All In A Day's Work

The peninsula alcove

Our focus is now on the alcove behind what will be a small peninsula that unites the kitchen and the dining room. This area is at the center of the remodel, both physically and philosophically. The biggest problem we are trying to solve with the remodel is that the “old” kitchen was great for a single cook alone. However, when we entertained, the kitchen became difficult to use. People leaned against the counters, the refrigerator and the stove to chat, and to help with kitchen chores. That blocked access to, well, just about everything. We needed a second space in the kitchen for people to sit and chat, or perhaps toss a salad. Our solution was to remove a wall, and the little diagonal hallway that went from the kitchen to the entryway, and to "take" space from the big closet in the main floor bedroom to create the alcove and the peninsula. There will be two stools behind the peninsula, and two sets of shelves, one built into a wall and the other along the back wall of the area. It is now coming together.

On-the-stomach work

First Don had to repair the part of the floor that had been in the closet where it looked like a laundry chute had been cut into the floor. He has used up all of the old oak flooring and finally had to buy some new material.

After Don finished the floor Sami set about painting. No where has she had to do more "cutting in" and painting in tight spaces.

Painting a straight line where two elements meet is called "cutting in."

This is the fourth in-the-wall set of shelves Don has built.

Sliding the box into the space to make sure it fits.

One of the things we have really enjoyed about the remodel is together designing and creating a new space. The in-the-wall shelves will hold bottles of wine, stemware and cups. The shelves at the back wall will hold cookbooks, the microwave and some display-type kitchen tools. The coffee pot will be on the counter adjacent to the peninsula. We can use the area to have our morning coffee, consult cookbooks and plan meals, or as a sideboard or bar. Guests can stand or sit there to chat with and help the cook. We are feeling pretty clever!

The shelves are ready for paint.

In the final photo you can see just a hint of where the diagonal hallway was. The hall and the big closet obviously were not original to the house, but added in a past remodel. We speculate the area had originally been a pantry.