I’ll admit I was feeling a bit relaxed.
I’ve heard horror stories of ‘Kitchens Gone Wild’, but we managed to get through the major part of our kitchen renovation with no major snafus (with the exception of that one time when I melted plastic in our oven).
I mean, the granite countertops are installed and they are the most delicious shade of black– especially when the sun shines on it (the color is black pearl granite, for you fellow granite-lovers).
The hardwood floors, while not easy to maintain, are the dark chocolate shade I adore.
As for the cabinets, they’ve been painted and oh la la, what a transformation!
We still need to paint the walls, but I’ve been living with the color swatches to see which ones are pulling ahead in the race to be ‘the one.’ And we need a backsplash, but as long as we get a good coat of paint on the walls that can wait a bit.
Even though we aren’t yet done done just sorta done, I still added a few favorite finds.
You are the bacon to my eggs, why yes, you are!
And wowza, 3 out of 4 major appliances are now stainless steel.
Our one holdout is the refrigerator. We need a new one since ours is beginning to go, and in stainless to match the other appliances. Super easy, right?
{you can guess the answer to that one}
Not. Super. Easy.
Thanks to an informative discussion from you guys on Facebook a few weeks back, we’d decided on a french-door style with the freezer on the bottom. After a lively {read: exhausting} trip to the local appliance store with Noodle and Bee, we’d decided to splurge on a GE Profile with all the bells and whistles. Since it’s an investment we hope will last awhile, I wanted a few extras like an ice maker with crushed ice and my husband was all about the cubic feet (aren’t they all?)
Deciding to check measurements before ordering, our proverbial bubble was burst when we realized the fridge we wanted– no, actually ALL the fridges in the store– were too tall. You see, the space we have is 68″ tall. Most refrigerators run at least 69.5″ tall, and our dream fridge was 70 inches. In order to replace the one we currently own, we’d need to get an identical model (and the reviews on the only model we could find, ANYWHERE, that would fit rated it at one star. One star!)
Here’s our decision. Either we settle for a short and horribly rated fridge, or we pay our contractor $500 to trim the existing cabinet and replace it. Since the crown moulding at the top runs around it, simply moving the cabinet up wouldn’t look right. And after shelling out money for a renovation, it would be a shame for it not to look right. We can’t just remove it because we need continuity with the crown moulding and also the tall board running vertically between the fridge and the counter:
Some pickle we’ve gotten ourselves into, hmmm? Looks like we’re kissing our super deluxe fridge goodbye and putting the money into trimming the cabinet down two inches.
Two inches and $500. So much for coming in under budget, right? :: palm forehead ::
Paloma says
WOW! It’s all looking beautiful! Sorry about the two inches and 500 🙂 but like someone said “This is one of those “big problems” when living in a First World Country” LOL! … 🙂 Loved the details too!
Lisa Hanneman says
We just did a kitchen renovation, too. I picked out plain finishes that aren’t necessarily what I would have in MY kitchen, but will make it easier for selling in a year or two. Your kitchen looks so personalized and lovely. I’m jealous!
Cassie @ Primitive & Proper says
first of all, the kitchen is looking amazing! we have the same issue here- we planned to buy a new fridge right away…. but what we want won’t fit because this is an older home and the old fridge is smaller and fits….
we plan to remove the cabinet above it and get what we want OR when we redo the kitchen, we will change it completely but anyhow, could you remove the cabinet and just put a shelf there?
Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State says
My husband does cabinets for a living he suggested changing out that cabinet for a thinner cabinet (same height, but not as tall) so you don’t have to raise the top, but the bottom would be higher.
Stacy says
See if your contractor will barter with you. Could save you some big bucks!
Darla says
Carrie, looks great. Definitely pop it up! You’ll be glad you have the bigger fridge. Trim and touch up paint are all that’s needed. You can do this yourself! See here for a shot of something similar we just worked with a client on. Those three inches or so look great and changed the whole kitchen. http://heartworkorg.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/2012-June-Getting-It-Together1.pdf