if you could re-do your kitchen...

[ladykemma]

what woiuld you do differently?

i would install 2 identical cheapo gas ranges side by side so i could have 8 burners and 2 ovens. i would have two sinks, a dirty area and a prep area sink. edited to add: i frequently need 7 burners to cook a turkey dinner. or to prepare an SCA feast.

the unadorned island has been a very useful space.

i would have a large room sized butlers pantry with floor to ceiling shelves, glassed in, to put all the dishes and stuff not used very often.

i would get rid of this bar which never gets eaten off off. too high - makes my back hurt. it is a clutter collector.

i would choose revereware pans duplicates of all sizes 1qt,2 qt,3 qt, 4 qt,, 6 qt, 8 qt, 16 qt, 24 qt.
all clad, lincoln, and calphalon for searing, saute, and fond based meals/deglazing.

all sizes of stainless steel mixing bowls that don't break.

a built in microwave hole.

a narrow place to put cookie sheets and platters.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Lady K - we actually just did our kitchen last year. We totally reconfigured; going from an "L" with a freestanding island in the middle to a galley style and turning a previously empty wall into a pantry with cabinets. Moved the fridge and the sink; took a wall down to 48" that used to block all the light into the dining room; new everything. can''t tell you what an amazing difference it made!

I had a party at the beginning of December and several of my neighbors came (we all have the same townhouse configuration, except some of them are just the mirror image floorplan). Without exception, as soon as they hit the top of the stairs and saw the remodeled kitchen they stopped dead in their tracks. I wonder how many kitchen renovations I''ll see going on in my complex this spring, LOL!

 

[ladykemma]

wow can you post a before/after picture?

 

[Dee*Jay]

I'll see what we've got as far as before pics go. Unfortunately I don't think we took many before the wreking crew came in, LOL. But I can certainly get you some afters!

Two properties ago we had a kitchen that the designer used in his advertising. It was always a little disconcerting to be flipping through an Elle Decor or Metropolitan Home and see your own kitchen!

 

[basil]

I would choose a different countertop color than bright yellow

I would change the corner cabinets to something that was easier to access. Turntables, perhaps.

I would get a one handled faucet.

I would get one of those microwave hoods to save counter space.

In an ideal world, I''d love to have a double sink (or 2 separate sinks), 2 electric ovens (like they have on cooking shows) and a big 6 burner professional stove like my mom has. But my current kitchen doesn''t have space to accomodate that.

 

[KimberlyH]

I wouldn''t change a thing about my kitchen. I have a walkin pantry, a 5 burner gas stove (I hate cooking on electric and celebrated that I wouldn''t have to anymore the day we bought this house, two ovens, a nice sized island that is great for prep work and a ton of storage. I really lucked out in the kitchen department.

 

[Tybee]

Oh I want BIG BIG BIGGER! I want a kitchen/gathering space. You know how whenever you have a party, EVERYONE gravitates to the kitchen? I want a space that''s large enough to accomodate.
We just bought our house, lol, so that''s not going to happen anytime soon, but I''d love to knock down a few walls and create space.
If we''re talkind DREAM kitchen, I''d love a fireplace in there! My DH always jokes that my ideal house has NO WALLS, and he''s not far off. I adore SPACE!
That being said. If I could do any small thing, I''d replace our nasty countertops with granite.
I''d love to see pics of people''s kitchens, though!

 

[Mara]

well our kitchen is only 3 years old and we adore it...i do wish it was bigger with more counter space even though we have an island. it seems like it's never enough space especially when you are cooking a bunch of things!! also an island is KEY for us. we'd never want to be without one now. an island you can sit at which comes in handy for the two of us. also i wish we had double ovens, sometimes when i'm making a big dinner i wish i had more space or a 2nd oven to bake the pie while the turkey is cooking etc. also we have a walk-in pantry with a door so it really helps with storage of some of the bigger items that don't always fit under the counter and/or in cabinets etc. oh and definitely love the amount of storage aka cabinet space we have, though we could always use more. i have a ton of china and about 20 diff types of wine and drinking glasses and they take up a ton of space. i am a total kitchen implement and dinnerware whore so i always have a ton of stuff that needs storing.

 

[ladykemma]

Date: 1/2/2007 12:32:34 PM
Author: Mara
well our kitchen is only 3 years old and we adore it...i do wish it was bigger with more counter space even though we have an island. it seems like it''s never enough space especially when you are cooking a bunch of things!! also an island is KEY for us. we''d never want to be without one now. an island you can sit at which comes in handy for the two of us. also i wish we had double ovens, sometimes when i''m making a big dinner i wish i had more space or a 2nd oven to bake the pie while the turkey is cooking etc. also we have a walk-in pantry with a door so it really helps with storage of some of the bigger items that don''t always fit under the counter and/or in cabinets etc. oh and definitely love the amount of storage aka cabinet space we have, though we could always use more. i have a ton of china and about 20 diff types of wine and drinking glasses and they take up a ton of space. i am a total kitchen implement and dinnerware whore so i always have a ton of stuff that needs storing.

me too.

 

[KimberlyH]

Because I''m tired of doing schoolwork, here''s some shots of our kitchen.

 

[KimberlyH]

You can see the double ovens in this shot.

 

[KimberlyH]

Ingore my messy countertop!

 

[KristyDarling]

Kimberly, your kitchen is beautiful! So light, airy, and sleek. I love the pretty tile backsplash. And, if that's your definition of a "messy countertop," then you would most definitely pass out cold at the sight of mine!!!! Jeez, your kitchen is SPOTLESS!!!!

My kitchen is straight outta the early '80s. Pale tan Corian EVERYWHEREL: counter tops, cabinets, even the sink fixture is encased in Corian. YUCK!!!! As soon as we can find a contractor who will re-do our kitchen for less than 150K (the going rate here in SF, ugh), we're going to jump on it. The only things I like about my kitchen are: 1) Double ovens. 2) TONS of storage space. My dream kitchen will have double ovens, tons of storage, recessed lighting, granite countertops, big huge gas burners (I stir-fry a lot), old Tuscan style cabinetry, built-in trash can hiding place. I'd also love a big stone decorative hood, but it could dwarf my tiny little kitchen so maybe not. Hubby wants a wine fridge. Pipe dreams, all of this.

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks so much KD. I am truly blessed to live in such an amazing home. It''s 3 years old and only had one previous owner who never really lived in the space. She hadn''t even pulled zip ties off the inside of the fridge when we moved in, one of the ovens had never been used, etc. It was like getting a brand new home.

I am a bit of a neat freak, and I think it''s messy because it''s just clutter, not decorated. As I continue to say, I am terrified of decorating, I have such a hard time making choices (and we''re waiting for DH''s old home to sale) so this place is a blank slate, with the exception of the living and dining rooms, which are one great room. I want to put plants up above the cupboards and make it a bit more finished. One of these days!!!

Sorry for the hijack, lk!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Here are some pics. This first one is a picture of the picture from the brochure when we bought the townhouse so the quality isn''t so great.

 

[Dee*Jay]

And here is a view from the other side of the wall that the fridge is on during the demo. (Please forgive the laundry; the washer/dryer is in the closet on the right there with the white louvered door.)

 

[Dee*Jay]

And here are some views of the current kitchen.

 

[Dee*Jay]

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[Dee*Jay]

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[Dee*Jay]

Taking that wall down made all the difference in the world!

 

[Dee*Jay]

The colors are a bit off in these pics (on my monitor anyway). The granite is called Bordeaux and it has a lot of coral and salmon and burgandy in it. The Bisazza tiles pick up all the colors and really give a nice accent (although they look very *pink* in these pics!).

Just to give you a point of spatial reference, the double oven did not move.

 

[ladykemma]

very nice!. ya know it''s funny the very bar you installed is the one i want gone from my house. it''s a clutter collector.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Ha ha! It actually stays pretty clutter free because it''s on the second floor. Now the table right inside the door in the entry way is a whole ''nother matter!

 

[Miranda]

We just went from a house with a teeny tiny kitchen to a bigger house that is mostly kitchen...And I love it. One of us is always cooking something. There are so many things I love about this kitchen. From a workablitlity standpoint I love the double ovens, the 5 burner stove, the big double sink, and the island. I wasn''t sold on the desk area at first, but, it is really growing on me as it is easy to see what the kids are doing on the computer at all times. We will get a new computer soon (maybe a laptop) so it won''t be as much of an eyesore. From a decor standpoint I love the metal deco tiles, subway tiles and the paneled fridge doors.

I don''t really have before and afters, but, I do have old house/new house pics.


Old house

 

[Miranda]

New house

 

[Miranda]

Here''s the double oven and paneled fridge

 

[Miranda]

And the cooktop

 

[Mara]

oh miranda i love your kitchen!! i am not really a fan of white in kitchens because it always seems so old fashioned and hard to keep clean but i think that is the trend lately right and when done it''s just STUNNING...like yours!! and i love your dining table and how it''s a direct contrast to all the white. yum.

kimberly i love yours too. i love big open spaces, and DJ your kitchen is divine as well. our kitchen looks somewhat like that brochure picture you posted DJ, i have posted pictures of it in the past. maple cabinets, and dark brownish gray green granite on the countertops..black appliances, island with wrought iron chairs. i still love it and it is very usable (our island is a clutter collector too but when cleared off is a great space for entertaining with appetizers/foods etc)..but of course one could always improve, hehee. aka double ovens!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Kimberly, your kitchen is so bright and sunny! And I really loved your arched doorways.

Miranda, I love how big your kitchen is! I think it's larger than a whole floor of our tonhouse, LOL.

Mara, our tonwhouse was only four years old when we bought it. We felt *a little* bad tearing out a practically brand new kitchen, but we had a vision of what we wanted in this space and we could not have opened up the wall and let the light into the dining room without some major renovation anyway so we went the whole banana.

The three bathrooms are next!!!

 

[Sundial]

Fantastic kitchen remodel Deejay! The space looks so much more sohisticated now and the flow is much better.

Kimberly your kitchen is just gorgeous!!! I especially love your cabinets and flooring.

Miranda that is some big beautiful kitchen you have in your new house!

We did a complete remodel of ours just over a year ago so we are pretty happy with everything. Like Deejay I am on to the bathroom next. I want to redo our master bath this year.