It’s wild to suppose that that is our second 12 months of adorning this home for the vacations (what even is time?!) however first a ton of you had been asking to see what occurred to the kitchen aspect of the area as soon as the brand new door went in. Our final submit lined all of the images and angles of the brand new kitchen porch we created exterior – simply steps away from our cooking space inside. So let’s check out what went down inside. Right here’s what the kitchen is trying like as of late:
It’s all the time enjoyable to rewind, so if we take a step again in time, that is the kitchen because it appeared once we purchased this home in Feb of 2020:
We talked about our preliminary updates to the room waaaaay again in this submit from Could of 2020 (earlier than we moved in). And this one is a more moderen kitchen replace that particulars the factor about our kitchen that no person may perceive once we moved in (spoiler alert, it was “why didn’t you simply rip out the kitchen and redo it earlier than transferring in?!”). So you’ll be able to learn precisely why proper right here in that submit.
And right here we have now a considerably related shot of the room immediately. Once I say that door modified SO MUCH about how we use this kitchen, I actually can’t underscore it sufficient. John grills dinner (rooster, shrimp, burgers, even PIZZA!) about 4 nights per week. Perhaps even 5. Our brother-in-law even shocked him with fancy steaks delivered to the home for his Christmas current and the joy in John’s eyes was palpable. I feel the reward of steaks even a 12 months in the past can be kind of a head-scratcher for us (foodies, we’re not) however this man is ALL IN on the grill. It’s his new favourite software (okay, tied along with his mitre noticed). Additionally I’m decided to bake chocolate chip cookies on the grill, so keep tuned for that experiment…
Right here’s a shot of how the room appeared earlier than the door went in. The cupboards had that shorter run underneath the window, however because of John’s mathy mind we realized we’d solely lose about 18″ of cupboard area after we factored within the area that we acquireed from having free and quick access to the beforehand blocked nook cupboard.
See that area to the fitting of the dishwasher? That turned a freed up good vast decrease cupboard with a drawer above it (26″ vast)- so we gained that. However we misplaced the little peninsula of cupboards that was once blocking it (which was 44″ vast, therefore J’s calculation that we misplaced 18″ general).
The excellent news is we gained THIS! It may be a stretch to name it a full-service out of doors kitchen, but it surely’s undoubtedly an excellent helpful extension of the kitchen for straightforward grilling and extra lined seating amongst different issues (like a sooner solution to carry within the groceries).
We additionally added a complete pantry to this kitchen, so we’ve by no means had a lot storage. Extra on that right here, but it surely was the opposite factor that modified every part about how we use this area.
So between this huge storage-fest (3 new drawers + 6 new cabinets together with the cupboard over the fridge!) and getting access to that beforehand blocked nook cupboard & drawer, we’re sitting fairly relating to storage in right here.
In actual fact that drawer by the brand new door is totally empty. I’ve been debating what I ought to use it for, but it surely really feels very nice to have room to spare. That was undoubtedly a consider our choice to forgo higher cupboards and simply have two rows of thick wooden cabinets on the again wall of the kitchen for now (with our cute little brass and white sconces up there). Cupboards would enable us to shove much more stuff into this kitchen… however the aim of downsizing and simplifying = kind of the other of making an attempt to jam stuff you don’t really want right into a smaller area. We definitely may improve to true higher cupboards down the road if we discover ourselves thirsty for extra cupboard space, however for now the thought of a wall filled with tile with these chunky wooden floating cabinets sounds nice and features effectively for us.
As for the way we eliminated that cupboard to liberate area so as to add the door, the reply is: as fastidiously as potential, largely with a hammer and a prybar. We simply slowly demo’ed out the outdated stuff, and saved the drawer and door fronts so we may create a drawer and door for the nook cupboard that we had been exposing. There was additionally a bit of flooring lacking underneath the cupboards however we simply have common pine flooring right here, so it wasn’t arduous to trace down and we had the identical professionals who added the doorways “feather them in” (which suggests you don’t simply patch the ground in a rectangle form, you narrow the brand new boards all to totally different lengths so it’s not an apparent patch job).
And I simply used the identical Bona flooring end & sealer we used again once we had the flooring refinished to match them. Labored like a attraction! I simply seen the runner isn’t centered on the door on this image, however that looks like actual life. See how one can’t actually inform the place the outdated flooring finish and the brand new ones start?
Our Hail Mary plan if refinishing the brand new pine didn’t match completely was going to only be to save lots of the flooring within the space of our bed room the place we’re planning so as to add the ensuite lavatory and use that to patch this spot later (in order that’s backup plan for anybody when you have a spot in your home that has present wooden that matches however may be transformed to tile later down the street).
And as for the way the cupboard door entrance and drawer entrance got here out that we cobbled collectively from the remaining elements of the cupboards that we demo’ed out… we’re SO PLEASED. You actually can’t see a seam the place we joined two drawer fronts and two doorways to create one wider one in every of every for this finish cupboard (because of wooden filler, sanding, extra wooden filler, extra sanding, primer and paint).
We really ordered new cupboards for this again wall that are at the moment sitting in our bed room (they arrived proper earlier than Burger died and we simply felt too drained and unhappy to take the entire kitchen aside (since new cupboards will result in no sink or dishwasher for some time since we’re additionally including new counter and so they take just a few weeks to template after the cupboards go in, so the room can’t normally come again collectively in a short time). However the plan is to possibly deal with that in early 2022 if we have now it in us. P.S. Our new cupboard plan is to color them this precise colour as a result of we’re very hooked up, so don’t fear, the mauve isn’t going wherever.
Oh and within the photograph above you’ll be able to see the seam of the entrance piece of the laminate counter the place we needed to lengthen it as soon as we uncovered that nook cupboard. It’s actually the one discernible clue that this kitchen was ever something totally different – however as soon as we change the cupboards and counters and tile that again wall I feel it’ll really feel prefer it has all the time been this manner.
Okay, so now, onto the vacation decor! I’d describe Yr Two on this home for the vacations as a extra minimal Christmas however nonetheless a festive one.
Final 12 months we received a mini actual tree for upstairs within the household room in addition to placing up our skinny faker (that’s what I affectionately name this tree right here) within the bed room. However this 12 months we had a extra central spot for our essential tree… proper within the nook our new pantry created within the kitchen, which may be loved a ton of the time. So I feel it eradicated our urge so as to add a secondary little tree upstairs (you’ll be able to see all of the images of how we embellished the home final 12 months on this submit).
One other factor about our new spot for the tree, is that it feels prefer it provides us “extra bang for the buck” from exterior. I imply how excellent is that?! Couldn’t have deliberate it higher! And we actually didn’t – we simply pushed the tree into the pantry nook nook simply to see if it was bizarre or cute in a spur of the second urge & had been each like… “UM IT IS GREAT!”
The juxtaposition of a pile of flip flops and a lemon tree exterior and a glowing Christmas tree inside makes me chuckle.
I noticed I didn’t present you the way the opposite aspect of the tree seems to be, however you’ll be able to see from this pic of the youngsters beginning to enhance it that it doesn’t actually get in the best way of something. We’ve got a giant potted plant right here the remainder of the 12 months, so the one actual distinction is that the tree is taller. However no person was strolling into that nook nook earlier than, so it’s all good function-wise.
Should you’re a type of individuals who likes to “stroll” by means of an area to get your bearings, you can even get a really feel for the entire kitchen on this video. I LOVE how one can catch a glimpse out on the kitchen porch, and the ending makes me chuckle. Feels very Florida.
Word: You can even watch this video on YouTube
Okay, however again to our tree. We’re large followers of the entire collected-over-time mishmash of sentimental and significant and handmade-by-the-kids ornaments. Gone are the times of “theme timber” or something that’s coordinated and matching – all of us jam ornaments on principally each department and admire the result each time. I do know it’s not for everybody, but it surely positive makes us joyful.
The youngsters put their stuffed animal “Burger” right here the primary evening that we put up the tree and I cried actual tears. We’d give something to have him again. Feels so unhappy to have Christmas with out him, and our tree is roofed with Burger ornaments too. He lives on in our hearts for positive.
After which there’s Raychard (sure, his title is Raychard, not Richard). He was named by our daughter again when she was like three or possibly even two? She’s 11 now, so he has been with us for some time. He’s all the time entering into bother…
Upstairs, the important thing phrase is minimal I feel this 12 months. Ha! I simply put out a tray of ornaments and a few small bottle brush timber and known as it good. Oh however discover how there’s a kind of folded fake sheepskin on that woven bench on this photograph.
There have been two of them kind of flopped over and positioned on the bench to make it cozy however the children principally juggled them day-after-day so that they had been by no means left the identical approach they had been discovered, if you already know what I imply. So we lastly made a legit “upholstered” cushion that can’t be thrown throughout the room or rolled up right into a ball and IT FEELS SO GOOD.
All it took was slicing a skinny piece of MDF into the form of the bench seat after which stapling a fake sheepskin across the edges with my manual staple gun (right here is a similar faux sheepskin).
I feel the entire thing took us like 12 minutes and I used to spend 12 minutes each few days wrangling the fake sheepskins that had been now not properly folded on the bench seat, so…. COMPLETE AND TOTAL LIFE HACK.
You’ll be able to see the completed consequence on this photograph under. It’s floofy sufficient since our fake sheepskin had a whole lot of density to it, however you undoubtedly will wish to add foam for those who attempt one thing like this with MDF and cloth (it’ll really feel very arduous in your buns with out the froth).
Should you step again… extra timber. Some are bottle brush, some are wooden, some are ceramic, and a few are mercury glass. I really like these items and bear in mind packing them inside an inch of their life once we moved right here as a result of I by no means need something to occur to them.
Over by the TV there’s just a little dough bowl of shiny pink and silver ornaments for some added sparkle (right here’s an identical whitewashed dough bowl).
General, it’s a delicate vacation impact. I went the other of excessive this 12 months.
Enjoyable truth: I retailer this dough ball with these ornaments in it similar to this within the final wardrobe cupboard in our bed room (together with all of our different vacation stuff – extra on that right here) so it’s simply able to set out yearly. Really easy, and in a closed cupboard it doesn’t even appear to get dusty. In Richmond I used to bag up the ornaments in a labeled plastic bag that stated “dough bowl ornaments” however generally much less is extra. This works simply high-quality.
I really like this angle with the pink portray and the brass sconce and Teil’s book combined with these timber. I’m telling you, they’re small and cute however they make me so joyful. I could have purchased three new $3 ones from Goal. That they had pink glass and mercury glass ones of their greenback spot, which is now all the time $3 or $5 (the “greenback spot” title is fallacious and must be up to date…).
Extra timber ended up on our desk. Additionally, legos on the ground is actual life, so please take pleasure in. Nearly all of these legos are from John’s childhood and his mother saved all of them these years and now our children play with them. I simply love that.
Additionally extremely suggest a disco ball for year-round festivity. The reflections when the solar hits this one are a lot enjoyable.
Oh and this 12 months we lastly added this beautiful menorah to our family. Rising up we all the time had one together with a Christmas tree (my mother is Catholic and my dad is Jewish) and I knew the youngsters would love rising up with an identical custom. All of us had enjoyable lighting the lights and I shared some childhood recollections of my grandma and grandpa’s Hannukah traditions. Additionally… please benefit from the smeared hand marks on the dishwasher that I left there, additionally within the title of “actual life.” P.S. Doesn’t that banana stem rising from the fruit bowl appear like a clenched fist, as if the apple is like “I’ll by no means surrender!”
Oh and outdoors John had enjoyable wrapping this tree with lights (these are related warm white exterior lights). I really like this a lot I’m advocating that we go away it up 12 months spherical. Its so glowy and delightful at evening, and we get to take pleasure in it from our entrance door and window once we’re consuming dinner or hanging out within the sitting room within the night.
Additionally please take a second to understand the inflatable weiner canine that dwell throughout the road at our neighbor’s home. We’ve got the easiest neighbors and their love of dachshunds is aware of no bounds (they even have a “Happy Halloweiner” inflatable that we get to take pleasure in each October). There are another very festive homes close by, so it’s undoubtedly starting to look so much like Christmas – even on the seashore when it’s 75 levels.
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