ;-)).

    I feel for your sweet Chief… (my heart wanted to start with him but I resisted knowing I should really start with the kitchen)… when we were turning our home upside down preparing to sell it before coming to CA, I found Stella curled up in a ball at the foot of our bed – the remarkable thing about it was that she had never been upstairs before in her entire life 😦 poor girl clearly needed an escape route. Animals are incredible aren’t they? They sense change before we even see it coming. Please give your furry loved-one a huge hug from me (and Stella) xo.

    Enjoy your kitchen Sally — you and Phil are going to create lasting memories and delicious food in this beautiful spot, I have no doubt!

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    • Kelly, I can picture Stella so well, it is true dogs sense that there is something major happening, and of course they are passengers without control on the outcome. Must be very stressful for them…

      As to the kitchen, I never imagined I would like this home better than our place in Oklahoma, but this renovation made this house into our home. Big time…

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  24. Oh my, what a beautiful kitchen! I’m still drooling over the stove since I saw a picture of it the other day. They say envy is a bad thing but I’m guilty. 🙂

    While I really like your kitchen, I’m in love with your dog. What a cutie!! He does fit in the suitcase. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Maureen! Chief certainly appreciates the attention, right now he is grabbing his toy and I know he will insist that I play with him instead of sitting here at the computer… so, I must comply!

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    • It was worth the pain for sure, I am glad we did everything. Phil was the one who really pushed for it, and insisted we knocked a wall between two rooms and made the floor into a single “entity” – it was a huge renovation in the end, involving more than the kitchen, but he was absolutely right, no sense postponing and doing the “second part” in a year. Imagine going through all the moves again, empty the rooms, live with dust for weeks etc etc. Now, it’s DONE.

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  28. What a lovely new kitchen Sally. And such a stove! Wow! Very happy for you that the reno is over. And very happy for poor Chief as well.

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    • Chief is enjoying the new kitchen, so is Buck. Oscar has “issues” – he is afraid of the new floor. It has “shadows” and he acts as if the shadows might swallow him. It is beyond funny, at some point we have to try and make a video of it.

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    • Great catch, Peggy! I was wondering if anyone would ask that… well, we did not. We got a Panasonic, small, perfect for our needs, and the thing doesn’t beep for eternity once it’s done. I did not include a photo because we were waiting for a rack for our small appliances and it arrived a couple of days ago. On my next IMK I intend to include the rack and the microwave

      You just won many brownie points with the Bewitching Kichen! 😉

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    • Lisa, it is amazing the difference a great dishwasher makes! I used to be soooo irritated at the dull look of the knives, and the pieces of dried up food on plates and forks, even though I gave everything a bit of advanced rinsing before putting in the machine…. Now, I don’t have to worry, Bosh does a great job!

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  33. I am pleased for you! Your new kitchen looks wonderful and must be such a relief to have it all done and dusted and you can get back to the pleasure of cooking away again. Don’t forget to run the hottest programme you can through your dishwasher once in a while to keep it clean. I am always amazed what a difference it makes when we remember to do that. That’s my only kitchen tip! Have fun and eat well !!! xx Jo

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  36. Many, many congrats on your new kitchen, Sally! It’s just beautiful!! It’s so cheerful and inviting! We’re about to launch into ours, and I can’t say I’m looking forward to it all. Our kitchen is much, much smaller than yours and I’d like to think that will speed it all up, but I’m not sure that’s true.

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  37. Beautifully done renovation. I’m sure you’re enjoying the new space and appliances. When we bought our current home, we closed December 6, hired day laborers and gutted the entire house December 26, took the kitchen back to the wall studs and finally moved into the house in June – it still wasn’t completed! I have promised myself never to do another remodeling/renovation again. We loved (and still love) the outcome but, oh my, was it a living hell.

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  39. Pingback: SRC: Bewitching Kitchen’s Avocado Orange Salad with Charred Jalapeno Dressing | Without Adornment

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